Stories

Michelangelo’s Handwriting Has Been Made Into A New Typeface

The font, called Michelangelus, is the result of a collaboration between Microsoft and the Fabbrica di San Pietro, the Vatican entity responsible for the preservation and upkeep of St. Peter’s Basilica. - Il Messagero (Italy) (in English)

The Minimalist Anne Carson

Translation is Carson’s primary art form. One way to describe it is as the art of sustained metaphor: a word in one language is similar, but not identical, to a word in another language. - The New Yorker

Inside The Book Review Problem

The little magazines can start to fill the review void. Each can, at the minimum, review five new novels in an issue. These reviews needn’t be overly long, or challenge the critic to consume every word the writer has ever written. - Political Currents

Marina Abramović At (Almost) 80

“Has any artist offered so much of her unfiltered self to the public? ... If you’ve followed her career, you likely know uncomfortably intimate details of her life.” - T — The New York Times Style Magazine

Recording Music In Analog

“So this machine that we have here is the only machine currently in service for two-inch, 24-track — it's a Studer 827 from, I believe, the late ‘90s,” Healey said as he guided the media across magnetic heads.  - WBUR

The Trolls That Took Over A Town And Charmed Everyone

“I’ve been here 37 years and I’ve never had a busier summer,” said Tina Merrihew, 59, who owns a half-laundromat, half-doughnut shop. “Amazing what trolls can do. They’re instigators.” - The New York Times

Frank Gehry’s Final Concert Hall Is Taking Shape In Los Angeles

Just two blocks from Gehry’s most famous performance venue, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Kohl Hall at the Colburn School will be a 1,000-seat auditorium with an in-the-round layout, a full-size stage and an orchestra pit so that it can host both concerts and operas. - Los Angeles Times (Yahoo!)

Frankfurt Book Fair: State Of The Publishing Industry

Declining turnover, a rise in reading in the original language, second-hand book sales and the shift to audio and digital subscription models were all “putting pressure on the profitability of the sector.” - The Bookseller

Indy’s Newfields Museum Director Steps Down

Belinda Tate began at Newfields in 2023, days before the surprise exit of former CEO and president Colette Pierce Burnette and after a years-long spotlight had been on Newfields in part due to controversial language in a 2021 posting of the director job, which led to the resignation of then-CEO and president Charles Venable. - Indianapolis Star

Adelaide Is A Festival Capital. But Its Middle Class Arts Scene Needs A Reboot

Adelaide holds down the fort as Australia’s festival capital, with Adelaide Fringe and Adelaide Festival among the nation’s top tier for arts and culture. But when Petra Kalive arrived in the city at the beginning of 2025, she found a theatre sector that had been severely diminished by years of funding cuts. - ArtsHub

Montpellier’s Main Concert Hall Closed Following Storm Damage

The Corum, a conference center-cum-arts complex with three performance spaces, suffered major water damage from heavy rains last week and has been shuttered out of safety concerns. There’s not yet any target date for reopening, and events are being moved to other venues in the city. - Pizzicato

Trends In Public Radio: Donations Up, Migration To Digital

The survey of more than 17,000 respondents from 49 U.S. public stations during June and July 2026 shows that since 2013, public radio listening has moved from 83% broadcast vs. 16% digital to this year’s 54% broadcast vs. 43% digital, with Jacobs forecasting “those two lines are going to cross .” - InsideRadio

Is AI A Brain Or A Database?

Human intuitions and mental models about how technology works govern how people use it. The idea of AI as software – deterministic, fact-retrieving – causes people to misinterpret the outputs they provide. - The Conversation

Skydance Says It Will Make $6B In Cuts At Combined Paramount/Warner

“It’s important also to say this is not about cost reduction. This is about reengineering how we work. This is about reinventing the business model. So it’s not just synergies and reducing costs; it’s also improving how we perform.  - Deadline

Why Peter Greenaway’s Film With Dustin Hoffman Is Trapped In Post-Production Limbo

Production began (after a false start) on Lucca Mortis in early 2024; despite constant, expensive delays, a first draft version was ready by the end of that year. Then bigger difficulties arose: there are now two different versions of the movie (retitled Tower Stories), neither complete, along with an ugly contract dispute. - The Guardian

Our Free Newsletter

Join our 30,000 subscribers

Latest

Don't Miss