AJ Four Ways: Text Only (by date) | headlines only
DANCE
IDEAS
- The new Commons
Good Morning,
The most radical institution in America right now may be the public library. Branches are lending power tools, musical instruments, even prom dresses alongside the books (The New York Times) — running on the premise that you should be able to borrow what you can’t afford to own. Essentially the new Commons.
Universal has started skipping the influencer screenings and is taking The Odyssey straight to the few remaining professional film critics (Wired), a bet that expertise still sells tickets. Meanwhile, the limited series, prestige TV’s darling, is collapsing under its own weight (Vulture), and Quibi turns out to have been right about microdrama, just half a decade early (The Seattle Times).
Two novelists made the same argument from opposite temperaments. Dave Eggers warns that once a machine writes for you, “you’re cooked as a species” (The Guardian); Margaret Atwood, more wryly, says the real AI problem is a very old one (Deadline).
And if you’re a George Washington reenactor, the semiquincentennial has made this your year (NPR).
All of our stories below.
- Despite Challenges And Bans, It’s A Golden Age For Queer Literature
A bookstore owner writes, “Queer literature has become one of the growth engines of the publishing industry. L.G.B.T.Q. fiction has never been more visible, more varied or better promoted.” Happy Pride! – The New York Times
- The Artists Who Painted Early Hollywood Into Existence
“‘In general, at the studios, they systematized the production design, so that it was fast,’ Kanjo said, describing the rigid process as militaristic. ‘Five artists at a time work day after day to get these things done.’” – Los Angeles Times (MSN)
- Dave Eggers Says If We Use AI The Wrong Way Humanity Is Cooked
“You’re one of one. … You’re unprecedented in the entire line of human history. Only you have your brain. Only you can think of what you can think of. Only you can tell a story in a particular way. Why would you cede that to a machine?” – The Guardian (UK)
- The Collapse Of The Limited Series
“Why do these shows feel so minor this year? Are we in a limited-series slump, or are viewers looking for a different storytelling vehicle in 2026?” – Vulture
ISSUES
- The Artists Who Painted Early Hollywood Into Existence
“‘In general, at the studios, they systematized the production design, so that it was fast,’ Kanjo said, describing the rigid process as militaristic. ‘Five artists at a time work day after day to get these things done.’” – Los Angeles Times (MSN)
- The Real Story Of What Happened At Pace Gallery
Said one hastily removed artist, “They assured me many times — as recently as two days before the article in the New York Times came out — that there would be no public announcement. … It’s a callous breach of trust.” – Hyperallergic
- When The Curator Retires From A Weird But Cool, Isolated But Well-Trafficked, Museum Along The Columbia River
The Maryhill Museum of Art, on the Washington State side of the Columbia River Gorge, is 150 miles upriver from Portland. Its permanent collection is eclectic, to put it mildly. So how does it get exhibitions, or even help revitalize its own collection? – Oregon ArtsWatch
- Crystal Bridges Gets a New Chief Curator
Courtenay Finn is currently chief curator and director of programs at the Orange County Museum of Art, which merged with the University of California, Irvine last year. She has previously served as the chief curator at moCa Cleveland in Ohio, senior curator at the Aspen Art Museum in Colorado, and curator at Art in General in New York.
- After 83 Years, Norman Rockwell’s White House Painting Is Finally On Public View
In 1943, Rockwell painted a four-panel portrait of people waiting to see President Roosevelt. The artwork, called So You Want to See the President!, spent 40 years hanging in the West Wing; last year the White House Historical Association purchased the piece, which is now in a nearby museum. – USA Today
MEDIA
- Margaret Atwood Says The Problem With AI Is A Classic One
“The thing about AI is that it’s garbage in, garbage out,” she said at a book festival. – Deadline
- Report: Chicago’s Creative Sector Is The City’s Third-Largest Industry
The creative sector is Chicago’s third-largest industry and accounts for nearly 213,000 jobs, according to a new economic impact study released Thursday by Arts Alliance Illinois, a statewide advocacy organization. – WBEZ
- Royal Ballet And Opera In London To Eliminate 64 Staff Positions
“The reductions amount to roughly five percent of the organization’s current workforce of 1,169 staff. Nine of the cuts will involve compulsory redundancies, with the remainder expected to come from unfilled vacancies, voluntary departures, and natural turnover.” – OperaWire
- Southbank Center Chairman To Step Down After Social Media Controversy
In May, Misan Harriman was accused by the Telegraph of sharing a social media post that contained a conspiracy theory about the Golders Green attack because it questioned the amount of coverage given to the Muslim victim, Ishmail Hussein. – The Guardian
- The New Republic’s 15 Most Important Artworks In U.S. History
The editors have chosen four movies, six books, two songs, a piece of classical music, a painting, and a monument “whose impact extended beyond culture to society as a whole.” – The New Republic
MUSIC
- Despite Challenges And Bans, It’s A Golden Age For Queer Literature
A bookstore owner writes, “Queer literature has become one of the growth engines of the publishing industry. L.G.B.T.Q. fiction has never been more visible, more varied or better promoted.” Happy Pride! – The New York Times
- Dave Eggers Says If We Use AI The Wrong Way Humanity Is Cooked
“You’re one of one. … You’re unprecedented in the entire line of human history. Only you have your brain. Only you can think of what you can think of. Only you can tell a story in a particular way. Why would you cede that to a machine?” – The Guardian (UK)
- If Reading Books Feels Hard Right Now, It Might Be Time To ‘Rewild’ Your Brain
“Reading a good book, I feel like a really hysterical chihuahua barking and trembling, and then someone picks me up, and then I just go limp. You know? Like I’m just calm. … And when I’m there, and when I can actually feel stillness.” – The Atlantic
- A New Print-On-Demand Books Program For Libraries
Ingram Library Services and Penguin Random House have announced a print-on-demand program designed to supply libraries with popular backlist titles. – Publishers Weekly
- How Commonwealth Short Story Prize Determined That This Year’s Winners Are All AI-Free
“The Commonwealth Foundation asked writers to provide drafts, story outlines, manuscripts and other evidence of their creative process when investigating allegations of AI use surrounding this year’s Commonwealth Short Story Prize, director-general Razmi Farook has (said).” – The Bookseller (UK)
PEOPLE
- The new Commons
Good Morning,
The most radical institution in America right now may be the public library. Branches are lending power tools, musical instruments, even prom dresses alongside the books (The New York Times) — running on the premise that you should be able to borrow what you can’t afford to own. Essentially the new Commons.
Universal has started skipping the influencer screenings and is taking The Odyssey straight to the few remaining professional film critics (Wired), a bet that expertise still sells tickets. Meanwhile, the limited series, prestige TV’s darling, is collapsing under its own weight (Vulture), and Quibi turns out to have been right about microdrama, just half a decade early (The Seattle Times).
Two novelists made the same argument from opposite temperaments. Dave Eggers warns that once a machine writes for you, “you’re cooked as a species” (The Guardian); Margaret Atwood, more wryly, says the real AI problem is a very old one (Deadline).
And if you’re a George Washington reenactor, the semiquincentennial has made this your year (NPR).
All of our stories below.
- Despite Challenges And Bans, It’s A Golden Age For Queer Literature
A bookstore owner writes, “Queer literature has become one of the growth engines of the publishing industry. L.G.B.T.Q. fiction has never been more visible, more varied or better promoted.” Happy Pride! – The New York Times
- The Artists Who Painted Early Hollywood Into Existence
“‘In general, at the studios, they systematized the production design, so that it was fast,’ Kanjo said, describing the rigid process as militaristic. ‘Five artists at a time work day after day to get these things done.’” – Los Angeles Times (MSN)
- Dave Eggers Says If We Use AI The Wrong Way Humanity Is Cooked
“You’re one of one. … You’re unprecedented in the entire line of human history. Only you have your brain. Only you can think of what you can think of. Only you can tell a story in a particular way. Why would you cede that to a machine?” – The Guardian (UK)
- The Collapse Of The Limited Series
“Why do these shows feel so minor this year? Are we in a limited-series slump, or are viewers looking for a different storytelling vehicle in 2026?” – Vulture
PEOPLE
- The new Commons
Good Morning,
The most radical institution in America right now may be the public library. Branches are lending power tools, musical instruments, even prom dresses alongside the books (The New York Times) — running on the premise that you should be able to borrow what you can’t afford to own. Essentially the new Commons.
Universal has started skipping the influencer screenings and is taking The Odyssey straight to the few remaining professional film critics (Wired), a bet that expertise still sells tickets. Meanwhile, the limited series, prestige TV’s darling, is collapsing under its own weight (Vulture), and Quibi turns out to have been right about microdrama, just half a decade early (The Seattle Times).
Two novelists made the same argument from opposite temperaments. Dave Eggers warns that once a machine writes for you, “you’re cooked as a species” (The Guardian); Margaret Atwood, more wryly, says the real AI problem is a very old one (Deadline).
And if you’re a George Washington reenactor, the semiquincentennial has made this your year (NPR).
All of our stories below.
- Despite Challenges And Bans, It’s A Golden Age For Queer Literature
A bookstore owner writes, “Queer literature has become one of the growth engines of the publishing industry. L.G.B.T.Q. fiction has never been more visible, more varied or better promoted.” Happy Pride! – The New York Times
- The Artists Who Painted Early Hollywood Into Existence
“‘In general, at the studios, they systematized the production design, so that it was fast,’ Kanjo said, describing the rigid process as militaristic. ‘Five artists at a time work day after day to get these things done.’” – Los Angeles Times (MSN)
- Dave Eggers Says If We Use AI The Wrong Way Humanity Is Cooked
“You’re one of one. … You’re unprecedented in the entire line of human history. Only you have your brain. Only you can think of what you can think of. Only you can tell a story in a particular way. Why would you cede that to a machine?” – The Guardian (UK)
- The Collapse Of The Limited Series
“Why do these shows feel so minor this year? Are we in a limited-series slump, or are viewers looking for a different storytelling vehicle in 2026?” – Vulture
THEATRE
VISUAL
- Some Libraries Are Lending Power Tools, Musical Instruments, And Even Prom Dresses Alongside Books
After all, “Library of Things” doesn’t mean only tech things. – The New York Times
- The Thinking Style That’s Susceptible To Extremism
I’ve found that some of the most rigid thinkers describe themselves as spectacularly flexible while the most flexible people are often unaware of their own adaptability. This is why, instead of relying on asking people how rigid they think they are, I began studying people’s unconscious thinking styles. – Psyche
- The Elusive Illusion Of Utopia (And Its Uses In Our Imagination)
Some patterns emerge: many utopias employ a framing device in which the narrator is accidentally or fantastically transported to a new land, and then subjected to reams of expository monologue about how it all works. – The Guardian
- What To Make Of The US Constitution When The Country Is In Turmoil?
How should we remember the American Revolution when millions march in the streets and shout “No Kings!”? When squads of masked thugs invade homes without warrant, kangaroo immigration “courts” deport hundreds of thousands without due process, and an executive agency buys up warehouses to use as internment camps? – Boston Review
- How AI Prompting Poses The Classic Writer’s Challenge
This is one novel frustration of the AI age, yet millions of users searching for the “right prompt” are engaging in an old literary practice: turning mental images, vague desires and atmospheric intuitions into precise language. – The Conversation
