Stories

We Knew Heated Rivalry’s Shane Was A Reader, But The Actor Playing Him Has Even Better Taste In Books

“Williams is rarely spotted without a book in his hand. He’s now name-checked multiple Joan Didion titles in interviews, and was once photographed next to a copy of Knausgaard’s My Struggle. His personal motto comes from Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables.” And his selections sell very well. - LitHub

Claude Bessy, Who Ruled The Paris Ballet School, Has Died At 93

Bessy was "a graceful French ballet star whose firm hand at the helm of the Paris Opera Ballet School for three decades made it one of the world’s top dance institutions, though her rigorous methods eventually drew stinging criticism.” - The New York Times

Tennessee’s Latest Attempt At Banning – This Time Of Roots – Has Failed, For Now

“Under the totalitarian Age-Appropriate Materials Act — a Tennessee law passed in 2022 that, along with an addendum passed two years later, has permitted the removal of hundreds of books from libraries throughout the state — the Knox County school district recently ordered the removal of Alex Haley’s novel.” - Salon

As Nearly All Musicians Pull Out, The President Wants To Cancel His ‘Freedom 250’ Celebration

He’s also said he wants to headline it himself. But “a senior administration official described the rollout of the concerts as ‘a mess’ and suggested that someone would most likely be fired over how the invitations to the event had been handled.” - The New York Times

Dealing With Sudden Pop Fame By Exiting The Game Almost Entirely

Kim Petras was not happy with her experience of “what can happen when the general corporate powers that be force you to sideline your artistry for the company line.” So, she left. - The Fader

A Photographer Who Portrayed Women As Bold And Self-Possessed, Even In 1960s Hong Kong

Sheung was "deeply invested in crafting an image of female autonomy and audacity at a time when women’s lives were constrained by traditional expectations.” - The New York Times

Museum Gift Stores Have Always Been A Little Special, But They’ve Leveled Up

“Rather than an exit point, this new wave of merchandising is quickly turning museum gift shops into a desirable entry point. Curated edits ... are now beginning to treat them as a stand-alone shopping destination, marking a shift from cultural institution to cultural retailer.” - The Guardian (UK)

The Five Top Takeaways From The Kennedy Center Ruling

And yes, we sure do mean the Kennedy Center. - The New York Times

The Creator Of This Animated Cupcake Is Furious At Buzzfeed’s GenAI Plan

Remember when Jonah Peretti of Buzzfeed seemed like a good guy? That was a long time ago, and we were all so much more innocent, including the creator of Good Advice Cupcake: "I trusted them, though naively, when they said they had no interest in continuing Cuppy without me." - Wired

Marcia Lucas, Who Truly Created Star Wars Through Editing, Has Died At 80

Lucas not only co-edited the first movie and Return of the Jedi but also made various Spielberg, Scorsese, and many other movies far, far better through her mad skills. - The Hollywood Reporter

A Critic Begs Us All Not To Forget These Performances In The Lead-Up To Emmy Noms

These actors aren’t going to be nominated, but they (maybe!) should be. And some of us could at least watch their shows. - Vulture

The Serious Business Of Creating Illustrations For Children

“For years, illustrators have been overlooked, seen as people who come in and do the decorating after the house has been built. But this couldn’t be further from the truth.” - The Guardian (UK)

The Biggest AI Writing Tell

The prose - whether in a text or fiction submission - is “perfectly clean, without a stray comma; uniform in length, with evenly paced paragraphs and a distinctive tone that is simultaneously breezy and grandiose.” - The Atlantic

On TikTok, Scammers Are Using AI Blackface To Push Cheap Products

Those belt buckles sure aren’t handmade. And: “Nearly all aspects of the accounts appear to be AI-generated — from the ‘person’ in the video to automated responses to comments, which in some cases attempt to mimic African American vernacular.” - The Verge

A Novel Twenty Years In The Making

“If you work on a book for twenty years—whatever we mean by work—people really act like you’re very neurotic. Like there’s something wrong with you, or you’re doing something wrong—and it’s easy to internalize that.” - Paris Review

Our Free Newsletter

Join our 30,000 subscribers

Latest

Don't Miss