“Hoffman was one of the first book retailers to employ aggressive marketing techniques in the service of creating mass market bookselling. Despite occasional criticism from authors and publishers that Walden emphasized the sales of commercial books over more literary ones, Hoffman never backed down on his belief that more books should be published with mass appeal.” – Publishers Weekly
Tag: 05.29.20
How American Theater Pros Are Figuring Out The Logistics Of Safely Reopening
“The COVID-19 Theatre Think-Tank (CTT) deliberately draws from as many of theater-making corners as possible, from stage managers to directors, from the Great White Way to regional theaters. Since March, the group has been in talks with public-health officials, pooling knowledge and letting epidemiology experts steer the conversation about what a post-shutdown theater might look like. [Founder Matt] Ross and one of the first additions to the group, Hadestown director Rachel Chavkin, spoke to [Helen Shaw] about the think tank and what it hopes to achieve.” – Vulture
Judgment Of Movies Now Includes Backstories Of Their Creators
“Discomfort has now become an essential part of pop culture connoisseurship, and it has forced audiences to become much more sophisticated as they decide what, if anything, is worth salvaging in the films, music and novels they most cherish, by people they find morally flawed.” – Washington Post
In Russia, Independent Booksellers Begin Championing Neglected Writers
“The most widely-read books are translated foreign bestsellers. There is little space for Russian talent — and if you want to be one of the chosen few to secure a book deal, that means satisfying big publishers’ often conservative tastes. … Change, however, is already coming — driven by a new wave of young literary activists and independent startups challenging the status quo. Many are led by young women, on offshoot from Russia’s growing feminist movement. They search for the forgotten Russian writers of the past, look for young new voices, and translate the queer foreign titles that would otherwise never make it into Russian.” – The Calvert Journal
Louvre Expects Attendance Will Be Down By 70% After Reopening
The Paris landmark, which had been the world’s most visited museum, opens its doors on July 6 following the coronavirus lockdown. But safety limitations have been placed on crowd flow, and France will continue to have travel restrictions in place; three-quarters of the Louvre’s ticket-buyers come from abroad. The museum’s director does not expect attendance to return to normal until 2023. – ARTnews
The Foundation Trying To Help Indie Bookstores Live Through This, And Everything Else
The Book Industry Charitable Foundation (called “Binc”) is a nonprofit created to help booksellers. “Since the pandemic started, Binc has seen requests for assistance increase by 321%. And [communications coordinator] Weiss says she fully expects that number to grow.” – LitHub
Taking Theatre Ed Online
In a sudden shift, Asolo Theatre in Florida had to figure out whether to keep going with its education programs even as students and parents were competing for limited Wi-Fi and screen time, and being assaulted with an awful lot of Zooms. “Among the questions they asked themselves … were, ‘What resources do we have? What videos can we make? Who can we interview? What pictures can we take? What archival footage is there? What can we do to continue this conversation with our community so that we as artists can continue to create?'” – American Theatre
Dancer Hobbies For The Quarantine
There’s DJing with the dance glitterati on Instagram Live, there’s the brewing of kombucha, and, of course, there’s learning how to make pancake tutus. – Dance Magazine
Artists Paint Mural Of George Floyd Near Where He Died
Five artists finished the mural in 12 hours last week after the officers involved in George Floyd’s death weren’t all four arrested and charged with a crime. “The mural has quickly become a memorial site for locals, who come to honor Floyd and mourn his death.” – Hyperallergic
The Telluride Film Festival Says It’s Going On As Planned
OK, that’s nice and optimistic, but “Telluride organizers promised that safety would be paramount. ‘We are not ignorant of the devastation facing the world,’ festival organizers wrote. ‘We feel the fear and distress too. This is why we are committed to observing all guidance as suggested by the consensus of voices of the scientific community with whom we are consulting now.'” – Los Angeles Times