ArtsJournal: Arts, Culture, Ideas

WORDS

Which Author Better Predicted, Or Can Help Us Deal With, The Fires In Los Angeles?

What did Octavia Butler, who died nearly two decades ago, know “about the future that the Fonz now finds himself in after many, many happy days? That the second law of thermodynamics is real. - The Stranger (Seattle)

There’s No One Better Than Jane Austen

That’s the claim of novelist Gill Hornby, anyway, who has written three books "set in the extended Austen family.” - The Guardian (UK)

Slow Horses Author Wins Lifetime Award

Diamond Dagger winner Mick Herron “is the quintessential writers’ writer and his Slough House novels have, by general consensus, reinvented the spy thriller, going on to delight millions on the page and on screen.” - The Guardian (UK)

Chinese Author Fang Fang On Her Covid-19 Diaries, Being Censored, And The Power Of Recording History

"I still believe that we can forgive those who have forgotten, be more tolerant of those who have forgotten history, and admire those who choose to record and remember these events. Ultimately, it's about paying attention.” - NPR

What’s The Wrong Way To Listen To An Audiobook?

Can anyone actually comprehend the words - much less the emotional connection - when they’re listening at 3 times the speed at which the audio was recorded? (And also, how do audiobook actors feel about this?) - NPR

Changes Writers Would Like To See In Australia’s Book Publishing Industry

“This really should be the time that publishers are digging deep on representation, research and making sure whatever lands across their desk isn’t just rubber stamped because the last person said it was OK." - ArtsHub

The End Of Earnestness: What This Year’s “Best Science Fiction” Anthology Reveals

I’m always fascinated by the trends that the Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy anthologies reveal. Short stories are (usually) quicker to write than novels, which means that they tend to be more responsive to current events than books published during the same period. - LA Review of Books

Giant Publisher Bertelsmann Strikes Deal With OpenAI

In addition to using ChatGPT Enterprise to increase the efficiency in its daily work processes, “experts and creatives from content businesses will work with OpenAI to develop new ways of creating and distributing video, audio, and text content,” the announcement said. - Publishers Weekly

Penguin Random House Parent Announces “Strategic Collaboration” With Open AI

"Penguin Random House parent company Bertelsmann has agreed to a 'strategic collaboration' with OpenAI to use ChatGPT technology across many of its operating units. ... The agreement not only includes employees' use of ChatGPT, but the 'development of new products and services' as well." - Publishers Weekly

Barnes & Noble CEO On The Bookseller’s Rising Fortunes

Upgrading the look of B&N stores, and improving the quality of its workforce, are among the reasons James Daunt cited as contributing to the bookseller’s resurgence: “We want to have good teams inside nice-looking stores.” - Publishers Weekly

Who Are We If We Lose The Ability of Language?

Aphasia brings up existential questions that get at the heart of human connection: Who are we without language? If I were struck by aphasia today, what would be left unsaid, to my family, my friends, my readers? - Public Books

Reviving The Practice Of Writing Letters By Starting A Giant Pen Pal Club

"New Yorker writer Rachel Syme was in the stir-crazy early months of the pandemic, scribbling notes to friends and family, when she put out an open call on social media: Was anyone interested in a pen pal? Yes, some 15,000 people." - Vanity Fair

The Winning Strategy For A Successful Bookstore: Be Nice To Customers

In this challenging retail environment, my local bookshop has hit on an incredible strategy: simply being nice to anyone who walks in. - The Guardian

US Book Industry Seriously Contemplates Life After BookTok

"While acknowledgment of the platform’s marketing and publicity power is overwhelming, many also assert that any concern over a drop in sales is overblown … (and) that another social media platform would come along to fill any BookTok-sized hole." - Publishers Weekly

As We Lose The Ability To Write By Hand, What Else Are We Losing?

Even if you're unmoved by the idea that we're losing touch with a physical human practice thousands of years old, there are measurable cognitive skills which are strengthened by writing by hand and weakened in those who never learn to do it. - The Guardian

Our Free Newsletter

Join our 30,000 subscribers

Latest

Don't Miss

function my_excerpt_length($length){ return 200; } add_filter('excerpt_length', 'my_excerpt_length');