Elizabeth Smart: "I want this to be an empowering experience for them. I want them to feel pride in sharing their story." - Slate

"The work could especially help the approximately 100 districts in the state where some, if not all, schools are only offering classes Monday through Thursday, primarily because of funding restrictions." - Oregon ArtsWatch

Some psychiatrists and philosophers interested in AI-human relationships suspect that AI psychosis may just be the most visible example of a much broader phenomenon: the subtle reshaping of ordinary human belief by conversational AI. - Big Think

We have a real need to be needed. And yet many forces—thinking machines, aging, economic and social dislocation—appear to be making us feel redundant. Are we building a world in which no one is particularly necessary? Do we already live in such a world? - The New Yorker

We have not a single piece of meaningful legislation in the United States Congress about artificial intelligence. We have essentially nothing about social media. This is something that we’re now battling out in the courts.  - The Walrus

This may strike you as a little paranoid. The rise of the telephone, in the past century and a half—from the rotary diallers at home and the boxes in the street to the smartphones in every pocket—is associated with a change that, broadly speaking, we consider positive. - The New Yorker

Sexism, basically. Yet: "Critics of Gerwig’s casting of Streep forget that many of us heard tales of Narnia first in our mother’s voice. ... This powerful, unknowable god first spoke to us in a loving voice which guided and comforted us, even when we might be afraid." - Reactor

In other words, the key sell for engaging with art in this case is that there is science – a real expertise! – backing it up, to reassure those on the fence that it’s not all a clanging, nebulous waste of time. - The Guardian

“The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events is set to receive about $62.5 million next year in the proposed budget. That’s up less than 1% from the arts budget that passed City Council last year.” - WBEZ (Chicago)

The layoffs deepen the uncertainty surrounding the 27-year-old nonprofit, which closed its 56,000-square-foot West Oakland facility Oct. 25 and canceled classes and events. The board has said it cannot yet say when, or whether, the organization will reopen. - San Francisco Chronicle (MSN)

For Canada, Trump’s war on facts presents a window of opportunity. “As other countries constrain academic freedoms and undermine cutting-edge research, Canada is investing in—and doubling down on—science,” Industry Minister Mélanie Joly said when announcing the initiative in December 2025. - The Walrus

The dataset now spans 2003–2025 and includes newly added data from 2024 and 2025. It is available through the NADAC website for free download and online analysis. - NEA

"The contracts banned the performers from having an 'insincere attitude' and engaging in 'inappropriate romantic relationships.' They also struck standard child protection language which protected 'basic human rights,' including the group members’ right to education." - The Guardian (UK)

Keith Cerny, who's from the U.S. and most recently was the CEO for the Fort Worth Symphony, is a classically trained pianist, conductor, and economist. - Vancouver Sun

One of the business leaders helping get the music flowing again: "Getting our musicians on stage again was our top priority. ... Now we must build a financial and operating model that allows the Symphony to thrive, not simply survive from one season to the next." - Arizona Republic (MSN)

The $10.1 billion figure marks a 19 percent increase from 2025, while the company reported $892 million in operating income, a 13 percent jump from last year. Fan attendance overall grew 19 percent to 61 million people, Live Nation said, with international attendance growing 29 percent. - The Hollywood Reporter

Machover’s brilliant new half-hour orchestral score asks AI for agency. It does so by treating the technology as stupid, musicians as creative artists and the audience as capable of opening its collective mind. It handles democracy not as a done deal, but a series of scary questions — and doesn’t trust the heartless machines...

While Gustavo Dudamel was the orchestra’s music and artistic director, incoming music director Daniel Harding, who starts next fall, will split responsibilities with creative director (a new title) Esa-Pekka Salonen and conductor-in-residence Anna Handler. On Wednesday, the orchestra also announced new artistic chairs for jazz, Latin music, and new music. - Los Angeles Times...

"A Colombian artist being so enamoured by European artists invites questions about visibility – and whose art is deemed significant." - BBC

"Batima Zaurbekova is among Kazakhstan’s most celebrated artists. Beyond its borders, however, her name is far less known. The gap says less about her work than about who has been doing the looking—and framing." - Artnet

The motion to approve the project passed by an 8-4 vote after listening to over 100 public remarks largely against the project after a nearly 9-hour meeting. - The Hill

The livestream went down during public testimony largely against the project and after a tense exchange with Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.). NCPC tech experts were looking into the issue, Reuters reported. - The Hill

Just before midnight Friday, District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan issued an order — finalized and made public minutes later - barring the government from any construction work for 14 days, granting a request filed days earlier by the governments of D.C. and Virginia. - NPR

“(The painting) Near Abiquiu was previously only known from a 1931 photograph. It laid hidden under a row of fur coats for nearly 40 years, until a woman known only by her middle name, Betsy, was helping her now-deceased aunt, an accomplished former Foreign Service worker, prepare for hospice.” - Artnet

The Guardian asks them, with some decent results. "Iris Murdoch once said, 'One should sit quietly and let the thing invent itself,' and I took that as a mantra, letting the book emerge. It turns out that can be quite messy." - The Guardian (UK)

You know what often comes after years of (hot) sex, at least for some couples? That's right: Babies. But do they, and their needs, belong in the hottest book series on the market? - Slate

The century-old Strand Bookstore has agreed to pay the federal government nearly $1.5 million to resolve a claim that it was not eligible for a pandemic-relief loan it obtained because the store’s owner is married to a member of Congress. - The New York Times

It is something of a truism in the library world that, when economic conditions worsen, people use libraries more. Patrons and librarians across the U.S. tell NPR they're seeing that pan out now. - NPR

"Philippe Jaenada, who won the Prix Goncourt on Tuesday for L’Inconnue du quai de Javel (The Unknown Woman of the Quai de Javel), told France Inter radio on Wednesday that he had turned to AI ‘three times’ while writing it.” - The Guardian

The “immersive” biography of Alexander the Great, which includes Richardson’s translations of source material from 12 different languages, is the first work about ancient history to win the £50,000 ($67,000) award. - AP

Éyum Priscilla: The comedy "is a story about embracing every part of who you are and finding the confidence to claim your place in the country you’ve always called home." - Irish Times

“Some of us can see a lot of doom and gloom,” said Miranda Banks, a professor of film, television and media studies. “But this generation has their eye on the power of human creativity in a way that I’m not sure any of us in other generations have been so attuned to.” - Los...

In an unsigned announcement posted on its website, Salon said that the “business realities of independent digital journalism” had changed profoundly and that “our publishing model is no longer sustainable.” - The New York Times

“An agreement has not yet been reached and could still fall apart, but the companies have entered into exclusive negotiations. … The Times would acquire the controlling stake in Letterboxd from Tiny, a Canadian-based company which originally picked up a 60% stake in 2023 when the website was valued at just $50 million.” - IndieWire

“The networks were following the same returns, and by the end of the evening, the same political story was taking shape. What differed was how they told it — and how quickly they moved from counting votes to explaining what went wrong for Republicans and what comes next for Democrats.” - TheWrap (Yahoo!)

“The taxpayer-funded broadcaster and streamer has hired a new head of digital originals, Ariel Yang, and her commissioning duties include taking pitches from local producers for homegrown microdramas.” - The Hollywood Reporter

The immersive video company Cosm filmed multiple New York City Ballet performances, using 13 cameras shooting from 84 positions. The footage was edited to produce what Cosm calls shared reality (“virtual reality without the clunky glasses”). The result will be shown this year in Detroit, Atlanta, Dallas and Los Angeles. - The New York...

Said ex-director is Benjamin Millepied, also known as a former New York City Ballet star, founder-director of L.A. Dance Project, choreographer for the movie Black Swan, and Natalie Portman’s ex-husband. He’s staging three shows, each built on the music of great singer-songwriters, at the Folies this month. - The Times (UK)

In the early years, Darius James said he would cover the word "ballet" on the van they took to do community workshops because he feared it would put people off before trying. - BBC

Hindu mythology includes several figures described as third-gender, mixed-gender or genderless. Bijayini Satpathy, one of the great living practitioners of Odissi dance, had never played any of those characters before creating her new solo piece, and she wasn’t sure she would even know how. - The New York Times

Videographer James Fenwick runs the Born from Culture series, posting videos focusing on the world’s folk-dance traditions. In June, he released a video of Georgian dancers with music from the other Georgia, the Atlanta trap number “Mask Off.” When that went viral, traditional dance groups all over the world started following suit. - Dazed

When Adrian Mitchell returned to the school in 2022, this time to teach, there were four boys. But in a few short years Mitchell expanded those numbers tenfold, to 40. All four in the original group went on to top ballet schools, professional ballet companies — or both. - The New York Times

The Debut doesn't come out until December 11. But there are many others in the "subgenre of theater-centric movies in which the characters are mostly amateurs creating stage magic (they hope)." - The New York Times

“The musical, inspired by the titular Cuban band, took home five Tony Awards in 2025, including a special Tony for its onstage band. While the show is closing in January, producers say it is on track to recoup before closure. … In 2027, the musical will open in London’s West End.” - The Hollywood...

Director Milo Rau’s documentary staging of the trial of Pelicot’s husband, who repeatedly drugged her and invited men to rape her, will be produced and livestreamed by the Young Vic, with a cast including Kate Winslet, Brian Cox, Indira Varma, Tobias Menzies, Rosie O'Donnell, Suzy Eddie Izzard, Juliet Stevenson, and others. - WhatsOnStage (UK)

With their Broadway debut a smash hit, Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik expected their next musical, Nero (about the Roman emperor), would go far But, after a 2006 production in San Francisco, the piece got nothing more than workshops and showcases for producers. At long last, Nero is having its London premiere. - The...

His most famous play, Waiting for Lefty, is getting a major Off-Broadway revival; Awake and Sing! is opening on Broadway next month; Golden Boy just finished a London run with movie star Josh O’Connor in the lead. Why is Odets having a moment now? Helen Shaw has some ideas. - The New York Times

The theaters are smaller. The tickets are lower, but you still often have big casts. You have to pay the musicians. And you may not have to make a million dollars to make your nut, but maybe you have to make half a million or 400 grand. That's still a lot of money. -...

In the days when most leading comics were firing off one-liners like Henny Youngman and Rodney Dangerfield, Newhart was one of the first solo performers to do anecdotes and sketches of people’s interactions. And he got plenty of material from his days as an accountant and at the Illinois State Compensation Board. - WBEZ...

“I like to tell stories,” Wilson declares early in his book, and he is very good at it. - BookForum

The British actor-comedian was convicted of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault involving four women. He was acquitted of two rape counts and one count of attempted indecent assault. The incidents happened more than 20 years ago. - AP

“Daniel Sikkema was found guilty in May of charges tied to a murder-for-hire plot ... that took place in Rio de Janeiro in January 2024. After a two-week trial in New York, Daniel was convicted of three charges: murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to commit murder in a foreign country.” - ARTnews

Over his seven-decade career, he was music director or principal conductor of the flagship orchestras in Oslo, Danish and Swedish Radio, Dresden, San Francisco, and Leipzig — then spent his 80s and 90s as a surprisingly energetic and much-beloved guest conductor all over Europe, the US, and East Asia. - NPR

While the Anglosphere has long seen the poet-playwright as a gay icon, that side of his life and work was for decades suppressed within his homeland. Any scholar who dared discuss the subject would be denied access to the family archives (and likely harassed by the Franco regime). That has finally changed. - The...