Blaise Zerega
Blaise Zerega is Alta Journal's editorial director. His journalism has appeared in Conde Nast Portfolio (deputy editor and part of founding team), WIRED (managing editor), the New Yorker, Forbes, and other publications. Additionally, he was the editor of Red Herring magazine, once the bible of Silicon Valley. Throughout his career, he has helped lead teams small and large to numerous honors, including multiple National Magazine Awards. He attended the United States Military Academy and New York University and received a Michener Fellowship for fiction from the Texas Center for Writers.
The Editor’s Cut
Walter Murch’s Her Name Was Moviola is a love letter to film editing.
East of Eden
Discover how John Steinbeck’s East of Eden explores family rivalry, immigration, and free will, all set against California’s Salinas Valley backdrop.
Talking with John Freeman
In this newsletter, the editor of Sacramento Noir shares his love for the genre and his hometown.
Power of Friendship
Rachel Richardson’s poetry collection Smother considers motherhood, fire, and community.
Sierra Views: You Can See for Miles and Miles
A tribute to a view of the vastness of the West.
Talking with Nick Hornby
The cultural critic’s latest collection of Believer columns were written while the publication was wandering the proverbial desert.
Editor’s Note: The Dark Side of Reinvention
California is a rich land for starting over—and becoming part of something sinister.
Talking with Ye Chun
Straw Dogs of the Universe offers a searing view of life in 19th-century California from the Chinese immigrants who endured it.
The California Book Club’s First Three Years: 12,173 Members and 36 Authors (and Counting!)
Alta Journal’s free monthly gatherings show no signs of slowing down.
Talking with Daniel Gumbiner
The author’s new novel, Fire in the Canyon, depicts life in the Sierra foothills during climate change.
Editor’s Note: Readers Will Not Be Fooled
Publications like Alta Journal are on the front lines of the battle to protect writing from AI.
Talking with Blythe Roberson
The hilarious author of America the Beautiful? names her favorite national park, shares road-trip playlists, and reveals how to avoid attracting bears.
Editor’s Note: S for Survival
Alta Journal editorial director Blaise Zerega introduces this issue’s epic tales of danger and resilience.
Talking with Shelley Read
The author’s debut novel, Go As a River, radiates a calm wonder at the natural world as it explores themes of love, loss, and resilience on Colorado’s Western Slope.
Bay Area: Bookshop West Portal
Lively events are the lifeblood of this neighborhood institution.
Our Favorite Bookstores
Alta contributors compiled a (very long) list of our favorite independent bookstores throughout the West, including managing editor Blaise Zerega's pick, Bookshop West Portal. Did your top shop make the cut?
Editor’s Note: The Power to Discomfit
Joan Didion held a mirror up to California life—and changed the way we write about it, managing editor Blaise Zerega writes.
New Fiction: ‘Sleep Nights’
A short story of desperation, suffering, and a longing for love.
Talking with Joy Lanzendorfer
The author’s debut novel, Right Back Where We Started From, is full of unapologetically ambitious women.
Personal Scrapbook: Lawrence Ferlinghetti
My quest to meet the famous poet 30 years ago.
Alta Picks: Salmon Watching
Discover the fascinating spectacle of salmon on a mission.
Meet the Hero of ‘America Is Not the Heart’
This week’s California Book Club newsletter: Elaine Castillo, President Obama, and gratitude.
Get Ready for Walter Mosley (and Special Guest!)
This week’s California Book Club newsletter offers important details for the Walter Mosley event on December 17.
Talking with Ken Layne
The author of Desert Oracle: Volume 1 writes of the Mojave as a “peculiar American environment with...vast skies, strange wildlife, and…human characters drawn to the place…for spiritual or criminal goals.”
Talking with Po Bronson
Decoding the World takes on some of our most vexing problems and the emerging technologies that may solve them.
Fiction Picks for Winter 2020
These four fiction selections are worthy additions to your nightstand.
Like ‘a Falling Star’ from Outer Space
Delve into the mystery of Sputnik, a $50,000 reward, and a possible government conspiracy.
Podcast Boom
Alta managing editor Blaise Zerega looks at the rapidly growing popularity of podcasts — and what that means for the future of this very intimate medium.
Beauty and Grit on Arizona’s Ranches
Known for his arresting portraits of ranchers and the West, Scott T. Baxter's work is in the collection of several museums — and the Spring 2019 Issue of Alta.
How We Listen Now: The Podcast Boom
As advertising brings in revenue, will listeners be left behind?
Getting Help in Working It Out
Hearables, wearables and magic pills are arriving to make it easier to exercise — or even to avoid it
Sacramento’s E.T.
It’s a bird, it’s a plane… what IS that thing? In 1896, it was the talk of Sacramento, and it remains a mystery to this day.