Margo Jefferson spent most of her brilliant career as a critic for major magazines and newspapers before transitioning into writing that combines her critical acumen with personal narrative in thrilling ways. In this talk and conversation with Daphne A. Brooks, William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of African American Studies, American Studies, Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and Music, Margo discusses how the personal is an essential element of the critical, and vice-versa.