Happy Friday, Wildcats! Falvey Library is delivering you another semester of Weekend Recs, a blog dedicated to filling you in on what to read, listen to, and watch over the weekend. Annie, a graduate assistant from the Communication department, scours the internet, peruses the news, and digs through book stacks to find new, relevant, and thought-provoking content that will challenge you and prepare you for the upcoming week. 

This week’s installment of Weekend Recs is courtesy of Kallie Stahl, Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Library. Annie will be back in a few weeks with new summer recommendations—Stay tuned! 

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) began striking on Tuesday, May 2, pausing many projects in the entertainment industry. After six weeks of negotiations between the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) [members include motion picture studios, broadcast television networks, and streaming services], the WGA called for a work stoppage after both parties failed to reach an agreement. The most recent writers’ strike occurred in 2007/2008 and lasted 100 days.

The WGA released a statement stating that AMPTP’s refusal to “address the existential crisis writers are facing” ultimately led to the strike. Shrinking network television viewers, streaming platforms, and artificial intelligence (AI) are all significant factors that writers must now navigate. The AMPTP said it presented an offer with “generous increases in compensation for writers as well as improvements in streaming residuals.”

Late-night shows and “Saturday Night Live” have gone dark, and many network and streaming shows have ceased production including: “Abbott Elementary,” “House of the Dragon,” “Stranger Things,” “Yellowjackets,” “Hacks,” and more. Networks and streaming services will continue to air stockpiled projects for viewers. Beyond the screen, the effects of the strike on the writers, the industry, and the economy are detrimental. The last strike cost the California economy at least $2 billion, and if the current strike mirrors the last, it could cost California $30 million per day.

Image courtesy of The Writers Guild of America.

Keep reading for more information on the WGA strike:

If you have 3 minutes…Read this Variety article on why the “Writers’ Strike Will Cost Studios More Than Settlement.”

If you have 5 minutes…Check out this New York Times article on “How the Last Writers’ Strike Changed Things Onscreen.”

If you have 5 minutes…Explore ways to support the writers’ strike.

If you have 8 minutes and 26 seconds…Watch this Wall Street Journal interview with showrunners of “Abbott Elementary” and “The Handmaid’s Tale.”

If you have 10 minutes…Examine current shows impacted by the writers’ strike.

If you have 15 minutes…Read the WGA’s contract proposals currently on the table.

Bonus: Read what the WGA’s contract proposals look like on a company-by-company basis.

Boycotting streaming services? Check out Falvey Library’s DVD collection. You can also explore reading recommendations from library staff here.

Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Library.