Features
TEMPERAMENTAL QUBITS
Quantum computing promises to solve problems no conventional computer can handle. Now, if only the machines would cooperate. By Timothy Ferris • Photos by Gregg Segal
Tribal Travesty on the Rock
In 1895, 19 Hopi men were sent to Alcatraz for being “subversive.” Their story is one of the lesser-known legends of America’s most notorious prison. By Laurie Ann Doyle
DRAWING A BLANK
A serial killer known as the Doodler, who murdered at least five gay men in the Bay Area 40 years ago, remains at large. By Zack Ruskin
Taming the Flames
California firefighters are gaining vital knowledge from indigenous tribes who have long used controlled burns to manage forests. By Laird Harrison • Photos by Penni Gladstone
ALTA Q&A: ARMISTEAD Maupin
A recent London transplant, Tales of the City writer Armistead Maupin discusses why he left his beloved San Francisco, what his next big book might be, and how much he likes his new surroundings (spoiler: a lot). A conversation with Will Hearst • Photos by Christopher Turner
A Survivor’s Tale
One of the biggest trees in the world—the Boole—is thriving despite a devastating logging in Converse Basin, a massive sequoia grove 60 miles east of Fresno. The bigger mystery is why it was named for the man who supervised the forest’s destruction. By Matt Jaffe
Badass Women of the West
Ann Nguyen fled Saigon to carve out a new life in Southern California. She put her sons through school as she worked, like many first-generation Vietnamese immigrants, at the local nail salon. By Susan Straight
The Forgotten Babies
A story hits close to home for a reporter reviewing every child death in Los Angeles County investigated by the Department of Children and Family Services. By Melissa Chadburn • Illustrations by Matt Mahurin
Come Dive With Me
No scuba gear required: A Berkeley submarine collective wants to bring San Francisco Bay sea life up close and personal for the general public. By Zack Ruskin • Photos by Peter Prato
Drowning in Too Much TV
Streaming services have created an ocean of choices for viewers—and it’s only going to get worse as market fragmentation expands. Consumers who’ve cut cable cords may not be saving any money—and are likely feeling overwhelmed. By Chris O’Brien
A Mighty Maestro
The San Diego Symphony’s new music director, Rafael Payare, may not yet have the same name recognition as his fellow Venezuelan conductor L.A.’s Gustavo Dudamel, but he’s got energy and talent to burn. By Catherine Womack
PORTFOLIO: Framable Algae
An artist’s stunning new book, The Curious World of Seaweed, proves that it’s much, much more than a sushi wrap. Photography by Josie Iselin
FICTION: “ANSWER”
Whether by fortune or doom or absolute devotion, a young man’s mad, burning love for a married woman is requited. By Dagoberto Gilb • Illustrations by Victor Juhasz
Dispatches
Silent Mode
Those iconic bells along El Camino Real don’t ring, but they’re making noise among historians and activists nonetheless. By Marcela Davison Avilés
Green Warrior
The guerrilla gardener behind YouTube’s Crime Pays but Botany Doesn’t channel brings life to forsaken spots in Oakland. By Cirrus Wood
Invisible Life
She’s had to eat her pride—and Oreos for dinner—but one would-be actor still finds joy in being a Hollywood extra. By Rae Dubow
BYOP
Some San Francisco residents have begun taxing themselves to create neighborhood parks. By Lydia Lee
The Pulp Poet
Twenty-six years after Charles Bukowski’s death, his love affair with Los Angeles goes on. By Santi Elijah Holley
Rise and Shine
It’s batty, raucous, and even educational, yet the nearly 100-year-old Los Angeles Breakfast Club endures. By James Bartlett
A Wild Ride
When Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard tells stories, anyone seeking a life of adventure would be wise to listen. By Doug Robinson
Poetry
“Downhill White Supremacists March on Sacramento." By Tess Taylor
Books
Checked Boxes
In Conditional Citizens, Laila Lalami offers eight essays that excavate histories of exclusion.
By Ismail Muhammad
Defining Decade
Mike Davis and Jon Wiener deliver a much-needed history of L.A. in the 1960s. By William Deverell
The Lower Depths
The final installment of William T. Vollmann’s “transgender trilogy” plumbs San Francisco’s Tenderloin district. By Paul Wilner
Fruits of Their Labor
The first novel from Rishi Reddi, Passage West, is an audacious look at South Asians in the Imperial Valley. By David L. Ulin
A Poet on Poets
Former U.S. poet laureate Kay Ryan’s essays give her take on other great poets. By Matthew Zapruder
Bouncing Back
Resilience and a sense of exile infuse the first short story collection from Lidia Yuknavitch. By Emily Rapp Black
Mapping It Out
Two books chart exciting new territory in cartography. By Mark Haskell Smith
Beacons of Hope
Take that, Amazon. The success of independents like Point Reyes Books speaks to the moment we’re living in. By Peter Fish
Reviews
Patience, Please
The final phase of the long-in-the-making Chinese garden at the Huntington in San Marino opens. By Chris Martins
Take a Whirl
Bigwigs in L.A.’s dance and arts communities back the inaugural Los Angeles International Dance Festival. By Jordan Riefe
Million-Dollar Movie
A restoration of Erich von Stroheim’s Foolish Wives reveals an underappreciated masterpiece. By Dennis Harvey
Coat of Many Colors
Her style, her self-creation, but ultimately her art: a San Francisco exhibit celebrates Frida Kahlo. By Bridget Quinn
Heavy Medal
L.A. is hosting the Olympics in 2028. So why is its architectural game plan lacking urgency and verve? By Joseph Giovannini
Juice It Up
For renters or owners wary of planned power outages, an in-home battery is a worthy investment. By Beth Spotswood
Every Issue
- Publisher’s Note: The Science of Publishing
- Appreciation: Frieda Caplan
- What Next: BYOC
- Altatude
