“French authors, booksellers and publishers are imploring the French government to allow bookshops to stay open because reading is ‘essential’, as the country enters a national four-week lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus.” – The Guardian
Tag: 10.29.20
The Cultural Cost Of Four Years Of Trump
Michelle Goldberg: “When I think back, from my obviously privileged position, on the texture of daily life during the past four years, all the attention sucked up by this black hole of a president has been its own sort of loss. Every moment spent thinking about Trump is a moment that could have been spent contemplating, creating or appreciating something else. Trump is a narcissistic philistine, and he bent American culture toward him.” – The New York Times
How To Rebuild A Healthier, Fairer Theater Ecosystem? Bring Back Repertory Companies
Jim Warren, founding artistic director of the American Shakespeare Center, writes that the “revolutionary changes” he recommends — companies of 15 to 20 resident actors, performing shows in rotating repertory and handling administrative jobs as well as performing, and working 40-hour weeks with full benefits — “are a jumping-off point for righting a history of wrongs.” – American Theatre
Diane di Prima, R.I.P.
What I like is her poetry’s simplicity. I like its rich feeling, which is straightforward and strong and not at all sentimental. Her poems age well. I’d be surprised if her poetry didn’t last longer than the poetry of many of the Beats. – Jan Herman
Music Exec Is Buying Up Distressed Music Venues Across The Country To “Save” Them
Marc Geiger, the former global music chief of the giant talent agency WME, has quietly amassed a war chest to fortify empty clubs during the pandemic and help them grow once they reopen. One of the most charismatic figures behind the scenes of the music industry — a motormouth futurist who helped create Lollapalooza and was an early proponent of how the internet could help musicians — Geiger portrays his latest venture as a kind of personal crusade. – The New York Times