An Azalea Grows in Paradise
On my first day as a seasonal firefighter in Paradise, California, they took me there. They called it Puke Hill, and later I heard them call it Miocene. But I had always known it as Head Dam, a mile-long, winding gravel road that zig-zags through outcroppings of serpentine rock. It begins at a large, rusted…
What It’s Like to Fight an L.A. Fire
As evening fell on January 7, 2025, I anxiously texted back and forth with family in Santa Monica, encouraging them to leave. Their house sat within a block of the evacuation warning zone of the Palisades Fire, and I knew all too well the imminent danger of extreme Santa Ana wind-driven spot fires igniting buildings…
![[Before it was all gone I went down]](https://web-archive.nli.org.il/National_Library/im_/https://i0.wp.com/www.zocalopublicsquare.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/butterfly-Papillon-victoria-stothard-lede.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&quality=89&ssl=1)
[Before it was all gone I went down]
Before it was all gone I went down / to my parents’ basement to see what I was taking / with…
How El 85 Changed Mexico City
Growing up in Mexico City means internalizing the fact that at any moment, an earthquake can shake the ground—and perhaps change…
Did the L.A. Fires Start in D.C.?
Shut up, Uncle Sam. Or put up. Yes, I’m talking to you, my federal government, the Trump administration. And I don’t…
Why Didn’t L.A. Plan for This?
No, Canada! Stop Pandering to Trump
January Poetry Curator Alan Shapiro
Alan Shapiro is the author of over 15 books of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, most recently, A Dress Rehearsal for the Truth. He has received…
Zócalo Cookbook
A proud food city, Los Angeles is what it eats. And our food is as diverse as the communities that have made L.A. home. To celebrate the diasporas that have flavored…
What Is A Good Job Now?
“What Is a Good Job Now?” is a series supported by The James Irvine Foundation, focusing on workers in the low-wage sectors of California’s economy, in communities across the state.
