feb. 20

Links we love today: "Comedy Natives," author interviews, Harriet the Spynostalgia and more

Here are the links we loved today:

Happy President's Day! Find out what it's like to be President (metaphorically speaking).

Comedy Central commissions research to define their demographic:

“We called them Comedy Natives,” said Tanya Giles, the executive vice president for research at Comedy Central’s parent, MTV Networks. “Comedy is so central to who they are, the way they connect with other people, the way they get ahead in the world. One big takeaway is that unlike previous generations, humor, and not music, is their No. 1 form of self-expression.”

Austin Kleon lists 25 quotes on creativity that didn’t make it into his new book, Steal Like An Artist.

On All Things Considered, William Wallace Cook talks about the algebraic fiction manual Plotto: The Master Book of All Plots; At Mediaite, Mo Rocca talks about his new cooking show, My Grandmother’s Ravioli.

Stream the new documentary Haruki Murakami: In Search of This Elusive Writer on YouTube.

Watch the full video of David Foster Wallace’s 2003 interview with German news channel ZDF.

I’m sure Louis CK loves that his high yearbook photo (from Newton North HS, where I also happened to go, omg) is making the rounds.

Literary mixtape: Harriet the Spy edition.

T.J. Miller's new rap video is amaaazing:

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Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

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Pop megastar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center Criminal Justice Clinic through her BeyGOOD Foundation. The gift will allow the clinic to hire fill-time faculty to head it, benefiting the students who study there.

“I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center,” said Leonard Baynes, dean of the UH Law Center. “Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming.”

The clinic is one of nine at UHLC. It helps students learn to navigate the criminal justice system, especially on behalf of clients that are underserved by skilled attorneys. People of color are affected disproportionately by a lack of good, ethical representation.

Beyoncé, the most decorated artist in Grammy history and easily the biggest musical star native to Houston, has a long history of advocating for criminal justice reform. She was a staunch supporter of the police reform following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, asking law enforcement to “stop killing us” in a web post. In 2020, she penned an open letter to the Kentucky attorney general asking for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013, Beyoncé has focused mostly on expanding the prospects of Black-owned business and offering education opportunities to students. Forwarding the cause of legal representation in Texas while also helping out marginalized communities compliments her other philanthropic work.

“At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings,” Baynes said. “And together, through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the nation.”