Features
Defending the Lifeblood of Napa
As fire season becomes concurrent with harvest in wine country, what is the future of farming—and of cabernet? By Heather John Fogarty • Photos by Jason Henry
“A Horrible Death to Die”
Behind the origin myth of Stanford University lies a century-old murder. The victim: the school’s chief founder and benefactor. By Julia Flynn Siler
The Mushroom Man’s Magic
Artist Phil Ross built sculptures, furniture, and houses with fungi. Now, his mycelium material is being used in Hermès bags, and his company is worth millions. The unlikely entrepreneur’s next idea: lederhosen, made from the fleshy plants. By Adam Fisher
Special Section:
In Search of the Secret West
Hidden in Plain Sight
The West is full of secret places with secret histories. Alta Journal editor and publisher Will Hearst and wilderness-loving futurist Paul Saffo share their favorites. Will Hearst in conversation with Paul Saffo
Alta Picks: Roam If You Want To
Recommendations for the best of California and the West. By Nasim Ghasemiyeh and Sarah Stodder
Across Nevada on the Loneliest Road
Its western neighbors have their wild edges, but the Silver State is wild clear across. Because it’s forgotten. And nobody cares. By Doug Robinson
Mother of the White Angel Jungle
During the Great Depression, Lois Jordan single-handedly served hot meals to more than one million people. Her work filled their bellies and inspired an iconic photograph. By Gary Kamiya • Photos by Dorothea Lange
She Was Buried Facedown
A young woman sailing to San Francisco in the late 1860s was one of the unknown travelers in the vast African diaspora. By Lydia Lee
Biddy Mason and Hannah Embers Were Here
The Fort Benson historical marker memorializes an incomplete version of events that took place at the site. By Susan Straight • Illustration by James Ransome
The Confounding Case of Sir St. George Gore
An effort to rename a Colorado mountain range takes historical revisionism into uncharted territory. By Martin J. Smith • Illustrations by Mark Smith
Hamlin Garland’s Mad Quest for the “Buried Crosses”
In the 1930s, one of America’s most distinguished writers scoured the California desert hunting for mysterious Indigenous artifacts that allegedly predated Cortés. He found 16 of them. By Abby M. Gibson • Illustrations by Steve Carroll
No Assembly Required
For more than a century, filmmakers seeking the Wild West have found it in L.A.’s Santa Clarita Valley. By Louise Farr • Photos by Tod Seelie
An Occurrence at Sierra Mojada
The imagined last moments of Ambrose Bierce as a human comedy replete with unrequited love, gunfire, and a bitter, twisted ending. By Geoffrey Gray • Illustrations by John Mattos
Alta California Guides
- North Coast
- Gold Country
- Owens Valley
- Bay Area
- Central Coast
- Central Valley
- Sierra Nevada
- The Deserts
- Los Angeles
- San Diego
Dispatches
Medicine Without Borders
A Berkeley acupuncturist expands access to traditional Chinese medicine in the Navajo Nation. By Constance Hale
A Tribal History “Brighter Than Gold”
Spurred by the disappearance of a historic drum, Shelly Covert fights to restore the Nisenan’s culture and federal recognition. By Christian Kiefer
Trailblazer: Sarina Jepsen
Standing up for invertebrates. By Jessica Klein
Culture
Poetry: “Cancel Culture (The Bardo)” • “(Water/Places/A Time)”
By Cedar Sigo
Opera in Service of Its Audience
Director James Darrah has a cinematic vision for the future of live performance. By Catherine Womack
Let’s Talk About Sex
Red Light Lit’s reading series, journal, and books deliver a pleasing, emotional experience. By Anita Felicelli
By Vanessa Hua • Illustrations by Victor Juhasz
Revisiting three landmark movies that offered prophetic takes on Los Angeles 30 years ago. By Tim Greiving
Poetry: [to the voice of the age] • [trance poem with the gray stone]
By Brenda Hillman
Books
The resonant grace of Denis Johnson’s poetry springs from how he saw his world—and it influences how I see mine. By John Freeman • Illustrations by Matt Mahurin
Everything’s Fine Until It’s Not
William Finnegan reflects on his Pulitzer Prize–winning memoir, Barbarian Days. By David L. Ulin
The California I Know
Dana Johnson discusses her novel, Elsewhere, California, and its relationship to place. By Danzy Senna
We Are Already Indivisible
In A Paradise Built in Hell, Rebecca Solnit rethinks disaster and community. By John Freeman
In Every Issue
• Publisher’s Note: The End of Hibernation
By Will Hearst