David L. Ulin
David L Ulin is a contributing editor to Alta Journal.
Conspiracy Theory
In Shadow Ticket, Thomas Pynchon comes full circle—and then some.
Life Writing
In A Different Kind of Tension: New and Selected Stories, Jonathan Lethem takes us back and forth in time.
Why You Should Read This: ‘Startlement’
David L. Ulin explores how Ada Limón’s Startlement gathers new and selected poems that balance despair with joy, identity with nature, and grief with wonder.
Why You Should Read This: ‘On Gold Mountain’
David L. Ulin revisits Lisa See’s family history On Gold Mountain, a vivid narrative of immigration, resilience, and identity that speaks to our present moment.
Why You Should Read This: ‘California Rewritten’
David L. Ulin reflects on John Freeman’s California Rewritten, a collection of essays that not only revisits California Book Club favorites but also reimagines the Golden State’s future through its writers.
Time After Time
In The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother), Rabih Alameddine spins a tale within a tale within a tale.
Rocket Man
Ray Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles turns 75 this year. How does it hold up?
Oblique Strategies
In Which Walks, Laura Moriarty navigates the fallen world.
A Book of One’s Own
Critic and author David L. Ulin recounts crafting a work of private literature for an exhibit.
Why You Should Read This: ‘The Backyard Bird Chronicles’
David L. Ulin explores how Amy Tan’s illustrated journal reveals the healing power of nature, curiosity, and close observation of the world around us.
Why You Should Read This: ‘Shortcomings’
David L. Ulin explores how Adrian Tomine’s Shortcomings uses race, identity, and flawed characters to reflect the complexity of being human.
5 Literary Gems That Put You in the Driver’s Seat
David L. Ulin highlights five classic books that chart California’s restless spirit through stories of travel, identity, and transformation.
Why You Should Read This: ‘California Against the Sea’
David L. Ulin urges readers to engage with Rosanna Xia’s urgent, empathetic look at California’s climate crisis and rising sea levels.
Down These Mean Streets
Owen Hill’s The Giveaway collects the complete Clay Blackburn tetralogy…at last.
Redemption Song
In Sister, Sinner, Claire Hoffman brings Aimee Semple McPherson back to life.
Writer’s Room: Emma Pattee
The author of Tilt discusses writing, parenting, and what it means to go for broke.
Play It As It Lays
In the posthumous Notes to John, Joan Didion sets the record straight.
The Memory Palace
Stacy Nathaniel Jackson’s debut novel, The Ephemera Collector, is an ambitious work of Afrofuturism.
The Big Sleep
Raymond Chandler’s The Big Sleep shaped California noir, blending sharp voice, hard-earned knowledge, and the moral ambiguity of Philip Marlowe.
Inside Didion and Dunne’s Private Archive
The New York Public Library will soon open the couple’s papers to the public. David L. Ulin got an early look.
Why You Should Read This: ‘Gold Fame Citrus’
Claire Vaye Watkins’s Gold Fame Citrus is the California Book Club’s May 2025 selection.
Why You Should Read This: ‘The Last Fire Season’
Manjula Martin’s The Last Fire Season is the California Book Club’s June 2025 selection.
The Dharma Bums
Explore Kerouac’s The Dharma Bums, a lyrical, California-set Beat classic inspired by Gary Snyder and Zen Buddhism.
City of Night
John Rechy’s City of Night explores queer life, loneliness, and repression across America’s dark cities, from Times Square to Los Angeles.
Ask the Dust
Discover how John Fante’s Ask the Dust captures 1930s Los Angeles—its grit, beauty, and complexity—through the eyes of aspiring writer Arturo Bandini.
Golden Days
Carolyn See’s Golden Days uses conversational storytelling to explore women’s resilience amid nuclear catastrophe.
Why You Should Read This: ‘Mumbo Jumbo’
Ishmael Reed’s Mumbo Jumbo is the California Book Club’s April 2025 pick.
City of God
In Aben Kandel’s reissued novel Rabbi Burns, faith is just another trapping.
The Art of Sitting Still
In Aflame: Learning from Silence, Pico Iyer lets the moment make the most of him.
The Old, Weird America
Henry Miller’s The Air-Conditioned Nightmare reminds us of our dystopian roots.
Poetry: ‘Peculiar Hotel’
David L. Ulin finds unexpected joy in caring for his aging parents.
A Conversation with Viet Thanh Nguyen
Viet Thanh Nguyen’s The Sympathizer is the California Book Club’s January 2025 selection.