In 1969, an author from Stockton, California published one of the greatest novels of the 20th century. He rarely talked publicly about it or why he never published another book. One poet spent the weekend strolling with the author through the old hotels and boxing rings of this inland port city, talking books, his inspiration and […]
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Posted inArts & Culture, Feature, Nonfiction, Story
Shelved: Brian Wilson’s Adult/Child
Music from the time after the good vibrations ended.
Posted inNonfiction
Mountains, Transcending
“Ever since I was five years old,” wrote opera singer–turned–Buddhist lama Alexandra David-Néel, “I craved to go beyond the garden gate, to follow the road that passed it by, and to set out for the Unknown.”
Posted inBooks, History, Nonfiction, Story
Oregon’s Racist Past
Starting in the mid-19th century, and extending through the mid-20th century, Oregon was arguably the most racist place outside the southern states, possibly even of all the states.
Posted inEditor's Pick
State of Being: Envisioning California
“California, the best of it, is what lives and prospers in a liminal, unnamed space—somewhere between dreams, disappointments, and recalibration.” An essayist describes how California—Los Angeles and San Francisco in particular—moves through you.
Posted inNonfiction
‘The Survivor’s Edit’: Bassey Ikpi on Memory, Truth, and Living with Bipolar II
Bassey Ikpi discusses writing about mental illness. “I could count on the morning. It became the thing that existed without my input… without determining whether or not I was worthy of it.”
Posted inEssays & Criticism, Nonfiction, Story
Eight Things You Need to Know About Me and the Beach
A white woman came up to my mother, leaned in close and said, “We whites have to stick together against the Asian invasion.” My mother was ecstatic. “She liked me! They like me here!”
Posted inArts & Culture, Nonfiction, Quotes
The Faces of Deportation in Southern California
Trump’s immigration policy has exiled tax-paying, working-class people of Mexican descent to limbo in Tijuana.
Posted inEssays & Criticism, Nonfiction, Quote Posts, Quotes
‘Because California Moves Through You’
Essayist Lynell George muses on California and the two cities—Los Angeles and San Francisco—that own a part of her heart.
Posted inEditor's Pick
Vanishing Point
“Without the right kind of help, Oakland could lose yet another piece of its vibrant, artistic legacy.” As affordable residences and art spaces are becoming increasingly scarce, artists in Oakland are forced to move elsewhere. Laney Tower journalists take a look at the history, present, and uncertain future of the city’s arts and culture scene.
