Blaise Zerega

These five articles were the most loved by readers of our print magazine, website, and social media channels. Each one is distinguished by a strong sense of place, powerful writing, and a narrative that you’ll find nowhere else.

Alta’s short stories, included in every issue, contain seemingly small moments that reveal larger truths about life.

Nine writers offer—through verse—electrifying perspectives on what it means to have lived in California and the West during the past 12 months.

This year’s Altatude humorists delivered laughs as big as the West. Nothing was off-limits as they ridiculed our vices and follies.

A floating football player, a nun with a pirate’s eye patch, and a dog atop a cart full of books are just some of the unforgettable images that delighted our readers.

Our photographers do far more than provide images. Their work amplifies our stories’ themes and lends additional context to the writing.

Walter Murch’s Her Name Was Moviola is a love letter to film editing.

Discover how John Steinbeck’s East of Eden explores family rivalry, immigration, and free will, all set against California’s Salinas Valley backdrop.

In this newsletter, the editor of Sacramento Noir shares his love for the genre and his hometown.

Rachel Richardson’s poetry collection Smother considers motherhood, fire, and community.

A tribute to a view of the vastness of the West.

The cultural critic’s latest collection of Believer columns were written while the publication was wandering the proverbial desert.

California is a rich land for starting over—and becoming part of something sinister.

Straw Dogs of the Universe offers a searing view of life in 19th-century California from the Chinese immigrants who endured it.

Alta Journal’s free monthly gatherings show no signs of slowing down.

The author’s new novel, Fire in the Canyon, depicts life in the Sierra foothills during climate change.

Publications like Alta Journal are on the front lines of the battle to protect writing from AI.

The hilarious author of America the Beautiful? names her favorite national park, shares road-trip playlists, and reveals how to avoid attracting bears.

Alta Journal editorial director Blaise Zerega introduces this issue’s epic tales of danger and resilience.

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.

Lively events are the lifeblood of this neighborhood institution.

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?

Joan Didion held a mirror up to California life—and changed the way we write about it, managing editor Blaise Zerega writes.

A short story of desperation, suffering, and a longing for love.

The author’s debut novel, Right Back Where We Started From, is full of unapologetically ambitious women.

My quest to meet the famous poet 30 years ago.

Discover the fascinating spectacle of salmon on a mission.

This week’s California Book Club newsletter: Elaine Castillo, President Obama, and gratitude.

This week’s California Book Club newsletter offers important details for the Walter Mosley event on December 17.

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.”

Decoding the World takes on some of our most vexing problems and the emerging technologies that may solve them.

These four fiction selections are worthy additions to your nightstand.