David Kipen
David Kipen, a former NEA director of literature, teaches at UCLA and is the proprietor of the Libros Schmibros lending library in Los Angeles. His latest book is Dear Los Angeles: The City in Diaries and Letters, 1542 to 2018.

Where We’re From
Put your Golden State knowledge to the test with this California-shaped crossword puzzle.
Jul 1, 2020

Thomas Pynchon Unmasked
The great California writer—if unknowingly—answers our questions about a U.S. Department of Jesus, moving back to the Golden State, and winning a Nobel Prize.
Feb 24, 2020

Time Turns Around at Musso & Frank
Two-thirds authenticity to one part apocrypha, Musso & Frank Grill turns 100.
Aug 19, 2019

L.A.’s Annus Mirabilis
1919 was an extraordinary year for Los Angeles, the city gained a major art museum, a movie studio, a university, a symphony, and a little restaurant called Musso & Frank.
May 6, 2019