Carolina A. Miranda with the official beginning-of-the year essential arts news: Peering into 2021 In recent days, I’ve been entertaining myself by reading the various predictions for 2020 published at the beginning of last year. Writers, scholars, critics and self-described futurists forecast the rise of “statement doorknobs,”hot pants and “smart” eyewear, as well as the decline of social media (LOL) and a growing political apathy among young people (ROFL). No one foresaw a global pandemic cross-pollinated by intense protests in the name of Black lives. Go figure. Times opinion columnist Robin Abcarian, however, did pretty much nail 2020 when it came to electoral politics, rounding out her predictions dispatch with this observation: “Between now and the election, our long national nervous breakdown will continue.” Even post-election, the breakdown continues. In fact, just consider me broken down.