Arts
The Arts
Brood X Is Back — But Cicadas Have Been In Chinese Art For Millennia
You might be using Cicada Safari to track Brood X, which appears to be slowly emerging from the earth in the U.S. all the way from Florida to Michigan. But cicadas are global citizens. In China, the critters have long been symbolically significant. Continue Reading Brood X Is Back — But Cicadas Have Been In Chinese Art For Millennia
A Constitutional Quirk Inspired Stacey Abrams’ New Fiction Thriller, ‘While Justice Sleeps’
A Supreme Court justice is gravely ill, ideological control of the court hangs in the balance — throw in a ruthless president and an international conspiracy, and what you have is the plot of Stacey Abrams’s new novel, While Justice Sleeps. Yes, that Stacey Abrams, the Georgia politician, and she’s written a thriller ripped straight from the headlines — inspired by a conversation over lunch with her mentor. Continue Reading A Constitutional Quirk Inspired Stacey Abrams’ New Fiction Thriller, ‘While Justice Sleeps’
BOOK REVIEW: ‘Things We Lost To The Water’ Is A Literal And Allegorical Look At Dislocation
Nước — the Vietnamese word for country and water — permeates Eric Nguyen’s haunting debut. Signifying both a place of origin and the means by which a boat refugee departs from such place of origin, Things We Lost to the Water poignantly explores all the ways in which Vietnamese refugees are affected by country and water — in sum, by dislocation. Continue Reading BOOK REVIEW: ‘Things We Lost To The Water’ Is A Literal And Allegorical Look At Dislocation
How Racism Pushed Tina Turner And Other Black Women Artists Out Of America
Black women artists like Josephine Baker, Nina Simone and Eartha Kitt contributed to those social gains. Their suffering came not only from their personal battles against day-to-day racism in America, but also having their careers struggle when they spoke out against it. Europe eventually became home to them as well. Continue Reading How Racism Pushed Tina Turner And Other Black Women Artists Out Of America
BOOK REVIEW: 2 Novels Explore The Big Romantic Bargains We Strike In The Name Of Love
You fall in love with a person, but you get a package deal. That’s one of the big messages of two new novels that ruminate on love and family, particularly the family that’s thrust upon you when you happen to mate with one of their kith or kin. Continue Reading BOOK REVIEW: 2 Novels Explore The Big Romantic Bargains We Strike In The Name Of Love
On Netflix, Leigh Bardugo’s ‘Shadow And Bone’ Celebrates A Diverse Grishaverse
Every so often, a fantasy series with adventure, magic and an unfairly attractive villain comes along and captures the imagination and attention of a passionate base of readers. And when that series leaps into a fully realized television adaptation? Well then, that niche fixation can become a global fantasy phenomenon overnight. And Netflix is hoping its new adaptation will do just that. Continue Reading On Netflix, Leigh Bardugo’s ‘Shadow And Bone’ Celebrates A Diverse Grishaverse
Chloé Zhao Is The First Woman Of Color To Win Oscar For Best Director
Chloé Zhao has won the Oscar for directing Nomadland, becoming the first woman of color to win the award and the second woman to win (Katheryn Bigelow, was the first). Zhao was also the first woman to get four Oscar nominations in a single year, in the Best Film Editing, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director and Best Picture categories. Continue Reading Chloé Zhao Is The First Woman Of Color To Win Oscar For Best Director
Louise Erdrich Takes Home Aspen Words Literary Prize For ‘The Night Watchman’
In a virtual ceremony, Louise Erdrich was named the winner of this year’s Aspen Words Literary Prize, for her novel The Night Watchman. The $35,000 prize goes to a work that “illuminates a vital contemporary issue and demonstrates the transformative power of literature on thought and culture.” Continue Reading Louise Erdrich Takes Home Aspen Words Literary Prize For ‘The Night Watchman’
An ‘Overjoyed’ LeVar Burton Welcomes Chance To Guest-Host ‘Jeopardy!’
LeVar Burton will host a week of Jeopardy! this summer, after nearly 250,000 people signed a petition backing the actor and director’s long-held aspiration to try out for the job that was left vacant by Alex Trebek, who died last year. Continue Reading An ‘Overjoyed’ LeVar Burton Welcomes Chance To Guest-Host ‘Jeopardy!’
Missing Travel? This ‘Irreverent Guide’ Visits Anthony Bourdain’s Favorite Places
The new book World Travel: An Irreverent Guide is credited to Anthony Bourdain. But it was not really written by the bestselling author, chef and TV personality who died in 2018. Continue Reading Missing Travel? This ‘Irreverent Guide’ Visits Anthony Bourdain’s Favorite Places
Not Heading To Paris This Summer? The Louvre Has Digitized 482,000 Artworks
“The Louvre is dusting off its treasures, even the least-known,” said Jean-Luc Martinez, President-Director of the Musée du Louvre, in a statement on Friday. “For the first time, anyone can access the entire collection of works from a computer or smartphone for free, whether they are on display in the museum, on loan, even long-term, or in storage.” Continue Reading Not Heading To Paris This Summer? The Louvre Has Digitized 482,000 Artworks
BOOK REVIEW: ‘The Final Revival Of Opal & Nev’ Is A Faux Music History That Rocks
To say that The Final Revival of Opal & Nev is a sly simulacrum of a rock oral history is to acknowledge only the most obvious of this novel’s achievements. Walton aspires to so much more in this story about music, race and family secrets that spans five decades. And, all the glitzy, quick-change narrative styles don’t detract attention from the core emotional power of her story. I tell you, even many of the fake footnotes in this novel are moving. Continue Reading BOOK REVIEW: ‘The Final Revival Of Opal & Nev’ Is A Faux Music History That Rocks
