The Author Whose Viral Post About Her Stroke Led To A Book Bidding War

Alexander Chee interviews Christine Myung-Oak Lee. Lee on what she learned during the release of her memoir, something she’ll use for her book tour with her novel: “Writers have ‘perfect readers’ — the readers who understand exactly what you’ve written, but these are always few. In this way, the MFA workshop is great training ground for book reviews and public reception of one’s work — you learn that not everyone, which includes very intelligent people, will love your work.”

Lisa Kron: ‘Fun Home’ Was *Not* ‘De-Butchified’ For The National Tour

The playwright takes to an open letter to respond to a controversy about Mature Alison’s tour costume. She is not in agreement with the original post. “The producers, the creative team, and I have never stopped our guardianship of the queer, feminist, lesbian, middle-aged, art-making, truth-seeking heart of our show. I love Kate’s version of Alison. I feel good about the change in her costume. You may disagree. But was this decision, or any other, ever made to ‘de-butchify’ the show? No way. Not on this femme’s watch.”

Michael K. Williams Is Sloughing Off The Shadows Of Omar

After Williams’ star turn as Omar made him a celebrity in East Flatbush, “what followed was something of an existential crisis. Months removed from filming, Mr. Williams struggled to shake the grave psyche of his character. He was racked by doubts both personal and political: Had he lost hold of his identity? Was he glorifying the ills of his community, or exposing their roots? He couldn’t divine the answers.”

Is Pop Music Responsible For Liberal Britain?

The theory (backed up with statistics): “British people are more liberal on such issues as same-sex relationships and abortion than they have ever been. At the last count, one in 10 people in couples in England and Wales were in what the official statistics call an ‘inter-ethnic relationship.’ Cannabis smoke regularly wafts around our town and city centres; Glastonbury is as much a part of the national calendar as Wimbledon or the Grand National. And throughout our waking hours, there is one constant above all others: what the dictionary still calls pop music, probably the most potent means of communication human beings have ever come up with.”

Why Kent Nagano Would Want To Leave Montreal – And Why It Makes Sense

Arthur Kaptainis: “The [Orchestra symphonique de Montréal] wanted to extend his contract, and naturally enough. He still sells tickets. Why mess with success? Nagano noted in a statement that ‘following a decade and a half as music director, it seems like a natural transition point.’ Fair enough. … No conductor can lead an orchestra for more than a decade without incurring some sense of déjà vu. And no conductor in the world is less interested in repeating himself than Kent Nagano.”

How A Nobody From A Northern English Industrial Town Became A Star At The Mariinsky Ballet

“When Xander Parish was offered a job at the Mariinsky Ballet he thought it was a joke. And wouldn’t you? Audiences had barely registered the existence of this young English dancer, languishing in the Royal Ballet’s lower ranks, when Yuri Fateyev, the Mariinsky’s artistic director, suggested that he join the elite St Petersburg company, once home to Nijinsky, Nureyev and Baryshnikov. That was seven years ago, and even now Parish can’t quite believe his luck.”