Arts
The Arts

2020’s National Book Awards Strive For Inclusivity
This year’s National Book Awards — announced in a first-ever virtual streaming ceremony — went mostly to writers of color, as the foundation that gives the prizes vowed to be more inclusive. Continue Reading 2020’s National Book Awards Strive For Inclusivity

‘Traverse Talks’ Episode 5: Pulitzer Winner Jericho Brown On The Importance Of Name And Truth
Pulitzer-winning poet Jericho Brown shares how growing up in a Black church exposed him to the art of performative poetry at a young age and how that propelled him to dedicate his life to poetry starting in his early twenties. Continue Reading ‘Traverse Talks’ Episode 5: Pulitzer Winner Jericho Brown On The Importance Of Name And Truth

Kate Winslet’s ‘Ammonite’ Takes On Paleontology, Patriarchy And Passion
Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan star in the new film, which imagines a romantic relationship between British paleontologist Mary Anning and Charlotte Murchison, the young wife of a geologist. Continue Reading Kate Winslet’s ‘Ammonite’ Takes On Paleontology, Patriarchy And Passion

Lights, Camera, Action: How Vancouver (AKA ‘Hollywood North’) Revved Up Despite COVID
The film and TV industry in British Columbia is busier than ever in spite of COVID and partly because of COVID. The place sometimes called Hollywood North is benefiting from high demand for new content from networks and streaming services. The much smaller film industries in next door Washington state and Oregon are rebounding more slowly from the region wide shutdown earlier this year. Continue Reading Lights, Camera, Action: How Vancouver (AKA ‘Hollywood North’) Revved Up Despite COVID
Illusionist Scott Silven Can Turn A Video Call Into A Magical ‘Journey’
The Journey is an ingenious use of a virtual performance space. Silven invites 30 audience members to travel to his childhood home in Scotland where they interact in amazing feats of magic. Continue Reading Illusionist Scott Silven Can Turn A Video Call Into A Magical ‘Journey’

BOOK REVIEW: Barack Obama Tells His Story His Way — And Makes His Case For History
Obama’s ascent thrilled millions but also stirred a countermovement that is still on the march. His new memoir, A Promised Land, covers his rise through the second year of his presidency. Continue Reading BOOK REVIEW: Barack Obama Tells His Story His Way — And Makes His Case For History

Struck With Memory Loss, A Dancer Remembers ‘Swan Lake.’ But Who Is She?
Viewers worldwide are responding to a moving video of Marta C. González, a former dancer afflicted with dementia. But critics are questioning whether González is who the clip makers claim she is. Continue Reading Struck With Memory Loss, A Dancer Remembers ‘Swan Lake.’ But Who Is She?

BOOK REVIEW: ‘Wintering,’ Encourages ‘The Active Acceptance Of Sadness’
The British author writes beautifully of her own recent bout with a personal winter, a period when she felt low and overwhelmed — and aims to help others to embrace their winters. Continue Reading BOOK REVIEW: ‘Wintering,’ Encourages ‘The Active Acceptance Of Sadness’

Behold The ‘Potato Head’ Of Palencia, Another Botched Art Restoration In Spain
The statue was once of a smiling woman in a pastoral scene. Now, it looks more like a melted candle with some gouged holes. Professional art restorers in Spain are calling for stricter oversight. Continue Reading Behold The ‘Potato Head’ Of Palencia, Another Botched Art Restoration In Spain

‘Traverse Talks’ Episode 4: Carlos Gil On Mexican-American Assimilation, Identity And Immigration
In this episode of “Traverse Talks with Sueann Ramella,” author and University of Washington professor of Chicano studies Carlos Gil discusses his views of assimilation as a descendant of Mexican immigrants growing up in California Continue Reading ‘Traverse Talks’ Episode 4: Carlos Gil On Mexican-American Assimilation, Identity And Immigration

FILM REVIEW: An Action-Packed Doc About Local Government? It’s All In Wiseman’s ‘City Hall’
Filmmaker Frederick Wiseman, now 90, has a gift for making riveting cinema from the minutiae of the everyday. His latest is a four-and-a-half hour documentary starring Boston City Hall, pre-COVID-19. Continue Reading FILM REVIEW: An Action-Packed Doc About Local Government? It’s All In Wiseman’s ‘City Hall’

What Is The End Of An Era? ‘Jeopardy!’ Host Alex Trebek Dies At 80
“I love spending time with bright people,” said the longtime game show host. Trebek began hosting the trivia show in 1984 and continued for nearly four decades, even through bouts of chemotherapy. Continue Reading What Is The End Of An Era? ‘Jeopardy!’ Host Alex Trebek Dies At 80