One of the fisherpoet legends is Moe Bowstern who, yes, named herself. Apparently writing poetry comes with being on a fishing ship, she says. “Well, I mean, have you ever been fishing? … It’s unbelievably boring. And so you just have to think of something else to do.” –NPR
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Stanley Donen, Director Of ‘Singing In The Rain’ And Other Musicals, Has Died At 94
Donen “brought a certain charm and elegance to the silver screen in the late 1940s through the 1950s, at a time when Hollywood was soaked in glamour and the big studio movies were polished to a sheen.” Some of his other movies: Royal Wedding, with Fred Astaire dancing on the ceiling; On the Town, Damn Yankees, and so, so many more. – The New York Times
The Haskell Indian Nation University Is About To Close Its Museum ‘Indefinitely’
As a grant ends, the Historical Cultural Center and Museum, with three employees and a collection dating back to 1884, is planning to shut down. But apparently it will, at some point, reopen, says a dean: “‘We have been working diligently to secure more funding in order to reopen it later this semester,’ said Julia Good Fox, dean of the College of Natural and Social Sciences.” – Lawrence Journal-World
Middle-School Girls Are Lustful, Too, And Various Media Are Starting To Catch Up
If you thought middle school girls were “innocent” while middle school boys awoke to their own sexuality, well, think again. In new movies and TV shows, “our girls are awkward and weird. They are undergoing orthodontic treatments. They have made out with every bedpost and doorframe in their bedrooms. Through their eyes, it is the boys who become smooth, uncomplicated objects.” – The New York Times
The Long, Not Exactly Uplifting History Of African American Dancers Getting Cast In Ballets
Basically, ballet companies wanted only Black women who were very light-skinned and who, especially in whiteface makeup, could pass for white (especially in the South). – JSTOR
D.C.’s Synetic Theater Won’t Lose Its Lease To Amazon HQ – Yet
The theatre now has a three-year grace period. “With the announcement of Amazon’s move into Arlington, the mostly vacant building became a centerpiece for the first phase of the company’s takeover of National Landing, née Crystal City. This left Synetic Theater—known for its wordless, physical productions—looking for a new home.” – DCist
Spirit Award Best Screenplay Winner Says Director Of ‘Can You Ever Forgive Me?’ Was Cheated Of An Oscar Nomination
As she (and co-writer Jeff Whitty) won an Indie Sprit Award, “Can You Ever Forgive Me? screenwriter Nicole Holofcener offered a blunt assessment of the lack of Academy Awards recognition for director Marielle Heller, and women directors everywhere.” – Variety
Kids, Atlanta Symphony Make A “Cultural Symphony”
A collaboration between students, dancers, choreographer and musicians in the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.
What’s It Like Watching Your Character On The Page Come To Life As Glenn Close?
Meg Wolitzer, author of The Wife (among many other novels): “All of this is heady, effervescent stuff for a novelist. … I felt a particular kind of excitement. It wasn’t just the generic Hollywood feeling to which many of us are susceptible. The face for which I had created the outline had been filled in, saturated with new meaning.” – The New York Times
Grab Your Pencils, Friends, For The Cassette Tape Has Returned
That’s right, it’s back. Why? And who the heck is feeling nostalgia for the days when you had to clean the tape heads, carefully wind any escaped tape back with the judicious use of a pencil (or two, to hold it flat), and make extremely precise mixtapes? – The Observer (UK)