Val McDermid: “Like most writers, you start off feeling your way. I don’t think many of us launched ourselves into the world of writing books fully formed.”
Author: ArtsJournal2
Solving A Literary Mystery That Involved A Dark Night, Snow, And A Train
“For many writers, research is a big yawn. The past is a foreign country, and who cares how they do things differently there? Research is reading disintegrating papers in dusty libraries; sifting through shoe boxes in ancient attics; interviewing people who don’t know when to stop talking.”
What ‘Harry Potter’ Author J.K. Rowling Really Thinks Of The Publishing Industry
“Rowling’s point seems to be that this is a culture narrowly interbred. It’s also one of ego-maniacs. And the writers, or would-be writers, are the worst of the batch.”
Got A Problem On Broadway? Call The Arranger
“He has shape-shifted alongside Eric Idle on ‘Spamalot,’ John Kander on ‘The Scottsboro Boys,’ and Matt Stone, Trey Parker and Bobby Lopez on ‘Mormon,’ for which he did dance arrangements only (though that assignment included the chance to write a spiky, Metallica-inspired guitar solo for the Devil in ‘Spooky Mormon Hell Dream’).”
A Starchitect Comes In Third, And Wins The Competition To Build Iraq’s New Parliament
“There is now anger after it was revealed that Ms Hadid personally signed the contract to design the complex last month at the Iraqi embassy in London – with some in Iraq upset they have been unable to see the plans.”
Want To See The U.S. Change In Front Of Your Eyes? Watch Football
“America did experience a watershed moment of sorts. It wasn’t the election of Barack Obama. It wasn’t the U.S. birth rate hitting a record low in 2013. Instead, it was the Super Bowl. Specifically this year’s Super Bowl commercials.”
Green Bay Symphony Had ‘Fluke’ Profitable Years, Will Still Come To An End
“Westergan said this week he and other musicians have been meeting with organizers of a ‘Save the Green Bay Symphony Orchestra’ Facebook page, to determine whether any of the nearly 2,000 supporters of that site are willing to explore fundraising options.”
The Agony Of Basic Acting Class
“Frances has done what the rest of us have been trying to do all semester: cry during a performance, a kind of truth we’ve learned can only be achieved when an actor is connected to his or her body, an idea I pretend to understand but don’t.”
Want To Protest NSA Surveillance? Wear Your Private Messages As Art
“The project is a simple badge with an e-ink display. The badge is coupled with an app on your smartphone, which searches your phone’s messages and communications for NSA trigger words like ‘assassination’ or ‘bomb.’ It then displays those words on the badge in bold for everyone to see.”
Top AJBlogs From 06.29.14
Dvorak’s “Hiawatha” Symphony
AJBlog: Unanswered Question | Published 2014-06-30
Act Now, If You Care About The Fate Of The Corcoran
AJBlog: Real Clear Arts | Published 2014-06-29
Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Big Data
AJBlog: We The Audience | Published 2014-06-29
Summer books: Bruce Katz and Jennifer Bradley’s ‘The Metropolitan Revolution’
AJBlog: For What it’s Worth | Published 2014-06-29