It was the latest Friday night massacre, only this time, arts and culture were on the chopping block. In an email to grantees with the subject line Termination, the Trump administration revoked NEA grant dollars that organizations across the country, including many in the Philly area, had been counting on.
These critical dollars, appropriated by Congress and granted by the NEA, were not just for future work and programming. As Anndee Hochman explains in her excellent story, many of these grants were meant to be reimbursements. That means the organizations have already spent the promised dollars on 2025 programming and were waiting to receive the funds to make them whole. This is a cruel kind of chaos that leaves hardworking artists and arts leaders on the hook for tens of thousands of dollars. Support these organizations however you can and make some noise with Congress. Artists Anndee spoke to promise that they are not quitting, and neither are we.
In other news, we are excited to invite you to our 2025 BSR Book Week author panel, happening via Zoom on Wednesday, June 4. Register here! The panel will feature a conversation with authors Elise Juska, Eric Smith, Tre Johnson, Annie Liontas, and John Morrison, moderated by our very own Kyle V. Hiller. Bring your questions! Tickets are a suggested $20 donation to BSR, but there's a PWYC option. (As always, Friends of BSR, our monthly donors, starting at just $5/month, attend free. Stand by for an exclusive comp code, Friends!) We'd love to see you there, and we can't wait to share our lineup of Book Week stories, just in time to choose your summer reads.
This week, our writers covered BalletX (a new ballet based on Lord of the Flies) and the latest at Quintessence and Philadelphia Artists' Collective. We've also got a look at the newly empty Wanamaker Building, with the demise of Macy's, and some ideas for the space ahead of America's 250th anniversary.
Always remember that engaging with independent local media, and supporting authors and artists, is exactly what the opponents of free speech are trying to stop you from doing. So keep it up, today and every day. Kyle will be with you tomorrow.
Alaina Johns
BSR editor-in-chief
