Stories

Danielle Mckinney had "spent her entire professional life pursuing photography without showing in a commercial gallery, but soon she had dealers on both coasts, solo shows lined up and a waiting list of collectors and institutions interested in acquiring her paintings. She was excited and perplexed." - The New York Times

Remember Lil Nas X and “Old Town Road” (2018) or, gosh, Beyoncé and “Daddy Lessons” (2016)? The discussion rages on as country music stations at first weren’t playing Bey’s two new country singles. Things seem to have changed during the week since the Super Bowl. - The Guardian (UK)

This is a "macabre new publishing subgenre: hasty, shoddy, A.I.-generated biographies of people who have just died." - The New York Times

"If the residents of Littleton vote to limit public art, as one Board of Selectmen member has suggested, the statue will have to be removed. There’s no middle ground: Either all art or none would be allowed on government property.” - Christian Science Monitor

Goodreads appears to be somewhat innocently letting “the public” tell other members of the public what is worthwhile. "For the well-reviewed author, this is a fine setup. For the author who may not benefit from a wide general readership, it’s a psychological thriller.” - The Guardian (UK)

The last Harlem show at the Met, in 1969 (!), contained no Black artists. This one is going to be different. Some works were stored in family members’ basements, for instance, and needed serious renovation. - The New York Times

A live feed mixing fashion commentary and media reporting, the way the internet was intended to give us our awards news. - The Guardian (UK)

Yes, longtime users, Reddit ITA, to the tune of $60 million a year. “It’s not known what company Reddit made the deal with, but it’s quite a bit more than the $5 million annual deal OpenAI has reportedly been offering news publishers for their data." - The Verge

The Wayfarers Chapel "sits on the Palos Verdes peninsula, which is prone to landslides. Cracks had begun to appear in the structure, and several panes of glass had broken in recent months.” - The Guardian (UK)

And it can thank streaming for that: "With streamers raising prices and adding commercials, maybe the urgency of watching something as it’s happening has the juice to bring people back to broadcast.” - Wired

That includes, in recent years, TikTok trends. “I find it so much fun. It’s an inspiring place to go to find out how young people are moving their bodies - young and old,” Robinson says. - NPR

"Paramore singer Hayley Williams decried a Tennessee House of Representatives dustup this week where a Republican lawmaker blocked a resolution honoring the Grammy win of Black musician Allison Russell while allowing a similar resolution honoring Paramore to go forward." - The Tennessean

One Nigerian author: “I knew I wanted to write characters who are queer. That’s the only way I am going to show up on the page.” - The New York Times

But why aren’t more celebrities using their money for this kind of baffling, joyous, wacky creative venture? “It is genuinely exciting to see an A-lister in the pursuit of pure, honest, sincere cringe." - Slate

"St. Louis Park Public Schools will allow opt-outs for families who don’t want their children to read books with LGBTQ+ characters, after six Somali Muslim families threatened to sue the district.” - Sahan Journal