Lani Sarem’s “Handbook for Mortals” improbably topped the NYT Bestseller list last week. Then booksellers called foul, and the book was removed from the list. When Sarem saw the tweets circulating about her book, “my first thought was to just ignore it. It was just a couple of — you know, in my mind — silly tweets.” But as the day stretched on, and as she says neither Stamper nor West reached out to her personally, she reached a different conclusion: “I’m being cyberbullied, basically.”
Tag: 08.26.17
People Used To Memorize Poems. In The Smartphone Era, Not So Much Anymore
“Since ancient times, humans have memorized and recited poetry. Before the invention of writing, the only way to possess a poem was to memorize it. Long after scrolls and folios supplemented our brains, court poets, priests and wandering bards recited poetry in order to entertain and connect with the divine. For individuals, a poem learned by heart could be a lifeline — to grapple with overwhelming emotion or preserve sanity amid the brutalities of prison and warfare.”
Repertory Theatre Of St. Louis’s Artistic Director To Step Down After Three Decades
“The sixth artistic director at the Rep, [Steven] Woolf, has held the position longer than anyone else. In that time, he came to represent the face of the theater – or at least, its colorful sweater. Thanks to radio commercials for new productions, he came to represent its voice as well.”
‘She No Longer Exists As Herself, Only As What We Made Of Her’: Hilary Mantel Considers The Myth Of Princess Diana
“[Royals] are not people like us, but with better hats. They exist apart from utility, and by virtue of our unexamined and irrational needs. … She could not have imagined how insatiable the public would be, once demand for her had been ramped up by the media and her own tactics.”
Deaf Music Fans (Yes, They Exist) Are Finally Getting Concerts Made Accessible To Them
If Evelyn Glennie can play music, other deaf people should be able to enjoy it, right? Like Glennie, most deaf music fans perceive the music kinesthetically – they feel the vibrations. And concerts, especially rock concerts, are now providing deaf audience members what they need to take part.
How Books Are Read Is As Important As What’s In Them
“It has long been thought, for instance, that the print revolution of the 18th century resulted in a shift from oral to silent reading, from shared reading to indulging in a book of one’s own, as books became more available to a wider range of people while leisure time also increased. But, says Abigail Williams, such a clear-cut transition is difficult to trace.”
Is The Podcast Score A New Art Form?
The makers of “Serial” and “S-Town” want you to think so. “As podcasts grow in popularity and ambition, they’re proving an exciting laboratory for original music, essentially creating a new art form.”
Tobe Hooper, Director Of ‘Texas Chain Saw Massacre’ And ‘Poltergeist,’ Has Died At 74
The director became a legend of horror with the 1974 Texas Chain Saw Massacre, which was shot for less than $300,000, was banned in several countries for its violence, and then became one of the most profitable indie movies of the decade.
In 10,000 Rediscovered Somali Recordings, Remembering A Very Different Mogadishu
Yes, Somalia was under military rule, but it was a military rule that supported the arts and music. One singer from the time:”We had bars in Mogadishu and five nightclubs. We travelled from city to city and performed in hotels and bars. Those were the golden years.”
This New Interpretation Of An Ancient Clay Tablet Says Babylonians May Have Invented Trigonometry
Thanks a lot, ancient Babylonians. If the claims are correct, the tablet would “not only be the oldest known trigonometric table, but it would also be the ‘world’s only completely accurate trigonometric table.'”