New at Zócalo

  • Poetry

    by Valencia Robin

    If we perceive barely a sliver of our reality,
    the knowable only a small part of what’s out there,

    that fat bee bumping up against the window,
    the faint sound of …

  • Essay

    I’m Autistic and Scared of Your Dog

    Some of My Favorite Summer Places Feel Perilous When People Flout Leash Laws

    by Jason Jacoby Lee |

    It’s a beautiful summer day in Venice, California, and everyone seems to be out enjoying the beach—except for me.

    I am profoundly autistic. As a result, I may jump up and …

  • Sketchbook

    Hoiyan Ng is a New York City-based illustrator and graduate of the School of Visual Arts.

    For her Zócalo Sketchbook, Ng takes us below the waves to experience her near-hallucinatory ocean dwellers. “The …

  • Connecting California

    Who Will Defend Us From the Body Snatchers?

    The Pod People Are Back. This Time, Our Overworked Local Officials Are Even Less Prepared to Protect Us

    by Joe Mathews |

    Maybe I’ve been watching too many old movies.

    Or maybe the body snatchers are back.

    We’ve seen them twice before in my home state of California. Both invasions—of pod aliens, who secretly …

  • Essay

    Trust Me on the Sunscreen

    From Soothing Burns With Crushed Strawberries to Base Tans to SPF 50, Our Move Toward a Sun-Safe Future

    by Charlotte Mathieson |

    It’s April 2000. I’m 14 years old, lying on a beach in the Bahamas, a bottle of SPF 20 at my side. I periodically check to see how my suntan …

  • The Takeaway

    What’s the DNA of an Effective Protest?

    Scholars and Practitioners Discussed What It Takes to Create a Sustained, Successful Movement at Last Night’s Event “When Does Protest Make a Difference?”

    by Jackie Mansky |

    With the new school year starting, universities across the country anticipate a new wave of protests around the war in Gaza, now in its 10th month. To offer broad perspective, …

  • Poetry

    by Laura Newbern

     

    It is always some northern state.

    Michigan. Minnesota. A road, two lanes,

    in a soft twilight. Tame woods

    on either side, railroad tracks

    that …

  • Essay

    Does ‘Slacktivism’ Deserve Its Bad Rap?

    Lazy Forms of Protest—From Social Media Posts to Bumper Stickers—Can Also Help Effect Change

    by Lisa Mueller |

    This essay was published in tandem with the event “When Does Protest Make a Difference?” on August 22. View the recorded discussions here.

    Earlier this …