Now and again on Wednesdays, The Half Century Mark Hotel will offer a trio of stories about art and artists that we feel are worthy of your consideration. We call these delights Wondermints. Please savor them slowly and share with your traveling companions. Watch this video by filmmaker Miranda July called “A Handy Tip for the Easily Distracted.”  Thank you to the talented Jen Lee for the share. It’s helpful, quirky and hilarious; perfect Hotel employee-handbook material. We don’t yet have a manual for our guests. Half-Century Marker Kate Bush will return to the stage this August. She’s been described as a white witch, a recluse, a “Pre-Raphaelite nymph,” a pioneering female solo artist, and a musical genius, all within the same article. Whatever you call her, know that Ms. Bush’s London show, all 22 performances, sold out in just 15 minutes. Not bad for a 55-year-old artist who hasn’t had a solo stage performance in 35 years.

Do you know the writer Colum McCann? You should. Not sure why it’s taken the Hotel staff so long to discover his writing. Someone said his novel 2009 National Book Award novel Let the Great World Spin is about a tightrope walker. That’s like saying The Half Century Mark is about a hotel. Add his novels to your stack; they are magic.

This may be one of the seasons we are so smitten with Mr. McCann’s writing: “The art form that most inspires my fiction is photography. I love looking at photographs. I feel that in some ways my job is to become a photographer with words, or to paint with words.“  –Colum McCann, on writing.