Sounds

Alta Picks: FisherPoets Gathering

Music, poetry, “strong women,” and “good-looking men” gather for an Oregon fishermen’s tradition.

To California, from California
The roundabout product of an alternative-folk songwriter, a Los Ange…
826 Valencia Voices
This very special Alta podcast welcomes young authors and poets from…
Safe Space for the Mobile Homeless

Our guest is Bonnie Tsui, a journalist, author and Alta contributor.
Matthew Aucoin Makes Opera for 2020
The preternaturally gifted composer Matthew Aucoin travels to the un…
Jan 15, 2020
The Tomb of the Unknown “Wetback”
How does the death of an immigrant killed in the 1950’s by Anaheim police and a 2019 family funeral converge into one incredible moment…
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Dec 31, 2019
Alta’s Best Podcasts 2019
These six podcasts from 2019 range from an intimate conversation with Vietnam War resister David Harris at his Marin County home to an …
Dec 30, 2019
Recorded Live: Jazz Singer Paula West Gets Personal
In this episode, recorded on November 13, 2019 at Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley California, West discusses her process—and her p…
Dec 18, 2019
Hummingbirds Are Fascinating. Really.
Today’s guest is Jason G.Goldman, a science journalist, author, and expedition leader based in Los Angeles.
Dec 4, 2019
Can Cancer Be Funny?
Can cancer be funny?Author Mary Ladd and illustrator Don Asmussen certainly think so.
Nov 20, 2019
Nick Neely Follows the Footsteps of Portolá
Burger King, loneliness, binoculars, and camp coffee; it was all part of Nick Neely’s quest to better understand California. Neely is a…
Nov 6, 2019
Mr. Peace on Modern Resistance
“I got to be a hero.” David Harris is a former contributing editor to the New York Times and Rolling Stone, and he is the author of nea…
Oct 22, 2019
Renaissance of the Written Word
The Fall, 2019 issue of Alta features the magazine’s first standalone section on books and literature spearheaded by our books editor, …
Oct 9, 2019
California Deserved a Bigger Role in the Ken Burns Country Music Doc
The filmmaker's ambitious eight-part, 16-hour documentary Country Music focuses on a uniquely American art form—and could have dug even…
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Oct 9, 2019
Remembering Climbing Legend Tom Frost
What do the CIA, an outdoor clothing company, and a Yosemite campsite all have in common?Tom Frost.
Sep 25, 2019
Man-Made Meat is a Very Real Thing
Rachel Levin went where very few have gone before — she ate a chicken nugget made out of man-made meat.“Motherless meat” is different f…
Sep 11, 2019
Joel Sartore’s Photo Ark Project
Joel Sartore is on a one-man mission to build a photographic library of every animal in human care.He’s like Noah—with a really fancy c…
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Sep 4, 2019
Past, Present and Future of Women in Classical Music
What special challenges do women musicians face that their male counterparts don’t?Have those challenges changed, and in what ways?
Aug 28, 2019
CalFire’s Aerial First Responders
CalFire’s aerial firefighting fleet is the largest of its kind in the world.Today’s guest, award-winning and best-selling author Bonnie…
Aug 14, 2019
Musso & Frank Grill Turns 100
Musso & Frank Grill is a Los Angeles institution.Writer David Kipen visited this storied dining spot (in character as The Anniversarist…