SUBSCRIBE TODAY BUY THE ISSUE
Tales of Survival
“Look Out or You’ll Be Poisoned”
A tale of love, tainted marshmallows, and murder at the Carmel artist colony. By Joy Lanzendorfer • Illustrations by Laura Pérez
No Pity
In Portland, a band of fed-up citizens are fighting back against car thieves and chop shops. They’ll step in where law enforcement can’t and do repos on behalf of crime victims. By David Wolman • Illustrations by Mark Smith
The Bullfighter Draws Her Sword
In her quest to become the first matadora in modern Spain, 23-year-old Honey Anne Haskin gave the performance of a lifetime. By Geoffrey Gray • Illustrations by Hokyoung Kim
“AGUA, AGUA”
In 1905, prospector Pablo Valencia survived a week without water as he walked—and stumbled, and crawled—more than 100 miles in the Sonoran Desert. Seventy-five years later, high school teacher Bill Broyles retraced his route and lived to talk about it. By Julian Smith • Illustrations by John Mattos
P-22’S LIFE IN L.A.
Hazards stalked him every day. But somehow, Griffith Park’s big puma survived in the wild for more than a decade. His death devastated the city he called home. By Denise Hamilton • Illustrations by Zoe Matthiessen
Alta Picks: Venture at Your Own Risk
There’s nothing like surviving a terrifying plummet into chilly Northern California waters or dodging a falling stalactite deep beneath the earth’s surface in Utah. If danger calls to you, here are six activities to try this spring. But we must warn you—these thrills are not without peril, so proceed with caution. By Jessica Blough, Elizabeth Casillas, Nasim Ghasemiyeh, Aaron Gilbreath, and Ajay Orona
Features
The Magic of Malibu Colony
Inside a gated haven where movie stars, rock stars, and wealthy nonconformists roam the streets—and the beach. By Jay McInerney • Photos by Gregg Segal
The Grizzly Next Door
Researchers show that it is possible to reintroduce the iconic brown bear to California. Will people go for it? By Ajay Orona • Photos by Gordon Wiltsie
A Superhero on Steroids
In response to grim statistics on abuse, one woman learns to defend herself so that she may “walk in peace.” By Monica Corcoran Harel • Photos by Christina Gandolfo
The Search for Mardou Fox
She was the inspiration for Jack Kerouac’s The Subterraneans, but who was Alene Lee? By Lynell George • Illustrations by James Ransome
Imperial Dreamer
More than a century ago, Harold Bell Wright’s bestseller The Winning of Barbara Worth promised California it could make its deserts bloom. Now we’re paying the price. By Peter Fish • Illustrations by Steve Carroll
Dispatches
Sometimes it can take a lifetime to learn how not to throw a punch. By Eugene S. Robinson • Photos by Carolyn Fong
Stonewall Jackson’s statue should be melted down. Instead, the Confederate general is bound for Los Angeles. By Tim Wendel
The Transgender Experience in California
The state likes to see itself as a sanctuary. But its past—and present—doesn’t always support that ideal. By Jules Gill-Peterson • Photo by Melissa Golden
How to See a Black Hole
The Event Horizon Telescope has given us the first-ever images of these mysterious phenomena. Next, the James Webb Space Telescope will join this project to better understand their behavior, including their eating habits and how they’ve shaped the cosmos. By Sarah Scoles • Photos by Scott Baxter
California’s Monuments Men and Women
During wildfires and other natural disasters, art and artifacts often get left behind. Colonel Kirk Sturm and his team aim to rescue these cultural treasures. By Katya Cengel • Photos by Penni Gladstone
Trailblazer: Erick Mikiten
Designing without compromise. By Jessica Klein
Books
Because Here Is Nowhere Steady
By Claudia Rankine
Why You Should Read This: Citizen
By David L. Ulin
A Conversation with Percival Everett
By David L. Ulin
Why You Should Read This: Telephone
By David L. Ulin
A Conversation with Charles Yu
By David L. Ulin
Why You Should Read This: Interior Chinatown
By David L. Ulin
The California Gaze
Together with his novel and earlier memoir, Terry McDonell’s Irma defines a uniquely West Coast perspective, one of perpetual curiosity and self-discovery. By Will Hearst
Culture
Poetry: “Sunflower Poem”
By Matthew Zapruder
“The Last Black Calligrapher in San Francisco”
Hunter Saxony III relies on centuries-old calligraphic techniques to create conceptual art that explores identity, justice, and mortality. By Jessica Zack • Photo by Christie Hemm Klok
Why This Art: The Phenomenology of Place
By Perri Lynch Howard
We’re Western AF
A Wyoming YouTube channel is helping to drive the Americana music resurgence. By Meredith Lawrence • Photo by Erik Stenbakken
Poetry: “Supernova”
By Thea Matthews
Fiction: “Breakdown in the Right Lane”
By Rachel Howzell Hall • Illustrations by Victor Juhasz
In Every Issue
EDITOR’S NOTE: S for Survival
By Blaise Zerega