Bedugul Coffee: Do androids dream of writing the Great American Novel?

The Huffington Post

Culture Shift is a weekly newsletter curated by the HuffPost Culture writers and editors.

This week we're talking about the women writers of sci-fi, the life-changing power of arts and crafts, the history of "Cotton-Eyed Joe," Maya Angelou's art collection and the future of robot-written literature.

14 Women Writers Who Dominate The Universe Of Sci-Fi

"In Karen Russell's 'Reeling for the Empire,' a crew of girls are transformed into thread-spinning silkworms, duped by a dark and mysterious man promising a better future. Each girl spends long hours spooling her own inner, colorful cloth, only to have it collected and, presumably, sold. It's a powerful metaphor for the treatment of factory workers, and just one testament to the fantastic stories resulting from a woman devoted to writing science fiction. Russell's girl-power conclusion is just an added bonus to her excellent plot-weaving skills, and thankfully, she's not alone in her pursuit. If you're a Margaret Atwood devotee or Ursula K. Le Guin fan, we've rounded up even more women exploring the far reaches of science fiction and fantasy." (Read more here)

Maya Angelou's Powerful Art Collection Is Headed To Auction

"Following Angelou's death in 2014, Swann Auction Galleries is auctioning off 44 works from her collection. Beginning Sept. 12, Angelou's legendary collection will be open to the public, as will the priceless history embedded within each of the works. In anticipation of the auction, we've compiled a preview of our favorite pieces from the collection, along with the rousing words of Ms. Angelou herself. Even if you can't afford to hang one of Angelou's pieces in your home, the multimedia works speak volumes even through the computer screen." (Read more here)

Do Androids Dream Of Writing The Great American Novel?

"The deeper problem with all of these attempts to make a real robot literary fiction author won't be solved, not by any of these algorithms, at least. Maybe we can be fooled by a particularly well-tooled program, in time. But is that art? Literary fiction relies on a bond of trust between the author and its readership -- we trust that the author has chosen words to convey considered meaning to us, and the author trusts that we'll read generously, looking to understand that meaning." (Read more here)

Artists Transform Heartbreaking Letters From Detained Migrants Into Gripping Works Of Art

"Visions from the Inside is a project enlisting 15 artists from across the country to create a piece of art based off letters from women in detention. The initiative, a collaboration between CultureStrike, Mariposas Sin Fronteras and End Family Detention, illuminates the horrific realities of life inside some for-profit detention facilities in the U.S., as well as the resilient spirit that keeps the inmates going." (Read more here)

Cotton-Eyed Joe: Where Did He Come From, Where Did He Go?

"Two decades have passed since Rednex released 'Cotton Eye Joe,' the earworm from Europe that swept across the Atlantic to infect our airwaves in the winter of 1995. It peaked at number 25 on Billboard charts that May, but remains trending at sports arenas and weddings across the nation today. Its lyrics present an unsolved puzzle. We are certain that, had it not been for Cotton-Eyed Joe, the narrator would have been married a long time ago. And yet questions remain: Where did Joe come from? And, perhaps more important, where did he go?" (Read more here)

My Diva Cup, Myself: A Love Story

"While I'd love to be the kind of eco-conscious wonder-feminist who you'd expect to waltz around in Toms, weaving my own reusable kitchen towels, and menstruating freely into a reusable silicone cup during my period, that's just not me. I wear cheap Forever 21 kicks. I buy Bounty paper towels by the multi-roll pack. As an earth mother, I'm a failure. That menstrual cup though? That's my jam." (Read more here)

One Daughter Is Turning Her Hoarding Parents' Belongings Into Beautiful Art

"'Messy' and 'chaotic' are the polite enough terms we often attach to homes of obsessive collectors. And, more drastically, to the living spaces of individuals prone to hoarding. Calvert's parents fit not-so-neatly into one or both of these categories, having hoarded belongings in a refurbished schoolhouse in Colorado since the artist was 11 years old." (Read more here)

The Radical, Life-Changing Power Of Arts And Crafts

"For artists like [Predeep] Kumar, being an artist is not a dream, it's a necessity. Carving and coloring are all as vital needs as eating and sleeping. There's no masters degree, no blowout retrospectives, no time spent learning from the reigning art giants. Just making art, as if it's as essential as breathing. And for artists like Kumar, this act of expression alone is everything." (Read more here)