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Paul Auster On What May Be His Final Book

"In a recent interview, Auster described the American obsession with 'closure' as being 'the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard of.'" - The Guardian (UK)

The Making Of Puzzle Master Will Shortz

With a 15-year stint as the editor of Games magazine, his founding of the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, a 30-year tenure at The Times and his weekly appearances on the NPR program “Weekend Edition Sunday,” it’s safe to say that he is as entrenched in professional puzzle making and editing as anyone can be. - The New York Times

Author A.S. Byatt Is Dead At 87

"Dame Antonia Susan Duffy, who wrote under the name AS Byatt, authored complex and critically acclaimed novels, including the Booker Prize-winning Possession and her examination of artistic creation, The Children’s Book. Over her career, she won a swathe of literary awards." - The Guardian

American Comedy’s Highest Honor, The Mark Twain Prize, Goes To Kevin Hart

"Hart got his start telling jokes during amateur night at a local comedy club in his native Philadelphia. Today, his standup fills stadiums, cracking up audiences with stories about dating, marital strife, his daughter's first curse word, trying to play tough while standing just over 5', …" - NPR

The First-Ever Lifetime Disturbing The Peace Award Goes To Salman Rushdie

The honor is conceived and presented by the Vaclav Havel Center in New York City, which advances the late playwright and Czech president's legacy in human rights and freedom of expression. Alaa Abdel-Fattah, the imprisoned Egyptian activist, was given the Disturbing the Peace Award to a Courageous Writer at Risk. - AP

Knight Foundation Chooses A New President

In her new role, Wadsworth, 50, will oversee a $2.6 billion foundation that gives millions of dollars in grants each year to arts, journalism and community organizations. - Poynter

Kevin Wynn, Choreographer And Beloved Teacher, Is Dead At 67

"A choreographer of complex maelstroms that moved at lightning speed and an uncommonly dedicated teacher who influenced generations of dancers," He impressed critics and audiences with his company, the Kevin Wynn Collection, but had a greater impact in his 30-plus years as a professor at Purchase College. - The New York Times

SuperAgent Andrew Wylie And Defining The Elite

“I thought, Well, I wonder if you can build a business based exclusively on what you want to read,” he says, understatedly. “That led me to understand, I think correctly, that best sellers were overvalued and works that endured forever were undervalued.” - The New York Times

How Barbra Streisand Redefined Diva

As a diva, Streisand has consistently defied instructions not to do something by doubling up her efforts. For example, at the start of her career when she was auditioning for record labels, one of the executives said she had a nice voice but was “too ethnic”. - The Conversation

A Remarkable Life Of Service: DC Schools’ Music Man Lyn McLain, 95

He brought classical music into the lives of tens of thousands of young people and was credited with diversifying the ranks of symphony orchestras across the United States. - Washington Post

The Countess Who Brought Us Pasolini And Zeffirelli Has Died At 89

Marina Cicogna was Italy's first woman producer - and despite her family name and heritage, her path was far from simple. - The New York Times

Lara Parker, Who Brought Humanity To Her Undead Character, Has Died At 84

Parker "helped expand the two-dimensional portrayals of vampires and witches seen in old Hollywood B-movies" on Dark Shadows, a popular Gothic soap opera. - The New York Times

Mike Shuster, Longtime Foreign Correspondent For NPR, Is Dead At 76

"He joined NPR in 1980 and filed more than 3,000 stories. … During more than three decades as a reporter and an editor, his work spanned the world and made him an eyewitness to some of the most momentous events in modern history." - NPR

Jamie Bernstein Talks About Bradley Cooper’s Biopic Of Her Dad

It turns out that Bradley Cooper is one of those all in, passionate, driven, focused people, not unlike Leonard Bernstein. And we didn’t know it at the beginning at all. - BachTrack

Assault Case Against Dustin Lance Black Thrown Out Of Court

Citing "inconsistencies and weaknesses in her evidence," a London magistrate dismissed the case brought by BBC presenter Teddy Edwardes against the Oscar-winning screenwriter over an August 2022 altercation in a nightclub. (She says he twisted her wrist; she then hit him in the head, causing brain injury.) - The Hollywood Reporter

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