Paper wasn’t supposed to be cool. Then math came along.

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I’ve been thinking a lot lately about materials. Obviously, a painter’s material is paint, a sculptor’s material is bronze or clay. But what of the other, more abstract arts? For example, a stand-up comedian will refer to her material. What, exactly, is that material? Jokes? Stories? What is a writer’s material? Here’s Annie Dillard: A well-known