“The book publishing industry’s workforce was younger in 2014 than in 2013, and, as a result, average compensation was down year over year, according to our annual salary and jobs survey. … it is also possible that the data reflects the success publishers have had in replacing aging, experienced, high-priced baby boomers with younger, less expensive employees.”
Month: October 2015
In Defense Of Thoreau: He Was A Jerk, But He Still Matters
Jedediah Purdy acknowledges the truth of Kathryn Schulz’s takedown: “He was, in fact, a miserable asshole, … and the writing he is best remembered for sucks.” And yet: Henry Thoreau was a genuine American weirdo. He did not believe in niceness, or even civility, but in justice. … Thoreau is no model, but he is a useful and difficult conversation partner across the centuries, a difficult friend as he was a difficult citizen.”
Lennart Anderson, 87, Painter Who Put Modern Twist On Old Masters’ Forms
“Mr. Anderson brought a deep understanding of masters like Piero della Francesca, Velázquez, Poussin and Degas to his still lifes, portraits, landscapes and streetscapes, while applying a modern twist that lifted them from the common run of academic realism.”
Cultural Appropriation Is A Good And Healthy Thing – As Long As You Do It Right (Here’s How)
“While I hope I don’t offend anyone, I find the alternative – the idea that I ought to stay in the cultural lane I was born into – outrageous. … There are legitimate reasons to step carefully when dressing ourselves with the clothing, arts, artifacts, or ideas of other cultures. But please, let’s banish the idea that appropriating elements from one another’s cultures is in itself problematic.” Jenni Avins offers seven dos and don’ts.
Yes, Of Course There’s Free Will – And We Should Start Quantifying It
“As we start to understand, and learn to measure, the capacities that underlie behavioural freedom, we can begin to put this natural free will on a scale. Paralleling the measurement of intelligence, we could call it the freedom quotient: FQ. Such a scale should give us new insights into the factors that hinder or enhance our efforts to shape our lives. In other words, FQ should tell us how free we are – and how we can become even more so.”
‘Get Me a Carole King Type’ How Casting Directors Find Stand-Ins For the Famous
“The Broadway season presents famous people gracing the stage, both in person and in character. How do casting directors find the actors who can portray living, breathing legends? Playbill.com goes into the audition room to learn how the decisions are made.”
Doodling, Transformed For The 21st Century
“Those accustomed to doodling on scrap paper know this: the bliss ends the moment you stop, study the result, and decide to trash it. (The alternative being, after an embarrassingly prideful assessment, not doing that.) But who bothers with scrap paper anymore? With any number of apps, you can doodle on a screen, in infinite colors, with your index finger. You can erase smoothly and cleanly, in a way that is satisfying and therapeutic. You can start over, draw new lines. No self-doubt, no paper cuts. When the picture is done, it floats away into the cloud.”
How Amazon Became America’s Biggest Publisher of Translated Literature
“This year, AmazonCrossing plans to publish ’77 titles from 15 countries and 12 languages’ in the United States, which will almost certainly dwarf the output of Dalkey and its ilk. And, with this new $10 million commitment, the number of works in translation published by AmazonCrossing should continue to soar.”
Top Posts From AJBlogs 10.20.15
It’s About Defining Your Values
I think that defining your values is far more important than defining your career path. Careers change, values do not. Know the impact that you want to have in the world … read more
AJBlog: Field Notes Published 2015-10-20
Kill Your Darlings!
“Kill your darlings!” we were told by William Faulkner, a sentiment we take to heart in our writing and our creative practice. Authors must often rid themselves of their most labored over, most precious passages, for the greater good of the literary work. Unfortunately career planning and career paths ask you to “Kill your darlings” as well, … read more
AJBlog: Field Notes Published 2015-10-20
Get A Mentor
I got my first CEO job at a nonprofit because the woman who hired me as her second in command told me she would invest in my development and ensure that I was prepared to take over when she retired … read more
AJBlog: Field Notes Published 2015-10-20
Measure Revenue Differently. Cultivate Loyalty Collaboratively
Arts Journal blogger Doug Borwick recently wrote a post on the role of marketing and development departments that captured my attention. In the following quote he summarizes an issue that I’ve been thinking about for a long time: … read more
AJBlog: Engaging Matters Published 2015-10-20
A Don Friedman Day
Today was chock-full of interviewing, transcribing, researching and, in general, preparing to write liner notes for a new Don Friedman trio album. The research included diving into books, rummaging through the web for additional information … read more
AJBlog: RiffTides Published 2015-10-20
Lookback: must critics be “right”?
From 2005: Of course it’s desirable to be right, and I don’t see how it’s possible to take seriously a critic who’s wrong about most things. Nevertheless, I’m uneasy with the notion that “getting things right” is the ultimate test of a critic’s worth … read more
AJBlog: About Last Night Published 2015-10-20
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The Lost Performance Of James Baldwin And Ray Charles At Carnegie Hall
“If the image of Baldwin and Charles on stage together rings no bells, it may be because negative press had buried it out of range of critics.”