Forty years ago, Peter Brooks produced a pathbreaking study, Reading for the Plot, which was part of the so-called narrative turn in literary criticism. Narratology, as it became known, spread swiftly to other disciplines: law, psychology, philosophy, religion, anthropology and so on. - London Review of Books
There will always be a need for genuine community and human connection, which can be aided by tools like this. We see chatbots being used in fun and innovative ways to complement community and human connection — not replace it.” - The Verge
Freedom of expression is a hot potato—freedom for whom and for what, and who decides? The last English writer before the late 20th century to have totally free rein was Geoffrey Chaucer. Few then could read, and books were hand-lettered and very expensive. - The Atlantic
Learning to write is about more than learning to write. For one thing, it’s about learning to turn a loose assemblage of thoughts into a clear line of reasoning—a skill that is useful for everyone, not just those who enjoy writing or need to do a lot of it for work. - The Atlantic
There is growing evidence from neuroscience and careful experiments that the United States has adopted reading strategies that just don’t work very well and that we haven’t relied enough on a simple starting point — helping kids learn to sound out words with phonics. - The New York Times
The defection of Gustavo Dudamel from L.A. to conduct the New York Philharmonic reflects more than a switch in energy and show business muscle; the Venezuela-born conductor, many feel, also embodies inclusion at an inspirational level. - Deadline
Record tickets sales in Chicago's Theatre Week may indicate - finally - something's going OK for the COVID-bitten profession. - Daily Herald (Illinois)
"My capacity for speaking German is not unlike imagination or good writing: Believe hard enough and the genie reappears. But belief also cannot be faked or summoned. It can falter, prove you wrong." - LitHub
"The Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD), the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the Association of Academic Museums and Galleries (AAMG), and the Association of Art Museum Curators (AAMC) collectively called on Valparaiso University’s Brauer Museum of Art to reverse course." - Hyperallergic
Geetanjali Shree's Tomb of Sand, written and published in Hindi, pushed Western readers and critics to learn about the deep diversity of Indian literature that wasn't written in English. - The New York Times
What happens to the subjects of these series years later - and what about when the series get bought by streaming services, and everything is stirred up again? There's a documentary about that. - The Observer (UK)
The Netflix series My Dad the Bounty Hunter's Patrick Harpin: "The theme park ... was a way that kids have an entry point to understanding . I’m laughing, I’m having fun, but this is ridiculously horrible, what is doing. It’s a dark reveal." - Los Angeles Times
A couple found scripts and call sheets in their attic and gave them to an auctioneer - but health issues related to original Chewbacca actor Peter Mayhew's height, his widow said, had made it impossible for him to get the attic cleared when they moved. - BBC
Of course Tony Award-winning Garth Fagan, now 82, did a lot more in his career than The Lion King. He's "a Jamaican-born choreographer known for threading ballet training and discipline into his Afro-Caribbean movement." - The New York Times
Along with racism, and other setbacks in her industry,"It’s something that can either make you bitter ... or it’s something you can look at, not take personally, then push against." - The Guardian (UK)
