“I think it means where the artist doesn’t necessarily have a full understanding of something, but they have deep empathy. They have some kind of amazing empathy with the characters in the world. I just think it means being openhearted and generous. I think that to be a conscious person is to sort through stuff in order to understand not just yourself but how you feel in the world.”

—  Hilton Als

On how he defines “soulful” in “Hilton Als on What It Means to Be Hopeful, Despite the World” https://lithub.com/hilton-als-on-what-it-means-to-be-hopeful-despite-the-world/ in LitHub (2015 Dec 16)

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writer, critic 1961

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