“If so, the key to new novels from African writers seems to be the fresh use of historical fiction to articulate a new future.”
Blog
Here’s One Theatre That Raised Its Hiring Of Women Directors Tenfold
“The number of women directing plays at [the Gate Theatre in Dublin] is up from 8 per cent between 2006 and 2015 to 80 per cent in the last 18 months … The number of women writers increased from 6 per cent to 33 per cent over the same period, set designers 26 per cent to 44 per cent, lighting designers 13 per cent to 33 per cent, and sound designers 1 per cent to 44 per cent.”
Today’s AJBlog Highlights 07.12.18
- Music from the attic: The Revelers return with a mellifluous secret garden The Neo-Revelers: Joseph Gaines,Bryon Grohman,tenors; Craig Phillips, bass;Anthony Patterson, piano; Jesse Blumberg, baritone. Attic music speaks quietly – and with wide-open possibilities. A secret garden, perhaps? Stacks of printed music found in closets and … read more
- A Community’s Traits New Creative Community Fellow Jesse Keller Jason sends her thoughts on “What does community mean to you?” with a photo from a community she holds dear. … read more
- Go with the Bowie Flow? Fans Usurp the Brooklyn Museum’s American Art Galleries (with video) Ground Control to Major Anne (Pasternak): Why have you allowed the your museum’s American art galleries to be commandeered by throngs of David Bowie fans? Just a month ago, I had … read more
- Guest Columnist: Mr. Rogers, and America I’M hardly the only Gen Xer to grow up on Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, a show that first aired about a year before I was born. Part of me thinks that my fondness for the … read more
- Communities Don’t Always Need to Be Human In this photo essay, Jane Wegscheider reflects on her non-human community and explores how her connection to her garden affects how she interacts with her human community. My community begins with the earth, … read more
Why Did This Suburb Rise Up To Oppose A Prestige Museum?
In late January, the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation was shocked when the planning commission in the Charleston suburb of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, unanimously denied its Safdie-concieved proposal because it would exceed by 75 feet the elevation limit on land zoned for no more than 50 feet. The decision was forwarded to town council for review with a recommendation to disallow. Suddenly this picturesque community, defined by shrimp boats and sprawling marshes, was steeped in controversy over the fate of a hugely significant edifice with limitless potential as a tourist attraction.
Netflix’s Ascendancy To The Top Of The Emmys Illustrates Changes In The TV Landscape
Netflix’s narrow edge over HBO in total noms (112 vs. 108) is rich with symbolism at a moment when the entertainment industry’s old guard is scrambling to reorient a big part of its business operations to reflect the Netflix effect — i.e. making a boatload of original programming available via commercial-free streaming in a 24/7 on-demand format. It’s an incredible feat, pulled off in what feels like a blink of an eye for many industry veterans.
Why Big-Venue Concerts Are A Pain In The Ass
If you write about music, your job takes you to these places on a regular basis. In the past few weeks I have been to Wembley Stadium, Twickenham and the London Stadium; I’ve been to the O2 Arena and almost ended up at Wembley Arena too. I feel as if I’ve spent most of the early summer negotiating poor transport, incomprehensible entry arrangements and interminable queues. And, in between times, seeing some musicians.
Remembering Oliver Knussen
Besides definitive interpretations of his own music, he must surely have given more first performances than any other conductor, alongside an outstanding body of recordings. He was the central focus of so many activities, and an irreplaceable mentor to his fellow composers, who constantly sought and relied on his advice and encouragement.
How Puerto Rican Musicians Became A Global Force
Puerto Ricans such as the Despacito duo were responsible for 27 of the top 100 most-viewed music videos on YouTube in 2017. Over on Spotify, four of the six most popular Latin artists are also Puerto Rican: Fonsi and Yankee again, plus Bad Bunny and Ozuna. All this from an island of just three and a half million souls, plus the other five million Puerto Ricans who live in the US.
Netflix Dominates This Year’s Emmy Nominations
Netflix had the most nominees by platform for the first time ever, beating HBO with a total of 112 nominations. That’s even as Game of Thrones, which was ineligible for last year’s awards, returned to dominate this year’s crop with 22 nominations, the most for a single show.
Why The Semicolon Is A Truly Great Punctuation Mark
“Semicolons are useful when two thoughts are related, independent yet interdependent, and more or less equally weighted. They could exist as discrete sentences, and yet something would be lost if they were, an important cognitive rhythm.”