In an op-ed column, Bill Marx pointed out that for major American cities — beset by shrinking revenues, global competition, and the migration of corporate headquarters — tourism is essential. Some cities, such as Philadelphia, understand this but others, such as Boston, are slow learners.

You will recall that last week featured a conversation with Peggy Amsterdam, president of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, who talked about what she is doing to market that city’s cultural goodies to the rest of the rest of the world. In this, the 16th installment of ArtsCast, we return to the Hub, as reporter Maureen Dezell speaks with Julie Burns, director of the City of Boston’s Arts, Tourism and Special Events department about the city’s plans for bringing more tourists into the region.

And many of us fantasize about writing a novel, a screenplay, or maybe a memoir if we only had the time, the money and the place to do it. Serious writers battle those same issues. In her 1929 novel, Virginia Wolf touted the need for “A Room of One’s Own.” Andrea Shea reports on a communal workspace called the Writers Room of Boston that is turning Wolf’s notion on its head.

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Stay tuned…