Stop the presses: Arts coverage in Philly is EXPANDING

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3 minute read
I want you to picture yourself carrying this bag. Really. You. This bag. Now.
I want you to picture yourself carrying this bag. Really. You. This bag. Now.

You’ve heard the desperate cry: The arts are dying, and articles about Kim Kardashian’s latest wedding or Justin Bieber’s alleged fits of drug-fueled drag-racing and egg-flinging do not constitute the kind of arts and culture commentary that make you excited about life in the 21st century.

But you can do more than ignore the inane, regurgitated celebrity gossip pelting you from every page, pretending to be worthwhile articles. You can help the kind of arts writing you want to read regain its footing. No, it won’t be the newspaper articles of old. The days of Frank Rich and Ben Brantley having the final say in print are, shall we say, limited.

Excuse me while I shed a single sparkling journalist's tear for the Old Model.

But then there’s an online venue like us, Broad Street Review, recently revamped for a great new look, new editors, and a whole new section of arts and culture coverage right here in "What’s New, What’s Next." WNWN isn’t only a great selection of what’s what and who’s who and when on the Philly arts scene, but one of the most culturally diverse round-ups you’ll find in any local publication. And the critiques and commentary we’ve been running from the start on the main page are still flying (BSR dueling critics are my favorite).

We’ve been going strong since 2005, and we’re continuing to grow (have you visited us on Facebook and Twitter? Thousands of others are already following along, and we love our social media community) when other publications are cutting back. But we need our readers’ help to do it.

If you want to stay in touch with the Philadelphia Orchestra, circus arts, the hottest student exhibitions, renowned Old City galleries, that movie or book everyone is talking about, intimate jazz clubs, street art, and everything else, help support us. Our commentary includes the future of the theater critic, living with mental illness, science fiction, backpacking in Europe, the “library police,” and interviews you won’t get anywhere else about the issues Philly arts patrons care about. You can sneak read them all at the office or read them on your iPad in bed.

Seriously, what are you waiting for? We’re a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization and your tax-deductible dollars make our work possible.

At BSR, we have this crazy idea that editors and writers ought to get paid a fair wage for the work they do, and while mega media machines like Huffington Post are happy to publish without paying, we compensate our contributors because their work is worth it and we believe in what they do. The bottom line is that we want to add $30,000 to our bottom line this year, and a couple dollars from you can help us bring arts and culture commentary back to its former glory, revamped for today’s world.

Did we mention that a donation of $100 or more gets you the bag of the season, perfect for men and women everywhere who want to proclaim their good taste and sheer practicality? It’s perfect for notebooks, scripts, your yoga pants, a PB&J, or that sexy novel you’re taking to the beach this summer (just because you ordered it on Amazon or downloaded it on your Kindle doesn’t mean we don’t know).

We say art is what separates us from the animals, but I don’t want to disparage you if you watched that video compilation of goats yelling like humans four times in a row (and, let's face it, humans yelling like goats yelling like humans) when you should have been working (not that I know anything about wasting time on YouTube) because animals are beautiful and hilarious. We even write about them sometimes. The point right now is that we need you. And you can donate easily and securely by clicking here.

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