Ranked #1
David Ulin explains Joan Didion
David Ulin explains Joan Didion
David Ulin, the former L.A. Times book editor, interprets Joan Didion, just as she interpreted California. As the editor... Read more
3 Dec 2019
•
28mins
Ranked #2
Dr. Manuel Pastor sees California as America on fast forward
Dr. Manuel Pastor sees California as America on fast forward
Dr. Manuel Pastor, USC professor of sociology and American studies and ethnicity discussed how the future of work, polit... Read more
31 Oct 2019
•
30mins
Ranked #3
Paul Theroux introduces us to our neighbor
Paul Theroux introduces us to our neighbor
Paul Theroux, the renowned travel writer and author of the new book "On the Plain of Snakes: A Mexican Journey," takes t... Read more
12 Nov 2019
•
27mins
Ranked #4
David Talbot and a tale of San Francisco gone wrong
David Talbot and a tale of San Francisco gone wrong
David Talbot has never been accused of being shy about his views. The founder of Salon and longtime voice for so-called ... Read more
7 May 2019
•
27mins
Ranked #5
Mike Davis and his alternative view of California
Mike Davis and his alternative view of California
Mike Davis, author, MacArthur fellow, and professor emeritus at U.C. Riverside, shares his alternative civic history of ... Read more
12 Mar 2019
•
26mins
Ranked #6
Ken Turan talks Oscars, Hollywood and Netflix
Ken Turan talks Oscars, Hollywood and Netflix
Kenneth Turan, L.A. Times film critic for almost 30 years and the regular film critic for NPR’s "Morning Edition," looks... Read more
7 Feb 2020
•
21mins
Ranked #7
Richard Walker on the crises and contradictions of Silicon Valley
Richard Walker on the crises and contradictions of Silicon Valley
Richard Walker, professor emeritus of geography at U.C. Berkeley, is a student of the renown Marxist geographer David Ha... Read more
18 Apr 2019
•
33mins
Ranked #8
Sam Dodge on California’s greatest crisis
Sam Dodge on California’s greatest crisis
Sam Dodge, homeless coordinator for the San Francisco Department of Public Works, talks about California’s battle with h... Read more
18 Dec 2019
•
27mins
Ranked #9
Tom O’Neill’s 20-year journey into Charles Manson’s world of darkness
Tom O’Neill’s 20-year journey into Charles Manson’s world of darkness
What really happened on August 8th and 9th, 1969? In his new book, CHAOS, investigative journalist Tom O’Neill argues th... Read more
8 Aug 2019
•
40mins
Ranked #10
D.J. Waldie and the end of California exceptionalism
D.J. Waldie and the end of California exceptionalism
D.J. Waldie, in the tradition of historians Kevin Starr and Mike Davis, contextualizes our understanding of California a... Read more
29 Aug 2019
•
20mins
Ranked #11
Mark Arax on chasing water and dust across California
Mark Arax on chasing water and dust across California
Mark Arax, a long-time California journalist, talks about the epic history of water in the Golden State. His new book, "... Read more
29 May 2019
•
23mins
Ranked #12
Mike Fitzgerald on Stockton and the "other California"
Mike Fitzgerald on Stockton and the "other California"
Mike Fitzgerald just retired after 30 years as a reporter and columnist for the Stockton Record. He is one of those rare... Read more
19 Mar 2019
•
26mins
Ranked #13
Joe Talbot on "The Last Black Man in San Francisco"
Joe Talbot on "The Last Black Man in San Francisco"
Joe Talbot’s debut film, "The Last Black Man in San Francisco," captures the unsteady pulse of an ever-changing city. Th... Read more
17 Jul 2019
•
17mins
Ranked #14
Leslie Berlin on Silicon Valley’s origin story
Leslie Berlin on Silicon Valley’s origin story
Leslie Berlin wrote the book on Silicon Valley. The Project Historian for the Silicon Valley Archives at Stanford, she h... Read more
1 May 2019
•
29mins
Ranked #15
2 powerful L.A. City Council members on the city's present and future
2 powerful L.A. City Council members on the city's present and future
Paul Koretz and Marqueece Harris-Dawson represent polar opposite districts in Los Angeles. Yet the issues they face — ho... Read more
22 Aug 2019
•
45mins
Ranked #16
The California dream inspired and destroyed Robin Williams
The California dream inspired and destroyed Robin Williams
Robin Williams’ story is woven into the fabric of both the Bay Area and Hollywood. His drive for success and fame, coupl... Read more
23 May 2019
•
29mins
Ranked #17
Randy Shaw on the sabotaging of California housing
Randy Shaw on the sabotaging of California housing
Randy Shaw, executive director of the Tenderloin Housing Clinic, is a long-time housing activist in the Bay Area and aut... Read more
24 Apr 2019
•
29mins
Ranked #18
Noam Cohen on how Silicon Valley undermines an authentic life
Noam Cohen on how Silicon Valley undermines an authentic life
Author and journalist Noam Cohen dares to ask if we really signed up for all the technological change we now take for gr... Read more
1 Aug 2019
•
22mins
Ranked #19
David Ulin on the joys and challenges of Los Angeles
David Ulin on the joys and challenges of Los Angeles
David Ulin, the former book editor of the L.A. Times, points out that few American cities have changed more in the past ... Read more
24 Jul 2019
•
33mins
Ranked #20
David Kipen shares five-hundred years of opinions about Los Angeles
David Kipen shares five-hundred years of opinions about Los Angeles
David Kipen, author, journalist, and cultural historian of Los Angeles has scoured libraries, archives, and private esta... Read more
8 Mar 2019
•
18mins