John Wilson is a freelance editor and award-winning feature writer, based in Toronto. His work has appeared in On The Danforth, Broadview and Today's Parent.
Junior Contributor III
Separating Art from ArtistsEarlier this year, Hachette Book Group came under significant criticism for picking up the rights to publish writer-director-actor Woody Allen’s memoir. Much of the criticism was centred on the seeming hypocrisy of the same firm that published Ronan Farrow’s "Catch and Kill," a definitive account of the #MeToo era. This was just the latest in a string of filmmakers, writers, actors and other artists being "cancelled" by the court of public opinion. I propose an article that will address, in a balanced and sensitive fashion, the extent to which people should separate the public work of these artists from their alleged private misdeeds.
|
Asian Americans in Films of the 1930s, '40s and '50sI propose an article examining Hollywood’s depiction of Asian American characters in the early years of American film. Such portrayals have long been a subject of controversy because they have frequently dealt with stereotypes rather than authentic representations of Asian culture.
|
Art in the Time of a PandemicAfter witnessing the devastation of the 1918 flu pandemic, Virginia Woolf made the titular heroine of "Mrs. Dalloway" an influenza survivor, embracing life with flowers, friendship and a dinner party. In recent weeks, we have all seen images of the doctors, nurses and other frontline workers, saving lives in hotspots like Italy and New York. Their faces, tired and worn out, call to mind Edward Munch’s "Self Portrait with the Spanish Flu" and "Self Portrait After the Spanish Flu". I propose a feature on the lessons we can learn from the art of past pandemics.
|
Edgar Allan Poe: Unknown Horrors | |
![]() An enjoyable piece, but poorly fact-checked. Lorne Michaels was 30 when the show premiered, not 32. Getting something like that incorrect makes me question a writer’s credibility, unfortunately. | The Mainstream Effect of SNL |
![]() I would also recommend “Primary,” the 1960 documentary about the Wisconsin primary election between Kennedy and Hubert Humphrey. | All The Director’s Men: A Notable Kennedy Narrative |
Great essay. Have you read The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket? It’s Poe’s only novel — it drags a bit and is very different from much of his work, but it’s an interesting read to be sure.