Culture Shift is a weekly newsletter curated by the HuffPost Culture writers and editors.
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This week we're talking about the books you should finish this summer, the people still standing in line for "Hamilton" tickets, the future of the Olympics according to sci-fi writers, why we need a new word to describe modern relationships, "The Little Prince" on Netflix, and how feminist artists are tackling gender in their work.
16 Fabulous Beach Reads To Breeze Through This Summer
The genre of “beach reads” is thought of as a euphemism for lighter literary fare ― books that will entertain you, but that won’t distract you from the awesome scenery that surrounds you.
We’re all for breezy books ― we ranked a few decidedly beachy reads among our favorite fiction books of the year last year ― but we think there can be more to a good summer book than a gripping plot and buoyant language, depending on what helps you unwind.
This year, our beach read recommendations list includes a story of a family fraught with financial woes, coming to grips with their lost inheritance while summering at an idyllic beach house. It includes the short tale of a relationship that goes sour under the California sun, and a moving exploration of songs of summers past. Take a look, and read on! (Read more here.)
We Talked To A Professional ‘Hamilton’ Line-Sitter, Because That Is A Real Thing
It involves sabotage, surveillance and a whole lot of jerks. (Read more here.)
7 Sci-Fi Writers Predict The Future Of The Olympics
From Stacey Berg, author of Dissension:
"The future of the Olympics is already here. Athletes take advantage of every available technology to gain an edge, from wearable monitors to altitude chambers to performance-enhancing drugs. What’s going to change in the future is that the athletes will be the technology.
”When the games of the 50th Olympiad open in 2092, ethicists are still debating whether it’s a right or a privilege for ordinary people to have disease-causing traits removed from their embryos, but the Olympics have jumped far ahead. Human gene editing makes it possible to customize the perfect player for every sport, with bigger hearts, better lungs, and faster, stronger muscles designed at will. Sovereign corporations sponsor athletes endowed with patented genetic sequences; fans, at least those who can afford it, snap up these sequences to insert into their own embryos. The new argument is whether to let in players whose entire DNA sequence is synthetic, a technology originally developed for military applications." (Read more here.)
It’s Time For A New Word To Describe Modern Relationship Statuses
Imagine seeing the same romantic partner for years. Maybe a friendship evolved into dating, which turned into a shared living space, shared rent and shared goals. Imagine if ― for one reason or another ― you didn’t want marriage to be the form your committed relationship took. Maybe you weren’t legally able to be married, or maybe the precedent set by your parents didn’t make that particular type of union seem appealing. Maybe your career was your priority, and the idea of planning a wedding seemed daunting. Maybe you just didn’t think legally binding yourself to another person was the way to express your love.
Regardless, you’ve decided to date one person, and only one person, as long as you both shall live, or at least as long as you both feel satisfied overall with your arrangement. If you’re a teen or young adult, it might make sense to call this person your “boyfriend” or “girlfriend.” But with the new shapes that modern relationships are taking, those terms are starting to seem retrograde. (Read more here.)
Why You Should Watch This Classic Book Adaptation On Netflix This Week
Because The Little Prince is as timeless as a single red rose. (Read more here.)
These Feminist Artists Are Imagining A Future Without Gender, And It’s Beautiful
“Lifeforce” is a group exhibition featuring 24 women artists, curated by sisters Kelsey and Rémy Bennett. Mixing elements of cyborg theory with the tenets of Afrofuturism, the featured artists imagine a genderless future, in which femininity is a lived fantasy that is always in flux. (Read more here.)
Oakland Artists Take On Gentrification As Tech Boom Threatens Their City
As Oakland, California, undergoes massive changes, an art museum is calling on residents to speak out about being pushed from the city they call home.
“Oakland, I want you to know…” opened at the Oakland Museum of California last month and celebrates the history and culture of West Oakland, a neighborhood where rents are rising, tech workers are moving in, and longtime residents, particularly African-Americans, are being displaced. (Read more here.)
In 1912, Someone Actually Won An Olympic Gold Medal In Painting
This week, Olympic medal hopefuls are making their way to Rio de Janeiro with the necessary equipment: soccer cleats, swim caps, leotards, oars. Charging into the Games dressed in Nike swooshes and elastane, they’ll look like the sports stars of Wheaties boxes past.
Over a century ago, the Olympic scene was a bit different.
In 1912, some aspiring gold medalists trekked to Stockholm, Sweden, with pens, paintbrushes, clay and sheet music. Because, yes, the Summer Olympics that year allowed artists, architects, writers and musicians to compete in events just like the traditional athletes. So while Hawaiian swimmer Duke Kahanamoku was dominating the 100-meter freestyle race, an Italian man named Giovanni Pellegrini was also besting his rivals ― in painting. (Read more here.)
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