“Pushes for greater diversity onscreen have been mirrored in some Hollywood corridors of power with varying degrees of effort and success. But the number of partners and department heads of color at talent agencies, those hypercompetitive firms where careers traditionally start in mailrooms or assistants’ pools, remains vanishingly low. … Here, seven black agents — six with major agencies, one who runs her own boutique company — speak candidly about the barriers they have faced, the isolation they have felt, and the changes they are beginning to see.” – The New York Times
Author: Matthew Westphal
The Thriving Theatre Scene In Mexico’s Prisons
“There are fifteen professional theatre companies in Mexico within detention centers, and hundreds of inmates participate. Two companies — the one at Santa Martha Acatitla prison and one called A Shout of Freedom — regularly present shows inside the jails for their fellow inmates, their families, and even the general public.” – HowlRound
Postcard From The Edge (Of Elko): A Report From The National Cowboy Poetry Gathering
“The event has come here for 35 years, but it feels much older. At moments, it seems like 1884, when the trail drives were still happening … But cowboy poetry is more contemporary than it wants you to believe.” – Literary Hub
This Writer Asked New York Film Academy To Pay Her What Men Were Getting Paid. They Kicked Her Off The Project.
Last summer, Krista Knight signed on to write the script for a 20-minute movie musical for NYFA. At the time, she agreed that she’d be paid only with in-kind services. Then she found out that the composer and lyricist were each receiving a $150 honorarium … – Hyperallergic
Jan Wahl, Children’s Book Author Who Worked With Greatest Illustrators, Dead At 87
“[He] was an extraordinarily prolific author who published more than 100 books, many of which found favor with children and parents alike. His collaborating with leading book artists” — among them Maurice Sendak, Edward Gorey, and Norman Rockwell — “was one measure of the esteem with which his work was held; they can be notably selective about what children’s book authors they’ll work with.” – The New York Times
Why People Devour Novels About Food, And Why Novelists Cook Them Up
“Food is the great equalizer — everyone eats — and what we eat and how we eat it can be so emotional and can carry deep meaning.” Eleven authors offer their thoughts about writing work you can sink your teeth into. – Literary Hub
The Two Funders Who’ve Turned Miami Into A Serious Cultural Center
“Mid-tier cities aiming to ramp up their cultural profile in short order will find inspiration in Miami’s emergence as an arts hot spot. And regional foundations that aspire to catalyze such efforts can learn a lot by taking a closer look” at the work of the Knight Foundation and philanthropist Jorge M. Pérez. – Inside Philanthropy
This Time, Can Santa Fe Get Affordable Housing For Artists Built?
Developer Daniel Werwath has been trying to get such housing built since 2005, and he’s already seen two projects get started and then stall out. But he thinks that 2019 may be the year his plan succeeds. – Next City
Could Daniel Harding Finally Hit It Big In The US?
The English conductor, who started out as a wunderkind protégé of Simon Rattle in Birmingham, has a solid career in Europe, but he had a difficult time when he debuted with the big American orchestras in the ’00s. Now 43, he’s in the States leading the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra on its tour. Can he find success here? Zachary Woolfe talks to Harding, and to such observers as Rattle and Deborah Borda. – The New York Times
What Are Museums To Do About The Sackler Name They Have Everywhere?
The Sackler family has been giving millions to art institutions for half a century. Now they, and the recipients of their generosity, are coming under heavy pressure from activists protesting the opioid crisis, because the Sacklers own Purdue Pharma, which has made and marketed OxyContin for 23 years. Thing is, many different Sacklers have been donors, and not all of them have had any involvement with OxyContin. Reporter Peggy McGlone looks into the issue. – The Washington Post