Culture

Not Without

Pulitzer Prize–winner Forrest Gander partnered with artist Ashwini Bhat to create this work, the collaborators’ first for Alta.

Daughter
In one of four poems published in Alta’s Fall 2020 issue, Anastacia-…
“Aunt Jemima is the Picture of the American Dream”
Anastacia-Reneé is a Seattle-based poet, artist, and educator who wa…
Low & Leaving
Anastacia-Reneé finds multiple meaning in this poem from Alta's Wint…
“In Case You Forgot, I Am Not Your Negro” 
Anastacia-Reneé, a two-time Pushcart nominee, penned this achingly t…
Nov 11, 2020
Altatude Fall 2020 Online Extras

So many cartoons, so few pages. These fun picks didn’t make the magazine—but they made us laugh.

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Nov 2, 2020
Time Invents Us

Read a short story about an artist in search of understanding and the mysterious man who seems to offer it.
Oct 27, 2020
The Billion-Dollar Composer

For blockbuster films and video games, Pinar Toprak makes music that stirs emotions.
Oct 20, 2020
Alta Editors’ Picks for Fall 2020

Our favorites for this fall offer fresh air and self-care.

Sep 30, 2020
Altatude Fall 2020

These are the funnies that made the cut.

Sep 29, 2020
California Schemin’

Three films reveal the dark side of the California dream.
Sep 22, 2020
Four Films That Shaped a Critic

These diverse films offer important lessons on filmmaking.
Sep 3, 2020
Pepe the Frog’s Leap to the Dark Side

A documentary on the alt-right’s appropriation of a cute meme arrives just in time for the U.S. presidential election.
Sep 1, 2020
Summons: A Poem

D.A. Powell's 'Summons' is one of three of his poems to appear in Alta‘s Summer 2020 issue.
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Aug 25, 2020
Bat Boy: A Poem

D.A. Powell, a Bay Area writer and educator, finds poetry in America’s favorite pastime.

Aug 24, 2020
A Film Critic Takes Direction

Connecting with an idol summons the early ecstasy of falling in love with movies.
Aug 19, 2020
Imagines*: A Poem

Pause with this work by D.A. Powell.
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Aug 10, 2020
The Collector Had a Good Eye

One hundred years ago, Louis T. Haggin collected out-of-fashion Hudson River School and academic paintings.
Aug 7, 2020
To California, from California

The roundabout product of an alternative-folk songwriter, a Los Angeles comedian, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Aug 4, 2020
The Making of a Poem

Matthew Zapruder constructs—and deconstructs—a new poem for the late Joanne Kyger.