ArtsJournal: Arts, Culture, Ideas

WORDS

Man Convicted Of Raping Author Alice Sebold Is Exonerated

The author of The Lovely Bones wrote about her rape in her 1999 memoir, Lucky, which was in the process of being made into a movie - but the original producer's own research led to Anthony Broadwater's exoneration. - Los Angeles Times (AP)

One Way To Enjoy The Harry Potter Universe Again

A Harry Potter universe free of J.K. Rowling's anti-trans commentary! A universe where the fanfiction pairing "Wolfstar" is real. It's 500,000 words long, even longer than several of the books together. Perfect for the winter months, perhaps? - Slate

US Libraries See Surge In Demands To Ban Books

“Social media is amplifying local challenges and they’re going viral, but we’ve also been observing a number of organisations activating local members to go to school board meetings and challenge books. We’re seeing what appears to be a campaign to remove books.” - The Guardian

The Spanglification Of Languages

It is becoming clear that the mixed nature of Spanglish represents a general phenomenon. Among people born in and growing up in neighborhoods like Brooklyn’s Brighton Beach — where it’s common to hear Russian and Ukrainian spoken — lots of English words are mixed in. - The New York Times

This AI Algorithm Could Help Us Figure Out Shakespeare

No, not his actual identity, we're afraid. But, if not the definitively correct version of the text of a play or poem, at least the most likely version. This is thanks to software developed by a Canadian startup called Cohere. - The New York Times Book Review

Britain’s Collins Dictionary Declares “NFT” Word Of The Year 2021

It's hard to believe now, but it was only this March that Beeple sold his original non-fungible token artwork for $69 million, setting off the NFT madness. Collins reported that it's one of the few words that's "broken through the COVID noise," with usage up 11,000%. - The Guardian

400,000 Books Burned In Bookstore Fire

A book signed by Queen Victoria and a first edition of the Radio Times from 1923 were lost when the fire broke out at Berwyn Books, Buckley, Flintshire. - BBC

NYT’s 100 Notable Books For 2021

They made a list. Checked it twice... - The New York Times

The Biblioburro, A Four-Hooved Bookmobile For Rural Colombia

When Luís Soriano began teaching, he saw that his students made little progress — and ultimately realized that, in their isolated homes, they had no books. For 20 years, he and his donkeys have traveled for hours each day to bring books to those kids. - Atlas Obscura

An Ancient Book’s Journey From Irish Bog To Museum

It was a scary path. "Archaeologists placed the 'conglomeration' of squashed pages, leather and turf in a walk-in cold store in the museum at 4C. But there was no manual in the world to guide Gillis on how to go about the task." - The Guardian (UK)

Gary Shteyngart On The Keys To Writing Novels Quickly

The novelist, who says it doesn't get any easier no matter how many you've written, has a few tips like, well, write what you know; stop drinking so much; and use his "patented technique called WNW." - LitHub

US Publishing Discovers That It Skews Rather White

Following up on pledges made during protests in 2020, Penguin Random House did a self-audit for diversity. What it found: "The demographics of its authors, illustrators, translators, and other creators 'do not reflect U.S. reader demographics when it comes to race and ethnicity.'" - Publishers Weekly

The Influential Librarian Who Was Not A Goodnight Moon Fan

The book's "widespread fame is relatively recent. Though Goodnight Moon was published in 1947, sales dropped low enough in 1951 that the book nearly went out of print—all because the children’s librarian of New York Public Library hated it." - LitHub

Book Business Is Booming. Except It’s Difficult To Get Books To Sell

In 2020, both the United States and the United Kingdom saw their largest annual increases in over a decade — a worldwide paper shortage and a global shipping crisis mean they're having a difficult time keeping up with that demand. - CBC

French Dictionary Adds Gender-Neutral Pronoun; Education Minister Is Horrified

Because younger people are starting to use it, lexicographers at Le Petit Robert added the pronoun iel (a portmanteau of il and elle). The education minister huffed on Twitter, "Inclusive writing is not the future of the French language," and one MP complained to the Académie Française. - AP

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