Dan Kois wonders if, in the age of the internet, his daughter should have the kind of editorial control she wants. “The lesson of sharing your work with a family member is that sometimes the story you wrote in private becomes less precious to you when you face the possibility of hurting someone you love with it.” – The New York Times
Tag: 10.11.19
Is ‘Porgy’ A Stereotype? Take Two
Part of the reason we think so is Sidney Poitier’s depiction of Porgy in the Otto Preminger movie. – Joe Horowitz
A Matter of Attribution & Legacy
Why is artist Angel “LA2” Ortiz not included when we’re discussing Keith Haring’s work? – Jan Herman
WNYC Is Dropping Its ‘New Sounds’ Radio Program After 37 Years
Joining all of us, “‘Why would they do that?’ Laurie Anderson, the avant-garde composer and musician who was the first artist interviewed on the show when it began back in 1982, said by telephone.” (It’s for more news and talk.) – The New York Times
The Books That Made Nnedi Okorafor A Writer
Okorafor is already a star of the science fiction novel-writing community, and she penned some episodes of Marvel’s Shuri as well. But she’s also about to hit screens with an HBO series based on her book Who Fears Death and an Amazon Prime series that she and a co-author are adapting from Octavia Butler’s Wild Seed series. And the world can thank Michael Palin, Ben Okri, Tove Jansson, and The Very Hungry Caterpillar for inspiring her. – The Guardian (UK)
Our Languages Are Dying
Of the world’s 6000 languages, half are in linguistic collapse. A new film records their music. “The musical landscape is sometimes gentle, sometimes aggressive, but it always keeps our attention on the rich, incomprehensible, often overlapping chorus of words.” – The New York Times
A Massive Sculpture Of An African American Last Supper Was Hidden Behind Drywall Until A Theatre Moved In
The Studio Acting Conservancy was just starting demolition work at a former church that will be its new home in Washington, D.C.’s Columbia Heights when the crew boss called the theatre’s founder, Joy Zinoman, to tell her about a discovery, “an enormous frieze of the Last Supper that was hidden behind drywall for more than a decade.” And now there’s a bit of a problem: “Acting studios are supposed to be bare.” – Washingtonian
What’s The Difference Between Self-Confidence And Narcissism?
In the 1990s, teens were learned things that turned out not to be true. “Self-esteem would keep us from doing drugs, teachers told us; self-esteem would keep us from having premarital sex. (The first time I had sex with a confident stoner, I was very confused.)” But what is self-esteem? And how is it different from narcissism? – The Atlantic
Performance Artist Carlos Celdran Has Died In Exile At 46
Celdran was arrested and convicted in the Philippines for a dramatic performance protest, and he fled to Spain to escape his sentence. Celdran, who led walking tours all over Manila that he turned into plays, “had a charm that appealed as much to people in Manila’s glitzy hotels as to people in the slums, where his friends included cigarette vendors and drivers of the horse-drawn carts that plied the tourist neighborhoods.” – The New York Times
A Slate Of Recent Films Offers New Portrayals Of Asian, Not Tiger, Mothers
Films like Always Be my Maybe, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, The Farewell, and Searching create new images for larger mass consumption. “In these complex films, Asian American mothers are transmitters of domesticity, culture, and care, and their tragic deaths leave behind relatives who are struggling to find themselves in their absence. It’s a new and different kind of familial negotiation for Asian American families. On many shows, including All American Girl and Fresh off the Boat, Asian mothers are immigrants whose accents and domineering personalities are played for comedic relief.” – Bitch