Stories

Murphy, who dreamt up The Worst Witch series at age 18 (the first book was published when she was 24), refused to sell the rights to Disney because they wanted far too much control. - BBC

The UNESCO Prix Versailles "recognises architecture that fosters a better interaction between economy and culture." The airport in the town of New Plymouth is up against airports in Berlin, New York, and Athens. - The Guardian (UK)

He didn't want to comply with the vaccine mandates of the symphony or the City of San Francisco. Singers say they're sad to see him go, but one added, "Just because one has a differing point of view does not mean it’s equally valid." - San Francisco Chronicle

Loewen had no patience for the commonly used anti-Black model of the history of the South in the U.S., and his books made it abundantly clear where the deliberate misconceptions - you might call them lies - got started. - The New York Times

Yeah, hello, déjà vu: "Signature Theater, a prominent Off Broadway nonprofit, has postponed its return to the stage over concerns about the persistent coronavirus pandemic, becoming the first major New York theater to take such a step." - The New York Times

Ask academic and writer Nancy Wang Yuen: "As minorities, women of color often occupy precarious positions in universities, particularly in leadership. Ji-Yoon describes this when she says to Yaz, 'I don’t feel like I inherited an English Department; I feel like someone handed me a ticking time bomb because they wanted to make sure a woman was holding...

It's a surprisingly great life choice for one otherwise out-of-work actor. - Washington Post

Maybe older (as in, century-old) cameras have something to offer. - CBC

Rubén Miranda hosts a five-hour radio show that "specializes in the Mexican version of oldies-but-goodies: corridos, boleros, norteñas, trios and duets but especially rancheras — ballads of love and the rural life that old and young Mexicans still sing and listen to on both sides of the border." - Los Angeles Times

The idea of reading to help us think better (whatever that means) waxes and wanes with the times: "A decade ago, the fashion was to be pessimistic about the prospects of improving our thinking, and even about the value of thinking at all." - The Guardian (UK)

Perhaps her fame feels obvious now, but "Franklin's rise to superstardom wasn't easy. When she left the world of gospel music to try to become a mainstream pop star, it meant a move into a segment of the industry that was dominated by men who had very specific assumptions about how a woman should sing – and what she...

People in two communities in rural Colombia "wanted to use photography not only to document the aftermath of war and violence, but also to actively support peace" - and sometimes that included taking action as well as photos. - FastCompany

The design team says the architecture is inspired by Eiko Kadono's novel, which also inspired the Miyazaki film of the same name. - LitHub

Mitchener is "a vocalist (arguably the UK’s boldest operatic voice), movement artist ('dancer' isn’t quite right) and composer whose work cuts across music, theatre, dance, art and research. Her power is in her ability to generate intense collective empathy in a room." - The Guardian (UK)

Greenfield wrote nearly 50 books for children, stories told with joy, rhythm, melody, and enlightenment. Her "expressive poetry and prose illuminated the lives of Black people, including those of midwives during slavery and the Southerners who, like her family, moved north during the Great Migration." - The New York Times