Welcome to a special holiday edition “The Stakes,” where we’re taking a look back at one of our best pieces from the past year — plus a little something new. 

Coming up, we’ve got an extended version of music writer Hazel Cills’s interview with Khaela Maricich and Melissa Dyne, a.k.a. The Blow, on womanproducer.com — their digital archive of women making their own sonic universes. We're also featuring a poem from Hanif Willis-Abdurraqib, author of the acclaimed book, The Crown Ain’t Worth Much, called “And Who, This Time.”