Monthly Archives: April 2011

Taking Liberties with Maps

Posted on April 20, 2011 by Brian D. Butler

Artist/designer Lena Corwin  began illustrating maps for Elle Decor magazine in 2004. Her new book, MAPS: Illustrating Cities (Other Books, April 2011), is a charming collection of forty of her favorite maps. Corwin’s whimsical maps are a clever mix of … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Europe, Maps, Tourism, Travel Writing | 1 Comment

Art In The Streets

Posted on April 19, 2011 by Brian D. Butler

Art in the Streets is the first significant US museum survey of graffiti and street art. The show traces the historical development of graffiti and street art from the 70s to today’s vibrant, global movement. It focuses mainly on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Museums, USA | 2 Comments

Gaddafi Murders Art

Posted on April 18, 2011 by Brian D. Butler

Kais al-Hilali, 34 year-old Libyan cartoonist and street artist, was shot and killed by Gaddafi thugs while painting one of his biting cartoons of the dictator for which he was locally celebrated. According to eye witnesses, Hilali had just painted … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, Art | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

PEN World Voices Festival Pt.7

Posted on April 17, 2011 by Brian D. Butler

A veritable United Nations of world literature will convene next week in New York City for the 7th annual PEN World Voices Festival of International Literature. Hundreds of writers from more than three dozen nations will meet in NYC to … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Bookstore Tourism, Freedom of Speech, Libraries, USA, Writing | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Game of Thrones (by the numbers)

Posted on April 16, 2011 by Brian D. Butler

Like all good fantasy-lit geeks, we’re anticipating great things from HBO’s launch of the Game of Thrones this weekend. Travel Between The Pages takes a look inside Game of Thrones: $50 million-$60 million: The estimated budget for the series. 4.5 … Continue reading →

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How to Recycle Paperbacks

Posted on April 15, 2011 by Brian D. Butler

New York City’s new Japanese restaurant Brushstrokes (30 Hudson Street) has cleverly recycled 12,000+ discarded paperback books by utilizing them to build the walls for its bar/lounge. The restaurant, which opens on April 20th, is a long-delayed project from chef … Continue reading →

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The English Obsession

Posted on April 14, 2011 by Brian D. Butler

Hat-tip to Simon Wallace for the post idea. If you’ve spent any time in England during the past decade, you will probably agree with London-based photographer Peter Dench that “the English have turned drinking into a national obsession, nearly an … Continue reading →

Posted in Europe, Photography | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Big Brother Is Watching (the libraries)

Posted on April 13, 2011 by Brian D. Butler

  Justin Richardson’s and Peter Parnell’s “And Tango Makes Three” tops the list of the American Library Association’s (ALA) Top Ten List of the Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2010.  The list was released on Monday as part of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Freedom of Speech, Libraries, USA, Writing | 1 Comment

How High Is Too High ?

Posted on April 12, 2011 by Brian D. Butler

Saudia Arabia’s Prince Al Waleed Bin Talal, the despotic nation’s construction czar, has just approved the construction of the world’s tallest building in the coastal city of Jeddah. The “Kingdom Tower”, designed by architect Adrian Smith, will be a full … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Middle East | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

It’s…National Library Week

Posted on April 11, 2011 by Brian D. Butler

It’s National Library Week from April 10th through April 16th. This annual event celebrates our local libraries, library workers, learning, and of course books. Begun in 1958, National Library Week is a nationwide observance sponsored by the American Library Association … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Libraries, USA | Leave a comment