THE LATEST FROM ALTA
Don't miss this week's upcoming events and new stories.
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Issue 34: California Sounds
A look inside Alta Journal’s Issue 34.
6 min
Alta Journal ’s California Bestsellers List (February 19, 2026)
This week’s bestselling titles include On Love by Joseph Campbell, Firestorm by Jacob Soboroff, and Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman.
Why Are Missing Women of Color So Often Overlooked?
Steve Rhods helped take down an infamous killer. But solving the identity of his first Jane Doe murder case has proved even more vexing, and reveals a larger problem.
Latest from the California Book Club
Join the West Coast literary conversation every month.
THE MONDAY BOOK REVIEW
Sign-up for our weekly book review email.
Sunshine Pop: When the Sun Goes Down
A doomed debut at the Rendezvous Ballroom didn’t stop the Beach Boys. Instead, it helped launch sunshine pop—a California sound full of shimmer, shadows, and ambition.
Gangsta Rap: 5 Essential Tracks
Jeff Weiss spotlights five landmark tracks—from Ice-T to Kendrick Lamar—that showcase the evolution, innovation, and lyricism of gangsta rap.
Mystic Folk: The Ghost in the Guitar
THE WEEKLY ALTA NEWSLETTER
New stories from California and the West sent to your inbox every Thursday.
Judy Garland’s Biggest Fan
Jim Bailey spent his career impersonating Judy Garland, leaving a biographer to ponder: Where did that leave him?
The Latest
Visit Alta at the LA Times Festival of Books
2 min
Excerpt: ‘White Oleander’
5 min
City of Kings
Weekly Cartoon: Altatude #10 Issue 34
Event Recap: Greg Sarris’s ‘Grand Avenue’
6 min
California Bestsellers List (February 19, 2026)
‘Grand Avenue’
3 min
Weekly Cartoon: Altatude #7 Issue 24
Weekly Cartoon: Altatude #9 Issue 24
Weekly Cartoon: Altatude #10 Issue 24
Weekly Cartoon: Altatude #12 Issue 24
