Douglas McLennan
Doug is the editor of ArtsJournal
Airport Free Libraries Are Finding Fans
There are book carts organized by United Airlines in Boston, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Virginia and more; Little Free Libraries in Seattle and Providence, Rhode Island, and “Flybrary” shelves in Punta...
How AI Changes The Whole Notion Of Creating Music
The ability to create lyrics in five seconds, and you can keep refining these things. Oh, I don't like the second version. Can you...
The End Of Handwriting?
US public schools still require that kids be taught handwriting, so it’s not yet a lost art, but there is some evidence that digital...
Judge Strikes Parts Of Florida’s Book Ban Law
The lawsuit was brought by some of the nation's largest book publishers and some of the authors whose books had been removed from central...
Opera Australia Board Chair Out After Criticism From Ex-CEO
Rod Sims has departed as chair of Opera Australia after three years, a decision both he and the company said was voluntary despite an...
What AP Canceling Book Reviews Means For Books Culture
The standard 800-word, single-title review has long been an anemic, disparaged creature surviving off scraps along the edges of the features pages. - Washington...
MSNBC Announces Its Rebrand (Gee, Rebranding Is Hard)
Outside the network, the rebrand became a subject of bemusement and mockery. - The New York Times
Philanthropies Step In To Help Rescue Public Broadcasters
Now, some of those philanthropists are banding together in hopes of staving off that worst-case scenario by providing an emergency $26.5 million cash injection...
The Future Could Be Dazzling. More Likely It’ll Be Mundane
Major changes of all kinds are undoubtedly coming in our future, but they won’t arrive with a firework display or a Hans Zimmer score....
Will Steinway Lose Access To Wood For Its Soundboards?
The secret to the sound isn’t merely Steinway’s skilled craftsmen but the specialized wood they use for the soundboards. It comes from the Tongass...
The Contemporary Art Gallery Model Is Dying
In cities like New York and Los Angeles, dedicated spaces that once buzzed with foot traffic and formal openings are now struggling with rising...
A Place You Probably Don’t Want To Live: Oklahoma To Vet Teachers With America...
Oklahoma’s public education superintendent, Ryan Walters, told USA Today and CNN that the 50-question certification exam – which is reportedly set to roll out in the coming days...
That’s Just Skibidi: Cambridge Dictionary Adds New Words
“Skibidi”, “tradwife” and “delulu” are among the new words to have made this year’s Cambridge Dictionary in a selection that confirms the increasing influence...
Republicans To Ban Rainbow Painted Crosswalks
Across the state and the country, this and thousands of other brightly painted street crossings would be paved over under guidance recently issued by...
What To Do About AI In College? Too Late. Students Have Already Embraced It
Three years later, the AI transformation is just about complete. By the spring of 2024, almost two-thirds of Harvard undergrads were drawing on the tool at...
Skipping The Little Guys: Big Galleries Are Signing Emerging Artists
With high-end sales softening and galleries shuttering, mega-galleries are looking downmarket, encroaching on price points once dominated by younger dealers. The result? A reshuffling...
A New Approach To Disaster Relief Housing In Hawaii
“We hoped to convince them that their paradigm was inhumane and had to change. The housing had to be more robust and more thoughtful...
This Year’s Edinburgh Festival Was Filled With Unease
Many of the finest productions I saw in the Fringe took the position of living memorials to horrors. Sometimes an insistence on accuracy turned...
An Indie DC Bookstore That Became A Publisher. And It’s Thriving
The longtime independent bookseller on Connecticut Avenue runs an in-house publishing operation, called Opus, that allows authors to self-publish their work. This side business has...
Has The Digital Age Led To A Golden Period Of Reading?
The fact that social reading goes beyond the individual requires an astute consideration of digital community, because “interactions and bonds between individuals meeting via...
As More Libraries Ban Books, California Libraries Offer A Solution
To combat book censorship, some Southern California public libraries, including Los Angeles, Long Beach and San Diego, are joining libraries nationwide to provide access...
Live Music Is Booming. And Hip Hop Acts Are Selling Out Big Shows
This summer Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Tyler, the Creator, GloRilla, Lil Baby, Lil Wayne and Wu-Tang Clan have packed arenas, amphitheaters and stadiums in the...
What AP Dropping Book Reviews Means To Publishing
Historically, AP arts coverage has been particularly important because smaller and local papers tend to syndicate AP reviews, which are written for a wide,...
As Streaming Platforms Enshittify, Some Return To Piracy
While some people never abandoned piracy, others admit they have recently returned – this time turning to unofficial streaming platforms. One commonly used app...
The Bob Ross Painting Market Is Booming
The paintings, which both date to around 1990 or ’91, attracted five or six bidders over the course of the sale, with offers from...
