NPG Effort Raises Good Question Re: Crowdsourcing
AJBlog: Real Clear Arts Published 2014-11-30
Billy Strayhorn
AJBlog: RiffTides Published 2014-11-29
Month: November 2014
A Literary Love Letter, With Despair And Grief, To Moscow
“The nature of the Russian regime did not change when Peter the Great made his subjects shave their beards and moved the seat of government from Moscow to St. Petersburg. Nor did it change when Lenin moved it back to Moscow. Nor has it changed since; it still ‘wants everything to tremble before it.'”
Why Do Ruins ‘Elevate The Human Spirit’?
“Good and lovely buildings gladden the heart; their aesthetic pleasures make people feel substantively better. More than that, they provide a healthy sense of perspective. By connecting us subtly to the past, they somehow lighten the load of the present.”
Netflix Wants Nothing Less Than Global Domination
“Netflix is doubling down on its international bet, preparing to enter markets like Australia and New Zealand next March, and snapping up the global rights for original film and television programs. But perhaps its biggest content wager is ‘Marco Polo,’ its series about the 13th-century traveler’s adventures in the court of Kublai Khan.”
Authors Fight Back Against Library Closings In Britain
“We have a duty surely as a society to make sure that no child is denied access to literacy and literature because of social and financial deprivation. Every one of them has a right to be literate.”
Did North Korea Hack Sony’s Servers And Release Screeners To The World?
Well, SOMEONE did: Fury, Annie, Mr. Turner, Still Alice and To Write Love on Her Arms are all now available via (illegal) download.
Let’s Quit Ruining Young Writers By Talking Incessantly About ‘Voice’
“If you want to get paid as a writer, finding your own voice can be a distraction — even a hindrance. The bulk of writing opportunities that will actually provide you with a living wage are work-for-hire. … And when you’re doing work-for-hire, no one cares about your voice.”
In Minneapolis, Children’s Theatre Fixes Racism In ‘Peter Pan’ So Thoroughly That Licensing Company May Adopt Permanent Changes
“‘When I said yes to the piece about a year ago, we said obviously we have to tackle this,’ said Rothstein. ‘We had some hard conversations, and it’s been good to re-imagine him for the 21st century. It’s been worth the endeavor.'”
As ‘Dubliners’ Turns 100, Short Story Writers Are Still Trying To Live Up To Its Promise
“All writers will fail, routinely, to live up to Dubliners. But there are specks of light on the horizon.”
Will Someone Donate Hundreds Of Thousands To Buy William Blake’s Cottage For England?
“The cottage campaign … would see the building made into a public centre celebrating Blake and welcoming visitors, poets and artists to continue his legacy.” (But it’s more than £400,000 short right now.)