In the Green Room
New at Zócalo
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Essay
Which of Bluebeard’s Wives Are We?
A Fairytale for Our Moment Challenges Us to Face Reality—Even If We’d Rather Hide From It
There’s magic in fairy tales, the sort of magic that allows us to make sense of our world thanks to the help of long-dead storytellers. If we listen closely to …
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Essay
Where I Go: The ‘Meandering, Beautiful, Dangerous’ Angeles Crest Highway
This Pacific Crest Trail Gateway Is Southern California’s Most Accessible Scenic Byway—When It's Open, That Is
The Angeles Crest Highway winds thousands of feet above the Los Angeles basin, a meandering, beautiful, and dangerous road that leads to the hiking trails of the Angeles National Forest …
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Connecting California
The United States Didn’t Really Begin Until 1848
Forget 1619 or 1776—America's Origin Debate Has a California-Sized Blind Spot
America, you’ve got the dates wrong.
Your intense debate over which year marks the real beginning of the United States—1619 (slavery’s arrival) or 1776 (Declaration of Independence)—has become predictably polarizing. You …
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Essay
The Mural So Controversial Nixon Tried to Remove It
75 Years Later, 'War and Peace' Survives, But Its Ideals Have Not
As multiple crises pile atop one another in the young 21st century, a tripartite mural at a former San Francisco post office lobby rebukes us with its dated optimism.
“War and …
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In the Green Room
California African American Museum Executive Director Cameron Shaw
Running a Museum During a Global Pandemic Is Creativity Every Single Day
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The Takeaway
Meet the New Guards of L.A. Culture
New Faces, New Buildings, New Names, and More Are Coming
The cultural scene of Los Angeles is in the process of redrawing itself—in the last month alone, two institutions have announced their first female executive directors, Johanna Burton at the …
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Essay
The Red Brick Bungalow Where Hardcore Made a Home
In a D.C. Suburb, the Dischord House Became the Unlikely Epicenter for Reagan-Era Punk
Walking through the leafy Arlington, Virginia, neighborhood of Lyon Park, you might not even notice the bungalow-style house with its fading red paint and overgrown lawn, a relic from the …
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Essay
Hello (Bonjour) From Your Friendly TV Translator
I Hope You Enjoy My Subtitles and Dubs—Then Forget I Exist
If you don’t notice my work, it means I’m doing my job properly.
I’m an audiovisual translator, which means that I—and others like me—help you understand the languages spoken on screen: …
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Connecting California
California’s Recall Was Worth Every Penny
When It Comes to Supporting Democratic Infrastructure, $276 Million Is a Bargain
It’s hard to think of a better bargain in our high-cost state than the failed recall election against Gov. Gavin Newsom. At an estimated cost of $276 million—less than $7 …