The Great Digital Indoors

Diana Steinsnyder is a textile designer and creative director based in Southern California. She has designed for a variety of fashion and beauty brands, and you can find her patterns on clothing and home goods from Speedo, RVCA, Roark, and Bonobos.

For her Zócalo Sketchbook, Steinsnyder presents a series of digital paintings of her favorite house plants. “During the early days of the pandemic when I often wasn’t venturing outside, I cultivated a deep connection with my plants,” she explains. “They functioned as an outlet to nature and caring for them became …

The New Faces of Climate Justice | Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

The New Faces of Climate Justice

My Environmental Students Are Diverse, Motivated, and Love Humanity, but the More They Learn, the More They Despair

According to polls, Generation Z—people born between the mid-1990s and early 2010s—share some startling characteristics. Surveys show that they are more lonely, depressed, and suicidal than any previous generation. They …

In Bad Times, Every Dog Is a ‘Very Good Dog’ | Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

In Bad Times, Every Dog Is a ‘Very Good Dog’

As Dogs Help Us Weather the Emotions of a Global Pandemic, We Should Reconsider What We Owe Them

I have found myself looking at Bella with great envy these past few weeks. As I try to tamp down my panic and get work done, Bella naps in her …

While ICE Tries to Deport My Father, My Family Stays Strong

While Rómulo Avelica Waits in Prison, the World Is Responding with Compassion

My life has drastically changed since February 28, 2017, when my father was arrested by ICE agents as part of President Trump’s effort to fulfill his campaign promise to deport …

When My Father Died

my mother built over me a worry
big as a hangar the concrete floors oceanic
but I mopped them every morning slick and lit
like sweat on a palm I …

Obsessing About Terrorism Is Bad for Your Mental Health

Constant Media-Induced Anxiety Can Inflict Psychological Harm

My patient, Anna, is an African-American woman in her 60s living alone in Los Angeles. She has a progressive arthritis and she walks slowly with the aid of a …