When Conor Oberst hears the Replacements, he thinks about one of their biggest fans: his brother, who died in 2016.
Oberst, a singer-songwriter who has performed with the band Bright Eyes, is one of the 10 artists we interviewed on the topic of grief and how it affects them. Several of the artists brought up the solace they have found in their work, whether that’s writing, performing, painting or some other form of creativity.
Some of them, like the National Book Award-winning author Jesmyn Ward, have met readers who connected with the way she wrote about her own loss. “I was grateful that I was able to do the work and offer them a story and an experience that made them feel less alone in that experience of grief,” she said.
Now we’d like to hear from you. Is there something — a book, a movie, an album, maybe a game or a social-media account — that you turned to when you were coping with the loss of a loved one? Or something that reminds you of them?
We will read every response and plan to publish a selection of them, but we won’t do that without following up with and hearing back from you. We won’t share your contact info outside the Times newsroom, and we won’t use it for any reason other than to get in touch with you.
