Douglas McLennan
Doug is the editor of ArtsJournal
How Blurbing Books Wrecked My Life
Early in my career I decided it was my duty to write at least twice as many blurbs as I received. I’ve now written...
Trump’s Threatened Tariffs Throw Gallery Owners Into Uncertainty
For both galleries in Mexico and those traveling to Mexico City to participate in the city’s three fairs—Zona Maco, Material, and Salón Acme—there appears...
The “Socratic Method” Rather Misses The Point
Such attempts to mimic him miss the point, which is that true thinking should be dangerous to your intellectual equilibrium. It should strive for...
Barnes & Noble To Open 60 New Stores In 2025
“In 2024, Barnes & Noble opened more new bookstores in a single year than it had in the whole decade from 2009 to 2019...
How To Read Like A Translator
Translators deal with the “especially strong constraint” of the tight relationship between the original text and the new one, but the latter is still,...
Joe Biden Signs On With CAA Talent Agency
While a CAA client from 2017 to 2020, President Biden published his #1 New York Times bestselling memoir, “Promise Me, Dad,” launched the 42-date...
The Grammys Used The LA Fires As Prop Rather Than Honoring The Victims
The Grammys’ handling of the city’s ongoing trauma felt more performative than profound: The fires became a prop and backdrop to the night’s honors,...
A Dance Tour, A Topic Trump Doesn’t Like, And Suddenly The Funding…
If climate change is an integral part of your work, how do you write a proposal to an administration that is actively not wanting...
Trump’s New FCC Chief To Investigate NPR, PBS Underwriting
“In particular, it is possible that NPR and PBS member stations are broadcasting underwriting announcements that cross the line into prohibited commercial advertisements.” -...
US Copyright Says Its 1965 Law Anticipated (And Settled) AI Issues
The Copyright Office insisted that the AI copyright debate was settled in 1965 after commercial computer technology started advancing quickly and "difficult questions of...
The Loss Of Music In The Los Angeles Fires
A truly sickening number of studios, equipment, instruments, and reliquaries of precious artifacts, mementos, and material memories from so many lifetimes in music are...
Study: Teens Are Increasingly Being Misled By Online Misinformation
About 35% reported being deceived by fake content online. However, a larger 41% reported they had encountered content that was real yet misleading and...
The Practice Of Architecture Is About To Become Unrecognizable
With the rise of technology there are radical changes headed our way and the architecture/design industry as we know it (and have known it...
The Orchestra Of St. Luke’s @50: What Makes It Different
Without the rigid week-after-week subscription structure of the Philharmonic and other major orchestras, St. Luke’s has the versatility to take on unusual ideas. -...
How Our Attention Is Being Exploited (And Mined For Riches)
Something fundamental to us, as humans, is being exploited for inhuman ends. We are primed to seek out new information; yet our relentless curiosity...
Royal Ballet School In London Settles With Student Over Body Shaming Suit
The Royal Ballet School (RBS) has reached a financial settlement with a former student, who said the body-shaming she experienced while at the elite...
Mark Swed: The Next Generation Of Piano Virtuosi
Both Sashas are exceptional virtuosos. Neither is particularly demonstrative. But Malofeev, now 23, can become a keyboard demon. Kantorow, on the other hand, is...
Trump Administration Enemies Lists Have The Feel Of Hollywood’s Blacklist
To some in Hollywood, today’s rhetoric reflects a throwback to the epoch of the backlist decades ago. Those who publicly defied the mandates of...
We’ve Been Obsessing On The End Of The World Since Time Began
Apparently, we’ve been thinking about wholesale termination at least since about 1800 B.C., the date ascribed to the myth of Atrahasis, a Mesopotamian creation...
Netflix Is Coming For Broadcasters Worldwide
Netflix and the other streaming giants are reshaping media systems across Europe. An audience survey in four European countries (Denmark, Germany, Italy and the...
A Life Of Psychological Riches
A psychologically rich life is one filled with diverse, unusual and interesting experiences that change your perspective; a life with twists and turns; a...
Storytelling And The Art Of Advice
A traditional story forgoes psychological realism in favor of a universality that can be integrated into the lives of its listeners. The novel, on...
Two Seattle Theatre Companies To Merge
ACT, founded in 1965, has a fiscal year 2025 operating budget of $6.8 million while Seattle Shakespeare Company, founded in 1991, has a current...
How Hollywood Plans To Help Rebuild LA
“Rebuilding is not just about money,” Bob Iger, CEO of Disney, told The New York Times. “It’s about ingenuity and determination.” - Christian Science...
Using Art To Unlock Potential In A Small City
“People drive out to Gary and see nothing but blight,” says artist Lauren Pacheco, who grew up in Chicago and moved to Gary nine...
