PERIOD PIECE
The Historical Accuracy of ‘Perry Mason’ Season 2
A pair of consultants find 1930s Los Angeles for the HBO series, which premieres March 6, 2023.
FROM THE ARCHIVES
The Night Charlie Parker Soared in South Central L.A.
The jazz saxophonist gave a legendary after-hours performance at Jack’s Basket Room in 1947. No photos or recordings captured it, and l…
THE MONDAY BOOK REVIEW
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The Home Front
At the heart of Mona Simpson’s Commitment is a family on the ropes.
Time It Was
In Saving Time, Jenny Odell wants to take back the clock.
The Player, Not the Game
Lucy Jane Bledsoe’s Tell the Rest is a novel of basketball and art.
Where We Are Now
In three books of poetry, Courtney Faye Taylor, Vickie Vértiz, and B.H. Fairchild write California through the lens of place.
Silicon Valley Is Everywhere
Malcolm Harris talks about Palo Alto: A History of California, Capitalism, and the World.
STAND TALL
Doug Peacock Still Answers the Call of the Wild
Peacock’s writing continues to inspire the radical environmental movement.
Latest from the California Book Club
Join the West Coast literary conversation every month.
The New Canon
Literary Adventures, Old and New: Musso & Frank Grill
EVENTS
Alta Live hosts interviews with magazine contributors, subjects, and California luminaries every Wednesday.
Alta Live: The Historical Accuracy of HBO’s ‘Perry Mason’
Wednesday, March 22, at 12:30 p.m. Pacific time
Alta Live: An Indigenous Response to Land Art
Wednesday, March 29, at 12:30 p.m. Pacific time
Alta Live: Author Terry McDonell
Wednesday, April 12, at 12:30 p.m. Pacific time
Alta Live: Calendarios de Varilla
Gustavo Arellano sits down with Calendarios Landin CEO Julian Urquiza to talk about the community history of these holiday keepsakes.
Alta Live: New York Is Not the New Los Angeles
Why do some East Coast publications continue to compare New York City to Los Angeles—and why they always get Golden State culture so wr…
EASY IMBIBER
The Joy of a Great Desert Biker Bar
Six spots across Southern California to go hog wild—and get some delicious food, too
THE WEEKLY ALTA NEWSLETTER
New stories from California and the West sent to your inbox every Thursday.
L.A.’s Third Rail
Major concerns about mass transit.
Powerful Nature Documentaries
“Fire of Love” and “Buried” document nature—and humanity—in the extreme.
Remembering David Lance Goines
Remembering Berkeley artist David Lance Goines.
Man One’s Los Angeles
Man One paints the faces of Los Angeles.
After Francis
A missing relative is found, another mystery is discovered.
