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Culture

illustration of russell chatham

Falling (Again) for ‘Dark Waters’

TTS audio available10 min
illustration of karyn kupcinet

Fiction: ‘Cookie’

caro de robertis

Writer’s Room: Storytelling for Survival

TTS audio available4 min
illustration of edward abbey

The Origin of ‘The Monkey Wrench Gang’

TTS audio available21 min
the cy twombly room at the san francisco museum of modern art showcases four paintings and one sculpture by the american artist

Scribbles Are Having a Moment

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Culture

brown horse band, total dive album, us west coast tour

Brown Horse Heads West

TTS audio available5 min
lars kenseth, difficult party guests, cartoon, altatude, issue 35

Weekly Cartoon: Altatude #4 Issue 35

robert altman, the long goodbye, noir, elliot gould

‘The Long Goodbye’ Is Worth a Rewatch

TTS audio available6 min
a motion capture setup in a studio, ivan ehlers, cartoon, altatude, issue 35

Weekly Cartoon: Altatude #3 Issue 35

crowden satz, cartoon, tax day, end of the world, altatude, issue 35

Weekly Cartoon: Altatude #2 Issue 35

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FICTION & POETRY

illustrations, fiction, glass house, by jose vadi

Fiction: ‘Glass Houses’

TTS audio available26 min
two hands holding each other in a natural outdoor setting

Poetry: ‘Bay Area Uta Nikki’

TTS audio available2 min
calm water surface with ripples

Poetry: ‘Smith River (Kaa-nvsh)’

TTS audio available3 min
alta journal, 2025 year in review, top fiction

Alta Journal ’s Fiction of 2025

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THE LATEST IN CULTURE

betty fussell

The Grande Dame of Casa Dorinda

TTS audio available7 min
book club picks, illustration, crossword puzzle, issue 35

Issue 35 Crossword: Book Club Picks Solutions

book club picks, illustration, crossword puzzle, issue 35

Issue 35 Crossword: Book Club Picks

cartoon, altatude, issue 35, alan rozanski, grandchildren translations

Weekly Cartoon: Altatude #1 Issue 35

blenheim apricots

A Stone Fruit’s Fall from Favor

TTS audio available7 min
coastal view featuring a pier palm trees and ocean, the oceanside pier is a hub for sunset chasers and fishers hoping to catch bass

Oceanside Is Cooking

TTS audio available12 min
robert francis, phantasmagoria

After the Fire Comes a Musical Evolution

TTS audio available7 min
issue 34, cartoon, altatude, rich sparks

Weekly Cartoon: Altatude #13 Issue 34

delroy lindo, 2026 oscars, sinners

California’s Oscar Nominees

TTS audio available7 min

FROM THE ARCHIVE

Members of the norteño band Los Tigres del Norte walk the grounds of Folsom State Prison in April 2018. Their concert there is the subject of a Netflix documentary, Los Tigres del Norte at Folsom Prison, and was recorded for a live album of the same name.

Folsom Prison Blues (Again)

Native son Buck Owens helped define the raw and rough-hewn Bakersfield sound that cemented California’s important role in the evolution of country music.

California’s Role in Country Music

threshold choir

Songs for the Final Passage

thomas campbell, director and ceo of the fine arts museums of san francisco, outside the de young museum, in golden gate park

Museum on the Edge

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issue 34, cartoon, altatude, nick downes
ALTATUDES

Weekly Cartoon: Altatude #12 Issue 34

This week’s Sunday funny comes to us from cartoonist Nick Downes.

issue 34, cartoon, altatude, kyle bravo

Weekly Cartoon: Altatude #11 Issue 34

issue 34, cartoon, altatude, juan astasio soriano

Weekly Cartoon: Altatude #10 Issue 34

cartoon, altatude, issue 24, scott masear

Weekly Cartoon: Altatude #7 Issue 24

altatude, cartoon, issue 24, kaamran hafeez

Weekly Cartoon: Altatude #10 Issue 24

the optimist movie, stephen lang, elsie fisher

‘The Optimist’ Review

TTS audio available4 min
outdoor event space with a large pink sign for frieze los angeles

Navigating Frieze Los Angeles

TTS audio available6 min
altatude, cartoon, issue 24, jeremy nguyen

Weekly Cartoon: Altatude #9 Issue 24

altatude, cartoon, issue 24, kate isenberg

Weekly Cartoon: Altatude #11 Issue 24

altatude, cartoon, issue 24, lars kenseth

Weekly Cartoon: Altatude #12 Issue 24

altatude, cartoon, issue 24, scott masear

Weekly Cartoon: Altatude #13 Issue 24

altatude, cartoon, issue 24, bob eckstein

Weekly Cartoon: Altatude #14 Issue 24

altatude, cartoon, issue 24, brooke bourgeois

Weekly Cartoon: Altatude #8 Issue 24

altatude, cartoon, issue 24, juan astasio

Weekly Cartoon: Altatude #15 Issue 24