Today, October 26th
HILLARY CLINTON TURNS 72 TODAY. After the unimaginable blow of losing to Donald Trump in 2016, Hillary Clinton faced the cameras to remind Americans that, “We owe Donald Trump an open mind and the chance to lead.” Those words speak to a character many were too quick to question. Like her or not, at 72 she remains devoted to public service (when lesser Americans would have called it quits). It was she who first introduced then-president Bill Clinton to Ruth Bader Ginsburg. And she who first reminded Republicans that they were the ones who made waiting to name a Supreme Court justice until after the election “a new precedent.”
She is, in fact, a woman of many firsts. So, let me be the first to say, “Thank you” and “Happy Birthday.”
THE 2020 VULTURE FESTIVAL KICKS OFF TODAY! That’s “vulture” as in “culture vulture,” and VOX Media’s weeklong pop culture extravaganza has been “curated with the mind of a critic and the heart of a fan.” Now through October 30th, you can take an acting class with Henry Winkler, examine the state of the union with Samantha Bee, attend the “New Girl” and “Northern Exposure” cast reunions, and much more (click to view the schedule here).
Purchase your $30 pass, and 20% will be donated to charities that support youth political empowerment and the fight against racial injustice.
REDISCOVER A 20TH CENTURY MASTER. I’ve always loved literary “reexaminations” of artists who (fairly or not) were never given their due. In making their arguments, the best authors put their subject in context—providing a rich historical backdrop of both the period and its players.
In his vibrant new Richard Avedon biography, “What Becomes a Legend Most,” Philip Gefter makes the case for “Avedon’s place of achievement alongside his peers in the pantheon of 20th-century arts and letters,” while examining the struggle for upward-mobility, haze of anti-Semitism and homophobia, and clash between culture and commerce that existed in post-war America. While the 550+ page book is as monumental as one of Avedon’s wall-size portraits—it is equally rich in telling details. I was already an Avedon disciple, but Gefter had me considering certain artistic prejudices I’d not realized were in me. Rare is the book that has you examining yourself as much as its subject.
“What Becomes a Legend Most” is now available in bookstores
There’s Only One Person to Vote For. (But Many Ways to Do it)
Early In-Person Voting is now available in ALL states, except AL, CT, DE, FL, HI, MS, MO, NH, OK, OR, SC (though they may offer early mail-in balloting).
Learn more @ Vote.org