Edwards started writing when she was 7, but published her first novel almost 50 years later. She wrote six detective novels, “mysteries set in Harlem starring a female cop turned sociologist and accidental sleuth named Mali Anderson, always with a backbeat of jazz,” and also became director of the Harlem Writers Guild for nearly a decade. – The New York Times
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A Scenic Designer Adapts From Creating Sets To Creating Personalized Condolence Cards
But the adaptation isn’t easy or OK. “‘This is the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do,’ [Nicole] Carroll said of working in the theatre. ‘It feels like a grieving process, letting go for a while of the thing that you’ve wanted to do for so many years.'” – American Theatre
Abbey Road Studios Reopens With ‘Extraordinary Measures’ To Record Jazz Album
The recording studios in London, which didn’t close even during WWII, had been shuttered for ten weeks during the coronavirus lockdown. Managing director Isabel Garvey: “Ordinarily we would have an 80-100 person orchestra, but we’ve reduced that right down to 40.” And the main jazz singer? Is “joining the sessions remotely” from Paris. – BBC
Art Basel Has Been Cancelled
The Swiss art fair held out for a long time. Then, on May 30, dealers sent a letter. “‘Art Basel is the most important and powerful art fair in the world but even in the best possible scenario, an edition held this year would be a mere shadow of its established stature and imperil its reputation,’ the letter said. Signed by more than 50 dealers, it concluded: ‘We believe that risks are simply too great and that regrettably 2020 is a lost year.'” – The New York Times
Some People Have Been Flocking To ‘The Help’ On Netflix During Weeks Of Protests
Podcast host Akilah Hughes on Twitter in response the news that the 2011 white savior movie The Help is topping Netflix’s most-watched lists: “If you watched the Help this week you have to donate $500 to black charities.” (Twitter also offered many helpful ideas about what to watch.) – Los Angeles Times
Libraries Are Welcoming The Temporary Easing Of E-Book Prices
One Canadian library director said, “It was very, very good news in a very dark period.” (But the cheaper prices are set to end mid-June, when physical libraries may be partially opening back up.) – CBC
Ute Tribes Have To Reimagine Bear Dances Under Lockdown
Normally, for spring’s Bear Dances, “groups of dancers would sway back and forth, shoulder-to-shoulder, with the lines of men and women closely facing each other before they split off into pairs.” The dances have happened since at least the 1500s – but this year, they’re canceled as lockdowns continue on the Ute reservations. – Colorado Sun
How Might We Rethink Public Spaces After COVID?
In recent years, designers and city-builders have largely come to reject defensive strategies and the exclusionary policies from which they stemmed. Great public spaces are now built with flexibility and approachability in mind, offering ample amenities and public resources. Yet, even in the best of times, the creation and operation of public parks, squares and community hubs remains both an honourable and difficult pursuit. – Spacing Toronto
New York Theatres Are Opening Their Buildings To Protestors
A new Twitter account, called “Open Your Lobby,” has encouraged theaters to welcome protesters. A post from the account recommended that the theaters “not permit police inside of the building for the safety of your protesters,” adding that nonblack staffers should block officers from entering. – The New York Times
Where Did “Shit Hits The Fan” Come From?
The true origins of the expression “shit hits the fan” are largely undetermined, though some sources suggest that Canada is to blame—it might have come from particularly picturesque Canadian military language of the early twentieth century. Another suggestion is that the idiom is descended from “an old joke.” – JSTOR