Author: ArtsJournal2

The Irish Novelist Edna O’Brien Wants To Tell The Truth – And ‘Go Out’ Fighting

O’Brien’s new novel Girl is her 19th, and it’s different from the rest. The veteran writer is now 88, and she says it may be her last. Her first three novels, in the 1960s, “articulated what, until then, had remained relatively unspoken in staunchly Catholic Ireland: female sexual desire, active and acted upon.” – The Observer (UK)

Charles Santore, Illustrator Of Classic Children’s Books, Has Died At 84

Santore reached millions of people through his illustrations for the covers of TV Guide before he turned to classic literature for children. His TV Guide covers were legendary, and as a matter of fact, “his 1976 cover depicting Redd Foxx as the title character in Sanford and Son is in the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in Washington.” – The New York Times

Is The Political Novel Dead?

Sure, there are many political writers, and of course all writing is political in some way. “Much harder to find, however, is an example of what one might call the campaigning novel: that subset that includes classics by the likes of Charles Dickens and Émile Zola alongside fiction-cloaked manifestos, memoirs and works of reportage. What unites them is a passionate desire to use character and narrative to draw the reader’s attention to some social ill and to galvanise efforts to remedy it.” – The Guardian (UK)

The Toxic Campaign That Foreshadowed Our Cultural Moment (And Never Went Away)

The basics: “Five years ago, the ex-boyfriend of a game developer posted a bitter rant about their relationship online—and video gaming and journalism and American political life are still dealing with the fallout.” The details – about memes, swarming, doxxing, swatting, and so much more – infiltrated daily life in the U.S. for everyone from artists to politicians to the entire state of politics. – Slate

The TV Show That Incorporates Not Just Voguing But A Ton Of Modern Dance

On Pose, the actors – whose characters are fully part of New York’s ballroom scene – do a lot more than vogue and runway, though that’s essential too. “The show has an undeniable commitment to dance that is present even when the characters aren’t performing or rehearsing, just talking and laughing and crying. Pose is something of a peek into the private lives of dancers, in which the rigor is the same for all — it doesn’t matter if their work is done in a studio, on a stage or on the piers.” – The New York Times

College Bureaucrats Are (Successfully) Trying To Kill The College Newspaper

School newspapers usually aren’t independent from the schools they’re trying to cover. And that’s a big, big problem. “When professional pundits talk about dangers to free expression on campus, they typically refer to a handful of incidents in which colleges have revoked invitations for controversial speakers. This, however, is a fringe issue, confined to a small number of universities. The real crisis of campus speech lies elsewhere—in the erosion of student newspapers.” – The Atlantic

Being An Instagram Influencer Isn’t As Easy As It Used To Be

There’s a brand of young straight men who are “relying on the gifts of biology to flesh out a personality. It works for a while, because viewers like to be complimented and to watch an attractive, familiar talking head give them a pixelated smile on a lonely day.” But to be truly successful – i.e. to make money as an influencer – the young dudes need a lot more. That’s where agents come in. – Hyperallergic

What It’s Like For An Actress To Play A Character Who Shows Little Emotion

Anna Torv, who plays a serial-hunting psychologist on Mindhunter, explains: “When you’re an actress, you don’t even realize that the majority of the time you end up carrying the emotional weight of whatever scene you happen to be in. If someone’s going to cry, it’s going to be the girl. If someone is emotional and having a meltdown, it’s going to be the girl. … It’s just the expectation, so that’s what your instincts end up honing. All of a sudden to be in the skin of this woman who is just so dry … Anytime I showed a flicker of something, especially in the beginning, David would be like, ‘Please, pull it back.'” – The New York Times

The British Library’s Team Of Educators Are Told To Reapply For Fewer – But More Full-Time – New Jobs

What’s going on in Britain? The claim: This is to provide more full-time jobs! But, like National Gallery educators who just experienced something similar and won their court case, the freelancers are fighting back. One Member of Parliament about the NG case, which cost the institution at least £64,000: “This is money … which could have been used to provide full rights and a decent wage for the gallery’s workers which has instead been wasted defending illegal and indefensible employment practices.” – The Observer (UK)