Another week of “stay at home” gone by means another opportunity to remind readers that creativity has not been canceled.
In this issue, you’ll see the latest installation of our “Art of Quarantine” series, where we asked artists in the community — professional or otherwise — to submit their “visual thoughts, feelings, and discoveries during our current health crisis” and to “have their say in shape and color.”
To add your work to the collection, email a high-resolution photograph and a brief statement explaining the inspiration for or significance of your piece to arts editor Dan Aubrey at dan@princetoninfo.com.
Similarly, at a time when many people need a break from the 24-hour news cycle, fiction is one place where they can take refuge. As such, our annual Summer Fiction issue will not be limited to a single paper in late July. Rather, submissions of original short stories and poetry are being accepted now for publication throughout the summer.
A quick refresher on our guidelines for participation: Submit your previously unpublished short story, play, or poem as soon as possible. Each writer is limited to two stories and five poems. Work will be considered for publication on a rolling basis. Submit work by e-mail to fiction@princetoninfo.com. If you have any questions, send us an email or call 609-452-7000.
And while the cultural calendar has changed, it too has not been canceled. See page 6 for our day-by-day listings of virtual events covering all the bases you’d expect to see in our traditional calendar: art exhibits, talks by book authors, discussions with theater-makers, film screenings, and more. Submit virtual events to events@princetoninfo.com.
This is also the time of year for graduation celebrations and Princeton’s annual Reunions festivities. Those, too, have changed but are not gone. In this week’s issue editor Sara Hastings and columnist Pia de Jong reflect on virtual reunions and the new denizens of an empty campus. The university’s virtual graduation ceremony takes place Sunday, May 31, at 1 p.m. and will be live-streamed on various media channels all listed at commencement.princeton.edu.
Another highlight of the June calendar in years past has been the month-long Princeton Festival, a celebration of opera and music that typically features a musical, a fully staged opera, and other musical performances and lectures on related topics. While this year’s in-person performances and other events have been canceled, the festival has organized “Virtually Yours,” a series of daily virtual events and recordings beginning Monday, June 1.
Recordings being released during the first week include Princeton Festival artists singing “Do Re Mi” from “The Sound of Music” on Monday, June 1; a signature artist showcase on Tuesday, June 2; a podcast on “Women in Music” with Carmen-Helena Téllez, professor of conducting at the University of Notre Dame, on Wednesday, June 3; and “Why We Love Opera,” a lecture by Rider music professor Tim Urban on Thursday, June 4.
The first live event on the Princeton Festival schedule is an 89.1 WWFM broadcast of the Concordia Chamber Players on Friday, June 5, at 8 p.m.
For a complete schedule of events visit www.princetonfestival.org.
