In the foreword to the stirring new anthology Why Design Matters: Conversations with the World's Most Creative People by Debbie Millman, the author Roxane Gay proclaims Millman to be "one of the finest interviewers working today." She is, naturally, quite biased--Millman is Gay's wife. But the following 350-plus pages prove powerful evidence for Gay's thesis. A curated collection of interviews from Millman's time as a podcast host, Why Design Matters features insights from such luminaries as Brené Brown, Aminatou Sow, Saeed Jones, Ira Glass and Amber Tamblyn. The volume might not be what readers expect at first, especially if they're hoping for a primer on aesthetics. Rather, this is not a particularly visual book at all; there are no images apart from headshots. Why Design Matters chooses, instead, to allow the design to take place in the reader's head as they absorb the wisdom of the greats. It's an unusual but powerful tactic, making for an absorbing and well-organized book. --Lauren Puckett-Pope, freelance writer