For Amit Bose, tea is life. Approaching six decades as a professional tea taster, he shares what it means to be an expert in his line of work. zps.la/4btXdKG

Grammy Award–winning musician, activist, and professor Martha Gonzalez explains why she identifies as an “artivista” and how music empowers communities and speaks truth to power. youtube.com/shorts/D_0Ek...

For her Sketchbook, Ariane Vielmetter worked together with her son Theo to pay their respects to the species of plants that have grown, recovered, and sprouted on their lot since the Eaton fire destroyed their home and community. zps.la/49qMyxV

Is there a government that L.A.’s fire victims can depend upon? Probably not. Which is why they should demand a government of their own. @californiajoe.bsky.social on the potential of the climate resilience district. zps.la/3YUxi7A

Grammy Award–winning musician, activist, and professor Martha Gonzalez explains how Chicano rock challenges expectations of “Latino music” while honoring its Civil Rights roots and resisting ongoing abuses of power. youtube.com/shorts/eWoEv...

Happy new year! Start 2026 right by signing up for our newsletter to get more Zócalo—ideas journalism with a head and heart—directly to your inbox. zps.la/newsletter

Have you ever wondered why we count down to the new year? Historian Alexis McCrossen explains how the Doomsday Clock, science fiction, and Dick Clark got us to '5-4-3-2-1.' zps.la/4gQoN4k

The 2026 Zócalo Poetry Prize contest closes on January 23, 2026, at 11:59 PM PT. Read the full submission details and check out our past winners: zps.la/pp26

What was your favorite Zócalo essay of 2025? Read our staff picks and let us know which are missing. zps.la/essays25

"...we—the artists and institutions—forget that artmaking goes hand in hand with making community," writes Jesus A. Reyes for @zocalopublicsquare.bsky.social. "It is our responsibility to do more than just set out the welcome mat." www.zocalopublicsquare.org/making-plays...

For decades, the Kennedy Center has played an outsized role in supporting Washington, D.C.’s professional theatrical class. As its ticket sales and subscriptions decline, playwright Gwydion Suilebhan worries about the effects on an entire artistic ecosystem. zps.la/43NMRRy

Zócalo publishes new poetry every Friday. Read our latest: "Orion's Belt" by Emily Khilfeh. zps.la/4je9Sna

Tara DeVeaux, CEO of BCG Worldwide and Burrell Communications Group, discusses why hip-hop is personal for her, and how, as a brand marketer, she’s seen it shift popular culture. youtube.com/shorts/www4Q...

Catch up on our last program of the year! Read our recap of “Where Does Deportation Come From?,” featuring a discussion between Kelly Lytle Hernández and filmmaker Alex Rivera. zps.la/deportation

Detavio Samuels, CEO of Offscript Worldwide and Revolt, reflects on how hip-hop shaped his life and career, while highlighting the ongoing challenges Black creators face in seeing financial dividends from the industry they created. youtube.com/shorts/AH2ng...

Katrina Freeny's collection of Black Santas included 80 ornaments and more than 85 figurines. Some danced, some sang, one even recited “'Twas the night before Christmas.” All of them burned in the Eaton Fire. She writes about spending her first Christmas without them: zps.la/49fYJi3

This column is probably a waste of your time. Because this column is about voter ID. And even a minute spent debating voter ID is a minute thrown away, writes Joe Mathews. zps.la/4p2oCGV

Writer @miaaarmstrong.bsky.social and her husband had to wait a year to bring his beloved Mexican grandparents to the U.S. for a visit. When they finally arrived, it was messy, complex, and beautiful. zps.la/48zM0Xl

Medusa shares why authentic passion, consistency, and workshopping are essential to growing your craft and yourself as an artist. youtube.com/shorts/WlX0d...

TOMORROW AT 6 P.M. PT: “Where Does Deportation Come From?” Join historian Kelly Lytle Hernández and filmmaker Alex Rivera for a live conversation, film preview, and reading in San Diego w/ @macfound.org, Times of San Diego, and Bread & Salt. RSVP: zps.la/deportation

Hip-hop artist Medusa speaks about protecting women in the music industry, emphasizing self-worth, trusting your intuition, and surrounding yourself with people who support your artistry. youtube.com/shorts/ubgJT...

Professor Sylvia Zamora's college students came of age with Trump, and are just beginning to learn about the intricacies of the U.S. immigration and legal systems. In her class, she wants them to learn what makes this moment unprecedented: zps.la/48L8nrv

In illustrator Lisa Fernández's Zócalo Sketchbook, she gives us five objects in neon colors and bold patterns that remind her of her most nostalgic decade: the 1980s. View the original artwork here: zps.la/4aDYluS

There’s a cheap and easy way to ensure California’s 2026 race for governor doesn’t become anti-democratic: allow write-in candidates on the November ballot. Read columnist Joe Mathews' latest: zps.la/3KyChHE

Yale historian and Pulitzer Prize-winner David W. Blight makes the case for why the international community still needs the “endless curiosity and creativity” of the United States. youtube.com/shorts/8qP6m...

Over the weekend, illustrator Nabila Adani’s beautiful art for Mohammad Abu Hajar’s essay received recognition at @lapressclub.bsky.social’s NAEJ awards. Check it out, and revisit Hajar’s essay on the fall of Assad’s regime—one year ago today.

The suburbs used to make political organizer Miguel Molina-Ventura, an immigrant who grew up in South Central L.A., feel safe. But, he writes, ICE kidnappings and deportations have changed that. zps.la/3KKH8FA

@brandonbluepoet.bsky.social is our guest poetry curator for December! Blue chatted with us in the green room about the play Next to Normal, teaching French fables and fairystales, and first drafts. zps.la/48AAGJo

Venezuelans can conjure contradictory images, particularly for those living in the Global North. "Where’s the truth? Where’s the lie?" asks Zócalo contributing editor José González Vargas. zps.la/48x6JJV

Landmarks Illinois president and CEO Bonnie McDonald describes how America’s ideals and its messy realities intertwine in the ongoing work of achieving true pluralism. youtube.com/shorts/DOnht...

“Where Does Deportation Come From?” Join historian Kelly Lytle Hernández and filmmaker Alex Rivera for a live conversation, film preview, and reading in San Diego next Saturday, Dec. 13, at 6 p.m. w/ @macfound.org, Times of San Diego, and Bread & Salt. RSVP: zps.la/deportation

Creative consultant and fashion designer Siying Qu explores how migration and cultural exchange drive creativity, suggesting that art and design serve as a barometer, measuring the vibrancy and openness of American society. youtube.com/shorts/FuaFC...

It makes me crazy just how crazy it is that Americans are crazier than us Californians, writes Zócalo’s “crazy columnist” Joe Mathews. Read about what’s driving him crazy: zps.la/3K7yild

For decades, the Kennedy Center has played an outsized role in supporting Washington, D.C.’s professional theatrical class. As its ticket sales and subscriptions decline, playwright Gwydion Suilebhan worries about the effects on an entire artistic ecosystem. zps.la/43NMRRy

From #retail innovation to cherished #ustradition Our reading rec #bizhis #thanksgiving w #BHC @retailhistorian.bsky.social @zocalopublicsquare.bsky.social www.zocalopublicsquare.org/why-the-macy...

Tongva, Chumash, and Xicano artist and environmental advocate Isaac Michael Ybarra envisions a California where society adopts Indigenous ways of being and uses these practices to inform how they take care of their neighbors and environment. youtube.com/shorts/tM9ba...

Trans rights organizer and budget advocacy and policy expert Michaé De La Cuadra imagines a California where people can freely choose what they want to do with their lives and where they want to live. youtube.com/shorts/Mcs4Y...

After a Waymo ran over KitKat, a beloved SF brown tabby, the cat’s death became “proof of how AI now shapes our lives, and without our democratic consent,” writes Joe Mathews. zps.la/4p0MBHt

Community organizer and housing justice advocate Aidan Lin-Tostado discusses how technology impacts our lived environments and stresses the need for strong human relationships and community ties. youtube.com/shorts/98MkY...

After meeting novelist Junot Díaz at a book signing, playwright Marco Antonio Rodriguez embarked on a journey to adapt Díaz's beloved novel, "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao," for the stage. Read all about it: zps.la/4a47tsp

Immigrant rights advocate Yliana Johansen-Méndez explains why immigration is essential to California’s identity and growth and, despite current challenges, will continue to be. youtube.com/shorts/4iXtG...

@caltech.edu astrophysicist Konstantin Batygin discusses how AI’s rapid rise is redefining how scientists teach, learn, and innovate. youtube.com/shorts/THqlj...

In California's recently concluded special election, the Trump regime engaged in abuses and intimidation tactics that have convinced the U.N. to deploy election monitors in other countries. Joe Mathews on why California needs the U.N. to observe its 2026 and 2028 elections. zps.la/47ZzAGG

What will California’s democracy look like in the year 2200? Business advocate and public affairs specialist Brooke Armour Spiegel predicts a future shaped more by citizen-led initiatives. youtube.com/shorts/ZbDUg...

Join us Sat, Dec. 13 at 6 p.m. at Bread & Salt (San Diego) for “Where Does Deportation Come From?,” a conversation between @macfound.org Fellows Kelly Lytle Hernández and @alex-rivera.bsky.social exploring the history of deportation. Free RSVP: zps.la/deportation

In a 1960s experiment, mice who had time to learn their way around a barn avoided a predatory owl. Those who didn't got eaten. A UCLA biologist's thoughts on experts and survival: zps.la/47FkF5E

To write "Hot Girls with Balls," @xbennyboo.bsky.social immersed herself in volleyball and internet culture. "Acquiring this knowledge was central to my writing process. But I wrote a novel, not a reference guide," she explains. On fiction, empathy, and expertise: zps.la/3LFzkoI

👏Hosted by @zocalopublicsquare.bsky.social , Playwrights’ Arena, UCLA Diversifying the Classics, and LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes. 🎟️Reserve your spot: www.eventbrite.com/e/can-comedi...

Policy analyst Robert Lempert participated in a meeting of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which bridges the scientific community and policymakers. Here's what he learned: zps.la/43emhRa

Picture this: The year is 2027. The Trump regime is over. Young people have led a successful revolution to take back the U.S. Read columnist Joe Mathews’ dispatch from the not-so-distant future: zps.la/47msTiT