Perhaps France, awash in donations for its cathedral, could help its former colony of Haiti with the rebuilding efforts for Notre-Dame de l’Assomption in Port-au-Prince. – The Atlantic
Author: ArtsJournal2
The Author Of ‘American Marriage’ Is Not An Overnight Success
Tayari Jones had several well-reviewed books before American Marriage too off last year. She remembers, “I published my first book in 2002 and I remember that I was at Bread Loaf [Writers’ Conference]. A lot of [other emerging writers] had been on NPR and other things and I hadn’t done any of these things. I remember I sat on my bed in my little Bread Loaf dorm room and I just cried. How will I ever catch up?” – Shondaland
White Nationalists Swarm Author At Politics And Prose
“A handful of self-proclaimed white nationalists interrupted an appearance by an author at the Politics and Prose bookstore in Northwest Washington on Saturday afternoon, chanted ‘This land is our land’ and then exited to a chorus of loud boos.” – The Washington Post
Why Does Hollywood Hate Pop Music, And Pop Stars?
The hated pop stars are, of course, almost all women. And, by the way, “isn’t there an inherent irony in cinema offering a ‘serious’ take on mass culture while seeking commercial gain? Few of these tales manage to communicate what still makes pop music so appealing and popular.” – The Guardian (UK)
Writing Activists Back Into History, Through Fiction
Bernardine Evaristo co-founded Britain’s Theatre of Black Women in the 1980s, and she’s not shy about using her experience in a new novel – or the experiences and lives of other Black British women through history. “It’s very important to know the alternatives to mainstream history, as we’re not represented in it. To discover how deep our roots are is important. Those of us who are older are living history, and I feel we have a duty to share it.” – The Guardian (UK)
To Sing The Unflappable Siegfried, One Cannot Have Fear
At least, that’s what tenor Andreas Schager claims. “But his path to singing Siegfried at the Met … was unusual. Mr. Schager, who was born Andreas Schagerl in the small town of Rohrbach an der Gölsen, started his career in operetta (precursors to modern musical comedies) and lighter tenor roles.” – The New York Times
Recent Listening: Jason Palmer’s Rhyme and Reason
“Trumpeter Jason Palmer made it clear with his substantial tone, wide range and flexibility that he had the potential to become one of the new century’s outstanding trumpeters” – and now he has. – Doug Ramsey
The Cure For Our Times May Be Theatre
When a critic sees 12 plays in 10 days: Theatre “restored my vision, or at least handed me a roadmap of our location, emotionally and psychically speaking — one that extended beyond Manhattan, the country, and the curve of time. I sat down with people to contemplate the troubles of King Lear, Tom Robinson, and Socrates, recalling that, though the common cruelties of the day may be unique, how people cope with them is not.” – Los Angeles Review of Books
Why Does Country Music Have Such A Race Problem?
So … Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” is sitting at number one in the UK – and in the US, but despite its utter yeehaw-ness, not on the country charts because Billboard claimed it didn’t “embrace enough elements of today’s country music.” Riiiiight. The genre has a bit of an issue with Black musicians (and other musicians of color), and women of any race as well. “The gravity of this discrimination really hits home when you consider that country is the biggest radio format in the US.” – The Guardian (UK)
The Path From Dancer To Artistic Director In Dallas
Melissa Young began her career as a dancer with Dallas Black Dance Theatre, and since then, she’s been rehearsal director, academy director, associate artistic director, and interim artistic director – and now she’s got the job permanently. She saw the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater when she was a teenager, and, she says, “from that moment on, I knew THIS was what I had to do. There was no turning back. There was no plan b to fall back on.” – Paper City Magazine