Stories

A Rebirth In Critic-ing?

If the review sections of newspapers are closing down, there’s a sense that this moment could make room for a meatier, weirder kind of criticism. - Columbia Journalism Review

Cellist Steven Isserlis On Composer György Kurtág, Now Aged 100

“Playing to him is transformative in every way. His imagination is boundless; he will produce startling, unexpected images – or point out connections, musical or extramusical – that illuminate his meaning.” - The Guardian

LA’s New Golden Age Of Museums

This shift to the West Coast has long been driven by the region’s many art schools, including the ArtCenter, California Institute of the Arts, Otis College of Art and Design and the art department at the University of California, Los Angeles. - The Art Newspaper

London’s Globe Theatre Launches “Environmental Playwright” Prize

It is this connection with the bard’s work that has inspired Shakespeare’s Globe to launch its first climate playwriting prize for 2026, which it says will harness the skills of storytellers and artists to “inspire societal shifts towards a restorative relationship with nature”. - The Guardian

Study: Gen Z’s View Of Masculinity Is Changing

The study surveyed 1,500 tweens, teens and young adults, ages 10-24, finding that these groups want to see boys and men on TV and in movies “moving away from isolation and other masculine stereotypes” and “towards vulnerability and connection.” - The Hollywood Reporter

A Reporter Starts A “Book Club” For Newspaper Articles

At a St. Petersburg bookstore, Lauren Peace, an enterprise equity reporter at the Tampa Bay Times, moderates conversations about a selected story among its author and community members. The idea is not just to discuss the story’s substance, but to give readers a behind-the-scenes look at the reporting process and decision-making. - Nieman Lab

The Existential Challenges Facing Disney’s New CEO

There’s a phrase that’s used around the Magic Kingdom to describe this phenomenon: “the Josh Effect.” D’Amaro — tall, slender and silver-haired — has a politician’s ability to make anyone he encounters feel seen and heard.  - Variety

The Qualities Of Ethics Required For Good Government

In a world increasingly defined by distance, between citizen and state, between policy and experience, between law and justice, Rammohun Roy offers a reminder that good government is not only a matter of laws or statistics. It is a matter of presence.  - Aeon

Did This LA Arts Icon Personally Profit From Foundation Grants?

They allege Judy Baca personally benefited from a $5-million Andrew W. Mellon Foundation grant to expand “The Great Wall,” sold the project’s archives to the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art at a large profit to herself, and has blurred the line between her nonprofit and for-profit endeavors. - Los Angeles Times

Should Young Girls Really Have To Wear Makeup For Dance Class? Or Even Competitions?

“The question of whether children should be encouraged to break out the grease paint has been pressing on parents and dance teachers alike. … Many are wondering whether it’s really appropriate to encourage preteens to master winged eyeliner before they’ve earned their pen licence.” Other teachers, however, have their reasons for requiring it. - The Guardian

Misty Copeland Recovering From Hip Replacement Surgery

“A few months ago, I stepped off the stage after my final bow with @abtofficial, closing one chapter and unknowingly preparing for the next,” she wrote. “Not too long after that, I had hip replacement surgery.” - The Cut

Why Daniel Radcliffe Is Doing An Audience-Participation Play — Gladly, No Less — On Broadway

“The audience interaction is central to Every Brilliant Thing, … about a man processing his mother’s attempted suicide and his own depression. … It’s an exciting prospect, (Radcliffe) tells me, in large part because the play’s dependence on audience volunteers gives him a way to shed his sense of being a big name.” - Vulture (MSN)

Podcasts Have Now Have More Listeners In The U.S. Than Talk Radio

“Podcasts have officially overtaken AM/FM talk radio as the more popular medium for spoken-word audio in the United States, according to Edison Research’s Share of Ear survey.” - TechCrunch

Ann Godoff, Founder Of Penguin Press And Legendary Editor, Has Died At 76

After a dozen years as Random House, where she was executive editor and then editor-in-chief/publisher, she was fired in a corporate restructuring. When she launched Penguin Press eight days later, more than two dozen writers went with her. The list of prominent authors she has shepherded is astonishing. - The New York Times

Nova Scotia’s Arts Sector Hit Hard By “Unprecedented” Provincial Budget Cuts

“Nearly half of all Nova Scotia Museum sites closed. The elimination of a fund supporting local publishers. A 100% cut to funding for programs that put writers and artists in schools. Nova Scotia’s arts and culture sector was hit hard by cuts announced (late) yesterday by the provincial government.” - Halifax Examiner

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