literature

L.A.’s Dread Winds of Autumn

The Santa Anas Keep Blowing Our Minds

You know them when you feel them, or when you hear them blowing through the trees. They’ve cut out your power or even threatened your home. And you can quote Los Angeles writers Raymond Chandler and Joan Didion on their power to inspire murderous thoughts and unease. But what exactly are the Santa Ana winds? How do they wreak destruction on Southern California? And why have their legends persisted?

At a Zócalo event on a warm Friday evening at downtown’s Grand Park, UCLA meteorologist Robert Fovell, L.A. County Fire Captain Drew …

by Sarah Rothbard |

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The Fall Gusts That Bring Out L.A.’s Crazy

Why Are We So Fascinated By the Santa Ana Winds?

If you reside in Los Angeles, you’ve felt the heat of autumn and perhaps cursed the “devil winds,” the hot gusts that blow through the mountain passes in southern California …

Why We Keep Coming Back to Gatsby

The Book Changes Every Time You Read It. (Confession: I Even Rooted For Daisy At One Time.)

by Andrew Gumbel |

One of the enduring qualities of The Great Gatsby, just released in yet another filmed adaptation over the weekend, is that it’s a perfect book to read as a teenager, …

The Making of An American Poet

California Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera on Inspiration, Revision, and What It Means to Be A Mexican-American Writer

How do you make an American poet?

California’s new poet laureate, Juan Felipe Herrera, answered that question with laughter, singing, storytelling, and poetry as he recounted his life and work during …

Poetry and Power

Which Poem Can Give You Language, Defend Your Rights, Or Make it Christmas?

 

The work of California’s new poet laureate, Juan Felipe Herrera, powerfully evokes the landscape and language of places he’s known well: the San Joaquin Valley, San Diego, San Francisco’s Mission …


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