The 2019 Pulitzer Prizes for freestanding books went to The Overstory by Richard Powers (fiction), Amity and Prosperity: One Family and the Fracturing of America by Eliza Griswold (general nonfiction), The New Negro: The Life of Alain Locke by Jeffrey C. Stewart (biography), Frederick Douglass, Prophet of Freedom by David W. Blight (history), and Be With by Forrest Gander (poetry). – Publishers Weekly
Tag: 04.15.19
Researcher Claims To Have Discovered Shakespeare’s Home In London
“The place where Shakespeare lived in London gives us a more profound understanding of the inspirations for his work and life. Within a few years of migrating to London from Stratford, he was living in one of the wealthiest parishes in the city, alongside powerful public figures, wealthy international merchants, society doctors and expert musicians.” – The Stage
Why Hollywood’s Writers Are Firing Their Agents En Masse
Short answer: The Writers Guild of America asked them to. Longer answer: The Guild says agency practices have evolved to the detriment of writers and that writers are earning less as agents expand their businesses, creating conflicts of interest. But it’s difficult. Writers depend on agents to work on their behalf and have close relationships with them. – Los Angeles Times
The Singularity Is Complete: Tyshawn Sorey Glues Together Jazz And Classical (And Whatever Else Appeals To Him)
Sorey’s work eludes the pinging radar of genre and style. Is it jazz? New classical music? Composition? Improvisation? Tonal? Atonal? Minimal? Maximal? Each term captures a part of what Sorey does, but far from all of it. At the same time, he is not one of those crossover artists who indiscriminately mash genres together. – The New Yorker
Catastrophic Fire Rages At Nôtre-Dame Cathedral In Paris
The blaze in the great medieval cathedral broke out before 7 pm local time. While no human casualties have been reported, the church’s spire and most of its roof have collapsed, smoke is pouring through the historic stained-glass windows, and crews are rushing to salvage what they can of the building’s art. – The Guardian
Joyful music
Cellist Steven Isserlis and pianist Connie Shih play music by bigtime male composers, and by women they loved. – Greg Sandow
Coltrane ’58
John Coltrane, Coltrane ’58: The Prestige Recordings (Craft)
Every few years, curators of the great saxophonist John Coltrane’s extensive body of recordings come up with yet another retrospective of his work. – Doug Ramsey
EU Approves Copyright Reform: Could This Bring Down The Internet As We Know It?
“While the legislation does not explicitly state so, it is widely assumed that to conform with the law, online platforms will have to install filters to prevent users from uploading copyrighted material. Opponents say this is technically impossible and will lead to widespread censorship.” – Billboard (Reuters)
Americans Are Losing Whatever Empathy For ‘Others’ That They Once Had
Americans seemed to be into empathy from roughly post-WWII to the 2000s. Then things started going sideways. Now, it’s “Empathy, but just for your own team. And empathizing with the other team? That’s practically a taboo. And it turns out that this brand of selective empathy is a powerful force.” – NPR
The Joy – And Reality – Of The American Library In Paris
If you’re an English-speaker jaded about the City of Lights, head to the library. “As I learned more about the American Library and its place in the history of literary Paris, I recovered some long-repudiated belief in the city’s magnetic pull and inspirational force. Conjuring scenes of my old heroes in the library’s reading rooms made me swoon all over again, decades after their work first moved me.” – LitHub