A Forbes contributor wrote a short piece titled “Amazon Should Replace Local Libraries to Save Taxpayers Money,” arguing that libraries should be shuttered in return for Amazon opening bookstores in local communities. At the gist of the writer’s argument is that Starbucks has replaced libraries as a friendly place to go and read and streaming services like Amazon Prime Video have replaced video rentals, which many local libraries had provided.
Author: Douglas McLennan
How Finland Remade Itself As A Literary Country
Around the time of the global recession, the Finns set out as a nation to find the “next Nokia.” It was all we talked about. In a small socially democratic nation like ours, where so much is shared, we felt a common responsibility over our exports. Anything and everything could be the next Nokia, we said, so long as we figure out how to brand it. Tech start-ups were the obvious choice, but cultural products emerged as a strong contender. Could we sell even more great design? Leverage our architecture? Finnish heavy metal started to do well in Germany and the Anglo American world. Then something decisive happened in Finnish literature.
UK Health Department Proposes Arts As A Health Prescription
“Evidence has shown the potential benefits of approaches like social prescribing, which addresses people’s physical and mental well-being and has been shown to both improve patients’ quality of life and reduce pressure on other NHS services.”
Theatre Diplomacy: Lin-Manuel Miranda To Donate All Proceeds From January Puerto Rico “Hamilton” Performances To PR Arts
“The goal wasn’t just artistic satisfaction, but how can we leave Puerto Rico a little better than we found it,” said Miranda, who is largely of Puerto Rican descent and frequently visited the Commonwealth as a child and teenager.
Remembering Jonathan Gold
It was utterly apt that Gold became the first food writer to win a Pulitzer. He wrote miles around the rest of us. But aside from his sui generis, incomparably pungent prose, Gold’s lasting inspiration for all writers is to review restaurants as a way of celebrating and forming community.
NYC’s New CulturePass Is A Huge Hit, Swamping Its Signup Website
Its July 16 launch opened pass reservations through October, and in the four days since its debut, the site has booked over 9,500 tickets. Hyperallergic confirmed with representatives of the program that the site will release more tickets in two weeks for eager patrons hoping to nab free entry to NYC museums.
UK Survey: More Than Half Of All Performing Arts Students Have Been Harassed
The poll of 600 drama, music and dance students found that more than half (51%) had experienced inappropriate behaviour, sexual harassment or bullying. Nearly two thirds (73%) of those who experienced some sort of incident identified as female.
Audience Member Steps In To Save Performance At London’s Royal Opera House
Opera singer Charles Castronovo saved a performance of La Boheme at the Royal Opera House starring his wife Ekaterina Siurina, when he stepped in mid-show to sing the role of her lover.
Anne Midgette: How I Came To Dislike Leonard Bernstein
I am emerging from this supersaturation with an emotion bordering on healthy dislike. “Hate the man, love the music” is the favorite counsel of music-lovers in such instances (Richard Wagner comes to mind). In Bernstein’s case, I’m no longer sure that I have all that much tolerance for either.
Arts To Arts Council England: Fund Us Don’t Measure Us
67% of cultural sector organisations agreed that ACE should “represent the role and value of the sector to central Government”, when asked about what the body’s purpose should be beyond funding. In contrast, only 29% said that the arts council should “evaluate the quality of what the individuals and organisations it funds deliver”.