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The Pro Ballet Dancer Who Rose From The Refugee Camps

Ahmed Joudah began life in a Palestinian refugee camp in Syria, auditioned for the main ballet company in Damascus as a completely self-taught dancer when he was 16, then had to flee Syria when the civil war broke out. Now, he says, “I’m a dancer and dance is my passport. But when it comes to the official papers, I have no passport. I’m a stateless refugee, so I have no home. I have no place to go back home, to build a life.” – Deutsche Welle

Why Women Writers Love Rebooting Homer

As anyone who’s read The Iliad knows, it’s about men being mad at each other and going to war. That results in some great writing, true, but there’s a lot more left to say about the cost of anger and war. “The novels compel us to look at that cost, not by a poignant glimpse to the side, as in the Iliad, but as their chief subject. As well they might: after all, slavery, massacres and rape remain real-world consequences of conflict and male aggression.” – The Guardian (UK)

An Abuse Victim’s Courage, Plus His Hidden iPhone, Reveals The Truth About One Of The Co-Founders Of Sundance

The abuser, who hadn’t had anything to do with the festival, or so Sundance says, since 1993, went on to make religious and family-themed movies for the Mormon Church – until one of his victims came forward. The victim “could not shake the questions: What if there were other victims out there? What if the abuse was still going on? So in January of last year, he reached out … on Facebook.” – The New York Times

How To Make It Big In Music

What will happen to classical in this world where labels have to get the algorithms on an artist’s side side – and appeal to a bunch of people making the playlists on Spotify. “Last year the money made by record labels from streaming surpassed income from the sale of traditional formats.” – The Observer (UK)

Theatre Needs To Tell Bold Stories Of Those Who Stood Up To Power And Survived

A young director who had three weeks to devise a musical with 14 over-50 LGBTQ-identified actors says that her generation needs to hear more about the past, and that they’re good for theatre. “Stories from untold perspectives– with one hand in reality and one in imagination – are what interest me. As a writer, they unlock the immeasurable potential within a subject. As a director, they challenge you to avoid the deadly valleys of stereotype and assumption and implore you to take the tricky hillside treks through discomfort and authenticity.” – The Stage (UK)

Novelists, You Have To Get Your Science Right

Otherwise, everything else collapses – and you don’t need to be writing science fiction to use science. “Science provides a clear and pragmatic framework with which to view the murkier and less-than-perfect world of humans, giving resonance and beauty to a fictional story while also being a metaphor for its larger theme. Science also asks questions about the world, as do characters in a novel.” – LitHub

As The Humanities Collapse, Who’s To Blame?

Tenured professors, perhaps? This article thinks so. “As far back as 1972, The New York Times reported that the [American Historical Association] was ‘facing open discontent in its ranks as a result of the recession, academic budget trimming and an oversupply of trained historians,’ which engendered a ‘job crisis’ that showed little sign of abating. Nevertheless, for nearly a half-century, historians have failed to organize to halt the disappearance of positions. This must now change.”  – The Chronicle of Higher Education