A subject as potentially grim and dry as writing an obituary is transformed into a moving look at language, inquiry, and the art of story-telling.
new-york-times
Fuse News: When You Think Things Can’t Get Worse — More Arts Criticism Bites the Dust
The loss of arts criticism means severe economic challenges for arts and culture down the food chain.
Visual Arts Commentary: The Telling Anonymity of Political Street Art
Highlighting the identity of artists is essential in art world journalism, but it appears to be unimportant when reporting on the artistic contributions to political street demonstrations.
Arts Commentary: Who’s Afraid Of James Baldwin?
So what we have is a failure of nerve — a reluctance to make students grapple with the considerable demands of James Baldwin’s prose and sensibility.
Fuse Movie Review: End “Times”?
“Page One” is quite interesting but also quite scattered. You’ll exit the theater knowing a couple things about the New York Times, and maybe feeling like you got an idea about the characters of some of the talented, humorous, and interesting personalities that put it together.
Short Fuse Movie Review: “Bill Cunningham’s New York”
I, personally, don’t care much about clothes, and was only prevented from turning off to the film by photographer Bill Cunningham’s elemental enthusiasm. It can be tempting to write him off as simple in some way, what with his bright, ready laugh. If so, he’s simple in the best way.
Book Review: All You Want to Know about Great Jazz and Pop Singers
I never knew I needed to own a book like this, but I undoubtedly do. If there is anyone you know who loves singing and isn’t a snob about genre, this book would be a great holiday gift. It’s a colossal achievement that is also marvelously idiosyncratic. A Biographical Guide to the Great Jazz and […]
Poetry: On “Falling Back”— Six Poems Published in The New York Times Op-Ed Page
Was Sunday, November 7th some sort of equinox? Were there sunspots? Whatever the cause, six poems, to my delight and surprise, appeared in the Op-Ed pages of The New York Times as a feature called “Falling Back.” I’d like to take this opportunity to editorialize about these six poems, five of which were penned by […]
Culture Vulture: NYTimes wrong about “Julie and Julia”
by Helen Epstein Go here for information about a live-chat, scheduled for August 23rd, with Helen Epstein on “The Art of Narrative Writing.” Despite what the NYTimes thinks Meryl Streep cooks up a storm in “Julie and Julia.” I usually trust the Times‘ A. O. Scott on movies, but this time I don’t share his […]
Cultural Commentary: Crunch Time for Arts Coverage at The Boston Globe
by Bill Marx A recent study in Editor & Publisher delivers the lowdown; with its circulation down about 20% in four years, The Boston Globe is in free fall. Two major investors in The New York Times, which owns the Globe, are “challenging the company’s investment decisions, including its commitment to the struggling newspaper industry […]
