Mystery novels are hot in Canada, and the genre is filling publishers’ lists. Some “40 per cent more mystery novels were published this year than the year before, and there has been a 50-per-cent increase in juvenile mysteries. And the number of nominations for the Arthur Ellis Awards, the CWC’s annual mystery prize, has spiked dramatically. This year 67 novels were submitted to the fiction category, 43 for best novel, and 24 for debut works.”
Tag: 04.13.05
Chang To Lead Iowa Writers’ Workshop
Lan Samantha Chang, a Harvard University professor and award-winning fiction author who specializes in stories of Chinese-Americans, has been named director of the nation’s most prestigious writing program, the University of Iowa’s Writers’ Workshop.
Tuning Out Michael Jackson And The “Ick Factor”
It seems that there really is a point at which audiences don’t want all the lurid details. They’re turning off salacious coverage of the Michael Jackson trial. “As the trial in Santa Maria, Calif., has become more graphic — particularly in the last week, when a former security guard testified in detail about a sexual act he claimed to have seen Jackson perform on a naked 10-year-old boy more than a decade ago — what some have called the story’s ‘ick factor’ has lowered the appetite of listeners, viewers and readers nationwide.”
Another Boston Theatre Project
Boston continues on its arts-building ways with a new plan to rennovate the old Paramount Theatre. “The $70 million Paramount Center project would redevelop the Theater District landmark and two neighboring properties to provide two theaters, rehearsal rooms, student residences, and restaurant space.”
Who Owns Our Musical Heritage?
Recent cases concerning the release of older recordings and the editing of ancient music have thrown the ownership of our musical heritage in danger. “Hardly a month passes without someone in a black gown having to lay down the law on matters so fluid they might be more fittingly served in a saloon bar. At stake is our access to musical heritage and unless some judge draws a line in the sand pretty soon we could all go blundering back to ignorance and deprivation.”
Pavarotti Cancels Due To Health
Pavarotti has caneled upcoming concerts. “Pavarotti’s spokesperson said he had been forced to move the dates as a consequence of recent neck surgery to repair two vertebrae. The opera star was admitted to Lenox Hill Hospital in New York on 9 March for the neck operation, described as “routine and regular”.
La Scala As An Opera (Conductors And Villains And Critics, Oh My!)
The mess at La Scala with Riccardo Muti is worthy of an opera plot. To wit: “The town square at dusk: Muti, hair shorn, is to be executed. “There is only one way to work with Muti: his way,” sings Norman Lebrecht as he knits beside the guillotine. “The relationship between Muti and the orchestra is sick,” sings a musician. “Only death can cure this illness.” Meli and Confalonieri rush to try to free their hero, but are cut down by scythe-wielding peasants; Mrs Muti throws herself off the battlements; Franco Zeffirelli and Norman Lebrecht sing of their triumph; the chorus of La Scala hum the opening bars of On the Town. Before he is executed, Muti utters the immortal words – “I should have taken that bloody job with the New York Philharmonic.” He dies. Curtain.”
London’s Painting Boom
Contemporary painting is hot in London right now. “The popularity of painting often coincides with boom periods of art buying – the last time people spoke of painting as being “big”, for instance, was during the 1980s. New collectors, in particular, attracted to a buoyant art market, tend to go for paintings. Their ease of display, combined with their historical legacy and their aura of originality and uniqueness, means that paintings are unrivalled not as works of art, but as commodities. Perhaps the best way to view the current status of painting, then, is not so much as an artistic phenomenon, but as an economic one.”
NJ Symphony Defers Instrument Loan
“The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra has deferred payment on part of a $9.18 million loan it took out in 2003 to purchase a collection of 30 rare Italian stringed instruments. The state Economic Development Authority yesterday granted the orchestra’s request to pay only interest on the loan for nine months, beginning next month. In exchange, the orchestra agreed to a lien on $366,000 of its endowment fund.”
Is Hong Kong Culture Misfiring?
Hong Kong is trying to be a cultural hub. But are the government’s efforts to develop the city’s creative sector backfiring? Some critics say the state investment in culture lacks a long-range plan…