If public libraries are not for the rich, they probably are not otherwise for the poor. To understand the public library as a benevolent form of welfare would be to entirely miss the radical potential of the institution as a political project. It isn’t utopian, nor is about culturing the masses, nor offering the marginalized a space where they mustn’t “pay for coffee.” – The Baffler
Tag: 08.28.19
There’s One American TV Show That Depicts Labor With Real Dignity
“On its face, [The Science Channel’s] How It’s Made is arguably about science and engineering rather than the vicissitudes of the working class, but its depiction of the everyday worker nonetheless makes it a kissing cousin to socialist realism — or at least a kissing cousin to social realism, which is itself a kissing cousin to socialist realism.” – The Baffler
An Artist Is Turning A New Orleans Flood Wall Into A Mile-Long Story Of The City
With the permission of the Flood Protection Authority and funding from the Walmart Corp., the artist embarked on the first 400 feet of a historical mural that will depict major moments in New Orleans’ three centuries. If all goes as planned, the painting could eventually stretch a full mile. – NOLA.com
What Are The Limits Of Academic Freedom?
“Academic freedom is no simple matter. We have distinct ways of understanding it, often according to class, discipline, race, gender, and ideology. At base, academic freedom entitles us, as both faculty and students, to say or investigate things that might upset others without fear of retaliation. As with any condition of speech, limits exist. And as always, complexity begins at the imposition of limits.” – Chronicle of Higher Education
Machines Are Increasingly Taking Over Creative Jobs. Should We Be Worried?
Once we thought drivers, doctors, accountants, and lawyers were irreplaceable. And yet we are beginning to see computers encroaching on those fields. Now, even the most human of professions—those centered on creativity, something we thought of as uniquely human—seem to be programmable. – JSTOR
Book Publishing Revenue Up 6.9 Percent In First Half Of 2019
The top-line message from the organization is that the combined revenue of the participating publishers for the first six months of the year was nearly US$6 billion. The previous caveat in place, that represents an increase of 6.9 percent over the same first-half period of 2018. – Publishing Perspectives
Big-Data Read Of 3.5 Million Books Reveals How Men And Women Are Most Described
“Not surprisingly, women in books are beautiful and men are true-hearted! Yup, when positively described, women (or other traditionally gender-specific female nouns, like stewardess or daughter) are almost always considered at the physical level, whereas men are generally described according to their inherent virtue.” – LitHub
The First TV Show Made Specifically For Watching On Smartphones
Content, a seven-episode series produced by the other ABC (that’s the Australian Broadcasting Corp.), “is a comedy about a narcissistic millennial determined to become an online influencer, no matter what it takes … The high concept is that it unfolds in real time, entirely from the perspective of the protagonist’s smartphone.” – The Guardian
How Barbara Kingsolver Fell In Love With Language Again
It’s fascinating work, but lately, something else is pulling me back to my computer late at night. I get carried away in such guilty pleasure that if my husband walks in unexpectedly, I’m prone to click off my screen as if hiding an online affair, or a gaming addiction. But it’s neither. I’m writing poetry. – Washington Post
Hollywood Director Joel Schumacher Is Frank About A Lot, Including An Astounding Sex Life, But He Will Not Kiss And Tell
In a Q&A, the director of St. Elmo’s Fire, The Lost Boys, Flatliners, Batman Forever, Batman and Robin, and Phantom of the Opera talks about his own wild youth (he began drinking at 9 and having sex, mostly with men, at 11, and he insists he was not a victim of abuse), his celebrity adulthood in fashion and film, the good and the difficult actors he’s directed, and having made critical flops that were box-office hits. But which famous people he’s slept with? No way. – Vulture