Visual artists fight back against AI companies for repurposing their work

NEW YORK – Kelly McKernan’s acrylic and watercolor paintings are bold and vibrant, often featuring feminine figures rendered in bright greens, blues, pinks and purples. The style, in the artist’s words, is “surreal, ethereal … dealing with discomfort in the human journey.” The word “human” has a special resonance for McKernan these days. Although it’s … Read more

Authors Jesmyn Ward and James McBride are among the nominees for the 10th annual Kirkus Prizes

NEW YORK – Novels by Jesmyn Ward and James McBride and story collections by Jamal Brinkley and Kelly Link are among the finalists Wednesday for the 10th annual Kirkus Prizes, for which winners in fiction, nonfiction and young reader’s literature each receive $50,000. Kirkus judges selected six books for each of the three categories, with … Read more

‘Breaking Bad’ stars reunite on picket line to call for studios to resume negotiations with actors

CULVER CITY, Calif. – The cast of “Breaking Bad” has reunited to call upon Hollywood studios to resume negotiations with striking screen actors. “We want you to come back to the table with us,” Bryan Cranston said in a plea to the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers outside Sony Pictures Studios on Tuesday. … Read more