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Hilary Mantel’s Most Notorious Short Story Is Now Being Staged

“’The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher – August 6th 1983’ was published in The Guardian in 2014 and gave the title to Mantel’s collection of short stories that year. … Billed as a psychological thriller, the adaptation is by Alexandra Wood and will be directed by John Young at (Liverpool’s) Everyman Theatre in May.” - The Guardian

Brooklyn Public Library Is Now Lending Out Contemporary Art The Same Way It Lends Books

“The institution has announced an experimental art lending program that coincides with its new exhibition ‘Letters for the Future,’ created in collaboration with the artist-organized group Department of Transformation, which opened earlier this month.”  The effort mirrors an art lending initiative the library had in the 1950s and ‘60s. - Artnet

China Cracks Down On Gay Male Romance Novels That Young Women Adore

“Fans of the popular danmei same-sex romance genre, written and read mainly by straight women, say the Chinese government is carrying out the largest crackdown yet on it, effectively neutering the enjoyment. In the world of fantasy, danmei is relatively straightforward: Two men stand in for idealized relationships, from chaste to erotic.” - AP

BBC Offers Trump An Apology But Balks At Financial Compensation

“The BBC says it has apologized to President Donald Trump over an edited interview clip that suggested he encouraged violence ahead of the Jan. 6 Capitol riots. The news corporation also said it would not offer compensation in the wake of Trump threatening a $1 billion lawsuit over the edited video.” - Variety

Disney Co. To Add Yet Another Billion Dollars To Its Content Budget

The entertainment behemoth is increasing its spending on content to $24 billion for fiscal 2026. Does this mean more work for underemployed creatives? Actually, most of that spending will be on broadcast rights for sports. - The Hollywood Reporter

International Opera Awards 2025 To Dallas Opera, Glimmerglass, Asmik Grigorian, Nicholas Brownlee, Agnes Baltsa

Grigorian and Brownlee took male and female singer of the year honors; Theater an der Wien is company of the year; Agnes Baltsa was recognized for lifetime achievement. The Dallas Opera’s women conductors’ institute was awarded for equal opportunity; Glimmerglass took the musical theatre category for Sunday in the Park with George. - Opera Now

The Book That Shaped The Modern Revival Of Wicca

In 1899, Charles Godfrey Leland published, with the help of Roma Lister, Aradia, or the gospel of the witches, which purported to record an ancient tradition of female-led sorcery in Italy. In the 1950s, “mother of Wicca” Doreen Valiente used the book to shape Wicca as it exists today. - The Public Domain Review

University Decides ROI On Investment In Its University Press Is Insufficient And Closes It. Others To Follow?

Bucknell University Press is on track to shut down by the end of this fiscal year. Demise of the press is raising broader questions about the future of university publishing as higher education institutions across the country face financial hardship and pressure to prove their return on investment to an increasingly skeptical public. - InsideHigherEd

Chicago’s Unofficial Arts Czar Is A Daughter Of The City’s Most Famous Political Dynasty

“Amid (Trump-era) turbulence, Nora Daley — who generally prefers to avoid the spotlight — has quietly built a reputation as one of the city’s most effective cultural brokers. … In recent years, that has meant retooling the state’s cultural arm, the Illinois Arts Council, where she led a full overhaul of grantmaking as board chair.” - WBEZ (Chicago)

As We Prepare To Celebrate America’s 250th Birthday, Is There A Recognizable American Classical Music?

Is there a unifying theme around the kinds of music being written in the classical world that could indicate an “American style?” (And, as an aside, can we take pride or ownership as a nation in something if we can’t define it?) - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Is It Time For Museums To Ban Selfies?

For some institutions, a ban on selfie-taking could be an operational choice, tied to staffing levels, available space, or the types of objects on display. - The Art Newspaper

Has 21st Century Culture Lost Its Creativity?

Music without instruments and lyrics without meaning. Endless reboots, sequels and superheroes in the cinema. After a burst of magnificent TV dramas in the noughties, every glitzy new show is hailed as a must-see when most are mediocre. The algorithm has vanquished imagination. - The Economist

Sarasota Orchestra Releases Design For Its New $425 Million Music Center

The 32-acre campus, designed by William Rawn Associates of Boston and HKS Architects of Orlando, will include an 1,800-seat concert hall, a 700-seat recital hall, and education center, rehearsal facilities, courtyards, and parkland with wetlands and water features. - Observer (Sarasota)

New Study: 97 Percent Of Listeners Can’t Identify Whether The Music They’re Listening To Is AI

A staggering 97% of listeners cannot distinguish between artificial intelligence-generated and human-composed songs, a Deezer–Ipsos survey showed on Wednesday, underscoring growing concerns that AI could upend how music is created, consumed and monetized. - Reuters

How Schools Across America Are Responding To AI Use

In the face of a revolutionary change that many educators believe will alter the career trajectories of school-aged kids and the instructional methods of their schools, a handful of districts across the country have responded with drastic measures to meet the moment. - Edutopia

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