Remembering Kim Massie
Blues singer Kim Massie, who died Oct. 12, was a beloved figure in St. Louis — a grandmother of six who held court downtown twice each week for more than two decades. Washington University’s Paige McGinley, who wrote about Massie in her 2014 book “Staging the Blues,” remembers the singer.
Rethinking Rape and Laughter: Michaela Coel’s I May Destroy You
I suspect that some people decided to delay watching Michaela Coel’s HBO/BBC One series I May Destroy You for fear that it would, well, destroy them. I did. Many of us choose to forego media that represents sexual violence.
A is for Autocrat
Words and Pictures by D.B. Dowd. Conceived and completed in a fever pitch over eight weeks in collaboration with designer Scott Gericke, the book captures a moment in time. Direct, poetic, satirical, beautifully designed and illustrated, A is for Autocrat scratches several itches. From the introduction: “This fierce little book is for our younger, unjaded selves, a […]
Disappearance of sports inflicts pain on entire economy
The U.S. sports blackout because of the pandemic has left at least a $12 billion crater in the national economy. And even if stadiums and arenas light up anew soon, they won’t look the same. A sports business expert from the Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis doesn’t expect the NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball to welcome fans if/when they return in 2020, for example.
How to be a film writer
Alum Joey Clarke Jr won the international screenwriting competition The Academy Nicholl Fellowship, which is presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (the same group that awards Oscars). Here he shares his tips for screenwriting.
Patti Smith to receive Washington University International Humanities Prize
Singer. Writer. Performer. Visual artist. Over the course of her 45-year career, Patti Smith has established herself as one of the most prolific and influential artists of her generation. In fall 2020, Smith will receive the International Humanities Prize from Washington University in St. Louis.
Staging Frontiers
The Making of Modern Popular Culture in Argentina & Uruguay
Swashbuckling tales of valiant gauchos roaming Argentina and Uruguay were nineteenth-century bestsellers. But when these stories jumped from the page to the circus stage and beyond, their cultural, economic, and political influence revolutionized popular culture and daily life. In this engaging book, William Acree delivers a deep history of Latin American popular entertainment that culminates in […]
‘She gets to be who she is’
With her pink suits, chippy chihuahua and Greek chorus of sorority sisters, Elle Woods seems to have it all. But when her well-bred boyfriend, Warner Huntington III, leaves UCLA for Harvard Law, Elle’s dreams for the future come crashing down. So begins “Legally Blonde,” a musical adaptation of the 2001 film, which explores themes of personal identity, social expectations and what it means to be authentic.
We Average Unbeautiful Watchers
Fan Narratives and the Reading of American Sports
Sports fandom—often more than religious, political, or regional affiliation—determines how millions of Americans define themselves. In “We Average Unbeautiful Watchers,” Noah Cohan examines contemporary sports culture to show how mass-mediated athletics are in fact richly textured narrative entertainments rather than merely competitive displays. While it may seem that sports narratives are “written” by athletes and […]
Why are superheroes so popular?
Superhero expert Peter Coogan, lecturer in American culture studies and author of the book “Superhero: the Secret Origin of a Genre,” discusses why superheroes are so popular and the origins of the superhero genre.
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