Our Favorite Events of 2021

New Ideas, a New Home, and a New Hybrid Event Format Connected Us With Angelenos—and Audiences Around the World

Over 18 years and 650 events since we hosted our inaugural Zócalo event in 2003, Zócalo Public Square remains as fiercely committed as ever to bringing people together around ideas. We also have continued to build on our mission, expanding the dream of the zócalo—a grand plaza where anyone and everyone is welcome to gather—to bring even more people and perspectives into the fold.

COVID only accelerated this work, moving our events to a livestream in spring 2020 and, this year, once public health restrictions allowed, pushing us to introduce a …

December 22, 2021

The Weird, Wonderful Work of Pandemic Geropsychology

With His Elderly Patients Isolated by COVID, a Therapist Turned to Dr. Pepper, Music, and Cheez Doodles

by Craig Libman | November 11, 2021

On March 30, 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic rendered silent the vibrant skilled nursing community where I worked. All the doors were closed, with residents in solitary confinement in their rooms. …

Why Ghosts Gave Comfort to the Ancient Greeks

Classical Playwrights Used Spirits to Deliver Wisdom and Counsel—Some of It Still Relevant Today

by Nancy Hendricks | October 27, 2021

The pandemic struck at a time when people’s confidence in their government was already shaky. Many decried the lack of attention being paid to information about public health and safety, …

The Pandemic’s Hidden Victims

How COVID-19 Made Other Illnesses More Deadly

by Maria Carnovale and Imre Varju | August 16, 2021

If we told you that marathons lead to spikes in deaths from heart attacks, you might picture exhausted weekend warriors collapsing before they cross the finish line. The story is …

Did the Pandemic Rejuvenate Christianity?

Away from the Headlines, Believers Across California Scrambled to Adapt—And Underwent Some Startling Changes

by Jim Hinch | July 28, 2021

Judging by news coverage, the only religion trend originating in California during the pandemic was of conservative evangelical COVID denialism and defiance.

One California church, South Bay United Pentecostal in …

Can We Reimagine Juvenile Justice for Gen Z?

Emerging Into Adulthood Is Hard for Everyone. Prison Makes It Nearly Impossible

by Lael E.H. Chester | July 22, 2021

“Emerging adult” is a new phrase for many of us, and a useful term for understanding a stage of human development that is too often overlooked. People between the ages …

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