“I have far too many examples of workshops in which my peers have expressed aversion to writers engaging with issues of social justice or race… In my experience of having attended a prestigious MFA program in creative writing and having finished coursework in a prestigious PhD program in creative writing, the majority of fiction writers feel that a writer should only be concerned with aesthetics and form, i.e., the territory of true, high art. Sadly, not only is this common in fiction workshops in general, but among writers of color in fiction workshops.”
When Philosophy Lost Its Way
These two professors pin it on “the locating of philosophy within a modern institution (the research university) in the late 19th century. This institutionalization of philosophy made it into a discipline that could be seriously pursued only in an academic setting. This fact represents one of the enduring failures of contemporary philosophy.”
How Does An Artist Find Inspiration? (Hints: Tennis And Ice Skating)
“I used to be a figure skater. That was mostly high school into college. You had to trace a figure eight on the ice. You had to go through three times and trace the same circle over the same circle. It was really about control and the body. So it goes back to using my body to trace this almost impossible circle over and over and over.”
Egypt Launches ‘World’s Largest Digital Library’
“Eight million Egyptians signed up for the newly launched ‘Egyptian Bank of Knowledge’ on its first day of operation on Saturday … The project … aims to gather international encyclopaedias, online publications, research papers, theses, books and articles in one website which will be accessible to any user with an Egyptian IP address.” (Problem is, much of that content is in English, not Arabic.)
Tamara Rojo On Dancing Juliet
“The first time I danced Juliet I was 19 and it was perfect for me because I believed everything that she believed in. I believed that true love was more important than social convention and that it was worth fighting, and dying, for. That changes over the years. It becomes difficult to be Juliet when you’re not in a moment in your life when you believe this anymore.”
Was He Gay? It Depends: David Bowie’s Complicated Relationship With Queerness (And Vice Versa)
In 1972, he said he’d always been gay; by 1976, he was bi; in 1983, he said he’d only been experimenting; in 1993 he declared, “I was always a closet heterosexual.” J. Bryan Lowder considers how “we for whom queerness is not a phase seem to have two options in terms of how we deal with Bowie’s fraught relationship to our name and our stuff.”
Why ‘Hamilton’ Probably Isn’t The Start Of A New Style Of Great Musical Theater
Jesse Green: “[The show’s] success has depended too much on the nearly unique combination of influences, talents, and tastes of one man, and on his will to deliver the results himself. What are the chances of another such person coming along anytime soon?”
Not Just a Joke – Comedy Plays A Serious Role In Our Culture
“Americans have come to take funny very seriously, and funny has many different interpretations. We embrace the idea that comedy is a right: the right to taunt, to mock, to satirize, and to deride. But every laugh today produces a discomfiting echo.”
For First Time, Debut Collection Wins TS Eliot Poetry Prize
“A new voice, who judges say ‘will change British poetry’, has won the TS Eliot poetry prize. Sarah Howe, a fellow at Harvard University’s Radcliffe Institute, was awarded the £20,000 prize for Loop of Jade, which explores her dual British and Chinese heritage.”
Is This Woman The CBSO’s Next Music Director?
Following a hastily arranged but triumphant concert last Sunday, Christopher Morley says that Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, currently assistant conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, is leading the pack to become the next successor to Simon Rattle, Sakari Oramo, and Andris Nelsons at the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.
The Most-ofs Of Classical Music In 2015
The busiest orchestra in the world last year was the Chicago Symphony. This annual list also names the busiest conductor, the most-played composers, most-performed operas and other records.
Legacy: As Arts Boomers Retire, How To Pass On The Important Stuff?
“The transition from one generation of leaders in our field to another is underway. It will likely take a decade or more to complete. We believe that the needs of both those leaving their positions and those who are moving into those jobs, along with the needs of the organizations experiencing this transition, and the field as a whole, and the issues raised, are important for the field to discuss.”
A Roundtable With The Stars Of ‘Hamilton’
Vulture joined five of the cast for dinner at Sardi’s as “they discussed how the show changes every night, the quiet importance of director Thomas Kail, how they landed on their takes on these American icons, and when they think they will be ready to leave their parts.”
When Virtual Reality Literally Saves A Life
“Last month, a surgical team used Google Cardboard – cardboard VR goggles that work with smartphones and sell online for around $5 – to save the life of a baby born with half a heart and only one lung.”
The Science Behind Brendan Dassey’s Agonizing Confession In ‘Making A Murderer’
It’s disturbingly easy to get someone to confess to something they didn’t do. (Especially if that someone has an IQ of 65.)
Lost Van Dyck Canvas Found In Istanbul; Two Arrested For Smuggling
“Undercover police officers confiscated the canvas from a pair of textile businessmen attempting to sell the work for 14 million lira ($4.6 million). … While Turkish authorities have not officially identified the painting, art experts from the Museum of Painting and Sculpture in Istanbul are confident that the canvas is a long-lost van Dyck masterpiece.”
The New Republic Is Up For Sale Again
“A year ago, [owner] Chris Hughes … vowed to continue his fight to transform the century-old magazine into a more digitally-focused media operation, despite a mass walkout by staffers who bristled at his efforts. On Monday, he said he was done.”
Top Posts From AJBlogs 01.11.16
When Libraries Realize That The Most Valuable Thing They Own Isn’t Their Collections
Remember when the internet came along and everyone wondered whether there would still be a use for libraries? Oddly, just as the question was being called, in the early 2000s there was a building boom… … read more
AJBlog: diacritical Published 2016-01-11
A Boomerang at the Metropolitan Museum
Stay tuned this afternoon for a strange and perhaps (a little) juicy announcement from the Metropolitan Museum of Art*. When trustees meet late this afternoon, one item on the agenda … read more
AJBlog: Real Clear Arts Published 2016-01-11
Time Remembered: A Bill Evans Film
Time Remembered, a film about pianist Bill Evans (1929-1980), is being screened in selected showings around the United States. It is set for tomorrow, Tuesday, evening in San Diego, California. … read more
AJBlog: RiffTides Published 2016-01-11
Charlotte Moorman to Get a Full-Dress Close-Up
On a visit I made years ago to Northwestern University’s Charles Deering McCormick Library of Special Collections its curator at the time, Russell Maylone, showed me a room piled high with ramshackle boxes that had… … read more
AJBlog: Straight|Up Published 2016-01-11
Antiquities and ISIS: Something Doesn’t Add Up
I care deeply about cultural heritage, and have spent much time over the last year agonizing about the destruction caused by ISIS in the Middle East. The last thing I want is for ISIS to … read more
AJBlog: Real Clear Arts Published 2016-01-10
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The Joys (And Difficulties) Of Competing In A Ballroom Dance Team
“There are a few drawbacks. Ballroom dancing is still a very individual couple sport, and your progression isn’t tied to your team. In that sense, I don’t think there’s as much of a collective sense of doing well or not, compared to, say, football or basketball.”
Flooded British Bookstores Get An Infusion Of Cash From James Patterson
“The last week, it has felt genuinely that we are part of a real community, that publishers do care about independent bookshops and understand their value. We are important: to the book trade, to authors, readers and to the wider communities we exist in. The amazing support we have had is a huge reminder of this and made us even more determined to survive this.”
David Bowie Created His Last Album And Final Video As A Carefully Planned Finale
“David Bowie’s final record was a carefully-orchestrated farewell to his fans, his producer has confirmed. Lazarus, released on the Bowie’s 69th birthday just two days before his death, opens with the lyrics: ‘Look up here, I’m in Heaven!'”
Here Are All Of The American Library Association Medal Winners From This Morning’s Ceremony
“After wading through the Golden Globes last night, the ALA Youth Media Awards this morning were like a refreshing start-over for the week. The American Library Association, IMHO, can show the rest of the universe of award shows how its done: The awards are always bursting with positive energy, love and true support for the winners, and (revolutionary!) diversity of winners and presenters. Sorry, negative spirit of the Golden Globes, I’m Team ALA this morning.”
David Bowie Has Died At 69
“‘David Bowie died peacefully today surrounded by his family after a courageous 18 month battle with cancer. While many of you will share in this loss, we ask that you respect the family’s privacy during their time of grief,’ read a statement posted on the artist’s official social media accounts.”
The New Studio Head Who’s Trying To Remake The Entire Hollywood System
“With Simonds’s checkbook, Fogelson was going to demonstrate that you could build a studio without theme parks and television networks to help you market your films, and without anything like the two or three thousand people most studios employ. … He was going to save the industry. And he didn’t expect much thanks.”