What Sharing the Burden of War Could Look Like

A Military Chaplain on How Those Who Fought and Those Who Sent Them Can Hold This Weight Together

This spring, I walked into an old Quaker meeting house on Pocumtuck homeland, now Massachusetts. I had been invited by Ojibwa Elders Strong Oak and Grandmother Nancy to participate in the Wiping of Tears healing ceremony.

I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had never met the elders, and only knew a little about the ceremony. A few weeks before, a friend of mine, who works with Elder Strong Oak, had extended the invitation to join them in what would be the first Wiping of Tears on this land for generations.

A …

Wildfire Size Doesn’t Matter

To Plan Ahead for Future Disasters, We Need to Prioritize Severity, Community Impact, and Environmental Damage

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, maintains a list of the “Top 20 Largest California Wildfires.” Lately, as ever more massive blazes erupt, it’s become …

A cut out of Michelle Wilde Anderson against a yellow-orange background. She wears a black blazer and is smiling, looking slightly to the right. Hovering to her right is a cut out of two copies of her book 'The Fight to Save the Town: Reimagining Discarded America.' Below the books is the Zócalo Book Prize logo.

Michelle Wilde Anderson Wins the 2023 Zócalo Book Prize

The Fight to Save the Town Highlights the Work of Sewing Society Back Together

Michelle Wilde Anderson is the winner of the 2023 Zócalo Public Square Book Prize for The Fight to Save the Town: Reimagining Discarded America.

Zócalo awards the $10,000 prize annually to …

Announcing the 2023 Zócalo Book Prize Shortlist | Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

Announcing the 2023 Zócalo Book Prize Shortlist

Congratulations to Saladin Ambar, Michelle Wilde Anderson, Stephanie Cacioppo, Anand Giridharadas, and Gaia Vince

The books shortlisted for the 2023 Zócalo Book Prize address five of the most urgent issues of our current moment: racial inequality, economic inequality, the struggle for human connection, political …

Youth Development Coordinator Gloria Gonzalez | Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

Southeast Asian Community Alliance’s Sissy Trinh

A Public Park Should Have a Mix of Uses for a Diverse Population

Sissy Trinh is the founder and executive director of the Southeast Asian Community Alliance. Before joining last May’s Zócalo/Goldhirsh Foundation LA2050 event, “Can We All Live in the Best Version …

Youth Development Coordinator Gloria Gonzalez | Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

Director of Meztli Projects Joel Garcia

Punk Rock Was My First Community

Joel Garcia is an artist, cultural organizer, and the director of Meztli Projects. Before moderating last May’s Zócalo/Goldhirsh Foundation LA2050 event, “Can We All Live in the Best Version of …