Stories

A Forgotten Medieval Book In Rome Was Hiding A Copy Of The World’s First Poem In English

“Prior to the discovery of the Rome manuscript, the earliest one was from the early 12th century. So this is three centuries earlier than that. And so it attests to the importance that was already being attached to the English in the early 9th century.” - Seattle Times (AP)

What Happens When The European Fine Art Foundation Comes To Town

“The pursuit of beautiful things is still a magical aspect of our world. … It is much more than finding the right art for your mantelpiece.” - The New York Times

Police Find Stolen Skull Of Czech Saint Encased In Concrete

The suspect was about to throw the concrete, and the 800-year-old relic inside it, into a river. - Agence France-Presse (The Guardian UK)

A Playwright Turns Movie Director

Aleshea Harris: "It felt natural and inevitable because I am a very particular playwright. … I already have strong ideas and impulses about not just writing the thing, but helping people to understand.”  - The New York Times

Why Is Hollywood Avoiding Cannes?

Basically? It can’t take the heat: “In theory, attending Cannes should be a no-brainer for major U.S. studios. Talent loves it because of the glamour and global exposure. … This year, however, multiple high level sources said the conglomerates are particularly thin-skinned about the scathing Cannes critics.” - Variety

When This Young Soprano Died, The Role Of The Queen Of The Night Fell Empty All Over The World

“That sprint of a succession of high notes in such a short time is legendary, which adds a layer of difficulty not only to singing the role but finding a reliable queen.” - The New York Times

How Tamara Rojo Is Remaking The San Francisco Ballet

“Ballet can be a pretty conservative artform, with many companies trundling out Swan Lakes, Nutcrackers, and Cinderellas year after year. Every now and again, though, someone like Rojo comes along and truly shakes things up – even if that has meant ruffling tutus in the process.” - NPR

A Popular Pre-Print Publication Will Ban Anyone Who Sends Papers With Evidence Of AI Slop

“If a paper has ‘incontrovertible evidence that the authors did not check the results of LLM generation,’ such as hallucinated references or “meta-comments” left by an LLM, authors will be banned from ArXiv for a year.” The responses have been … er, interesting. - The Verge

Racists Can’t Handle Having Helen Of Troy Played By One Of The Most Beautiful Women In The World

Wait, Lupita Nyong’o is not beautiful enough for some? Sounds like a them problem. Or, as Claire Willett said on Bluesky, “Woman: *Minds her own business while being beautiful* The worst men in the world: This is an attack on me personally. Summon the fleet.” - Salon

Why Are Public Media In Trouble All Over The World?

“The second century of European public media looks less certain than its first as its original competition – from private broadcasters – is eclipsed by heated rivalry from deep-pocketed streaming platforms.” - Irish Times

Newly Discovered Portraits of Cy Twombly Add Texture To The Life Of The Artist And The Photographer, His Wife

The Twomblys’ granddaughter, Maia, discovered the negatives - and she has a new appreciation of the photographer: “I remember her now not as an 80-year-old woman, but as a 30-year-old. It’s like she is no longer my grandmother but my friend.” - The New York Times

Lost Your Ability To Enjoy Reading?

Try returning to some things you cared about as a kid. - The Atlantic

It Took Way Too Long For Art From The Asian Pacific Rim To Gain Interest In Britain

Why? For one thing, “conservation specialists ... have been navigating the practical challenge of safely transporting the works across the globe.” - The Guardian (UK)

The Reinvention Of Washington National Opera

The opera, which announced it was severing its relations with the Kennedy Center as President Trump sought to put his imprint on the institution, said it would produce five full-length operas — including a world premiere based on the life of Georgia O’Keeffe — and three smaller-scale works on five stages across the region. - The New York Times

How Langston Hughes’s “The Black Clown” Became An Opera

“The magic of creator, lead actor, and bass-baritone Davóne Tines’s operatic adaption of Langston Hughes’s 1931 dramatic monologue The Black Clown lies in its everythingness. (The) poem … consolidates 300 years of the Black American experience into 18 emotional stanzas.” - The Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)

Our Free Newsletter

Join our 30,000 subscribers

Latest

Don't Miss