California

Headed up by multi-talented singer-songwriter Cindy Emch, The Secret Emchy Society has quickly become a cornerstone band of a burgeoning music scene that’s putting marginalized voices at the forefront of an often marginalizing music scene.

My story “On the Trail of Jack London” was chosen for a Solas Award back in February, and the publication that does the awards, Traveler’s Tales, is publishing it twice this week.

I’m pleased to announce that I managed to score a Solas Award for Travel Writing from Traveler’s Tales this year.

When I came home, nothing went right. New Orleans does that to me. I’ve lived in cities that welcomed me with open arms after some time away. New Orleans is not one of those cities. We develop relationships with the …

I took the red line down to Koreatown on L.A.’s still brand spankin’ new mass transit system. I was advised not to take it at night because “nobody uses it.” I can’t say whether or not that’s true. I rode …

My sister gave me a good primer on how she learned to live Los Angeles: “Just accept that you’re always going to be in traffic and that everybody’s a tool, and you’ll be fine.” It’s a bit harsh, but that’s …

Snaking over 650 miles down California’s coast, the Pacific Coast Highway is both an engineering marvel and one of the most spectacular drives in the country. It’s a bit easier to get there now, as long as you have the …

(photo: Bettmann/CORBIS) You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.  –Jack London He was a dropout, a hobo, an oyster poacher. He was an excellent sailor, a less excellent rancher, a deeply committed socialist, …

My first view of the Pacific came after driving through fire. If you’ve been following the news, you know about the wildfires that are blanketing California in a thick haze of smoke. On Highway 299, for pretty much the entire …