Stop Pretending Nothing Happens in August

The Month of Beach Vacations Is Also When World War I Broke Out, Iraq Invaded Kuwait, and the U.S. Bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki

A person lies face down on a red towel at a beach, face hidden, with a hat covering the back of their head.

Zócalo’s editors are highlighting some of our favorite pieces from the archive. This week: Former Zócalo editorial director Andrés Martinez muses on the mischief and melancholic nature of August, reminding us that the month is anything but peaceful.

The headlines these days all seem to demand exclamation marks. Iraq is teetering on the brink! Russian troops are massing on the Ukrainian border! Gaza lies in ruins! World’s worst Ebola epidemic afflicts Africa!

Oh, and it is also National Goat Cheese Month. Welcome to another quiet and peaceful August.

Yeah, …

by Andrés Martinez | August 18, 2014

Our Epic 2014 Summer Reading List

Zócalo Writers and Speakers Pick Their Favorite Nonfiction Books to Savor Through September

May 22, 2014

Every day, Zócalo hosts writers and speakers from around the world in order to bring you the smartest, most thoughtful humanities journalism and events out of L.A. And we don’t …

Down by the Lake

by Ellen Birkett Morris | August 9, 2013

Kids went down by the lake to get high,
the man-made lake where they say
someone died,
that is where kids went to get high.

Open the wrought iron gate.
Follow …

Books For Your Sun-and-Beer-Addled Brain

Zócalo—and Zócalo’s Guests—Offer Reading Recommendations For the Sultry Summer Months

May 23, 2013

Does the impending summer heat threaten to slow your brain? Fear not: Zócalo has an antidote to the dog days of air-conditioned naps and cold beers. We asked some of …

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