“Distressed that they had never met an African-American literary lion of [James] Baldwin’s stature, the poets, Thomas Sayers Ellis and Sharan Strange, hatched a plan: They would bring young black writers and artists together to read their work aloud, to bond with mentors and to foster the sort of comradeship that had nurtured many a cultural movement.”
Tag: 05.27.14
Is The Philadelphia Orchestra Feuding With Its Summer Venue In The City’s Fairmount Park?
“Ever since 1976, when the orchestra moved into the Mann Center (then known as the Robin Hood Dell West), the two have played well together in Fairmount Park to establish a lively presence for orchestral music. But the post-bankruptcy Philadelphia Orchestra seems less concerned about sharp elbows.”
New £150K Award For English Regional Theatre Endowed By Actual Medieval Guild
“The Clothworkers’ Company is one of London’s younger livery companies, being less than 600 years old, and created to secure the welfare of the cloth industry. The company created its charitable foundation in 1977 and since then it has given away more than £100m … Theatre has never appeared in its portfolio before.”
Molding Stars At The School Of American Ballet
“How does a teenager turn into a cowboy at the School of American Ballet? It’s all in the chest. …’You’ve got to strut that girl around,’ [faculty member Susan] Pilarre said. ‘Just puff up, Chris. Blow up. Mr. B used to say, ‘Stuffed turkey on Thanksgiving.””
India’s Largest LGBT Film Festival Holds On In A Nation Changing (And Maybe Changing Back)
When the Kashish Mumbai International Queer Film Festival was launched five years ago, LGBTs in India were slowly achieving social acceptance, and the law forbidding “carnal intercourse against the order of nature” had just overturned. But that law was recently reinstated, and a conservative Hindu part just scored a big win in national elections. What’s next?
You Know What Else Is Up For Auction? Tracey Emin’s Bed
“Complete with vodka bottles, cigarette butts and pregnancy tests, the installation didn’t win the Turner prize during the year of its entry in 1999, … [but it did spark] a media frenzy and causing visitor numbers to the Tate Britain to hit record highs. Fifteen years on, it can be yours for an estimated price of between £800,000 and £1.2m.”