Zócalo Public Square
@zocalopublicsquare.bsky.social
We combine public programs and journalism to examine essential questions in a broad-minded and accessible spirit.
A unit of ASU Media Enterprise.
A unit of ASU Media Enterprise.
Artists Athletes Activists founder Power Malu shares how cooking helps migrants and asylum seekers stay connected to their history while building community and safety in a new place. youtube.com/shorts/k8F-a...
How Food Connects Migrants
YouTube video by Zócalo Public Square
youtube.com
January 20, 2026 at 11:08 PM
Artists Athletes Activists founder Power Malu shares how cooking helps migrants and asylum seekers stay connected to their history while building community and safety in a new place. youtube.com/shorts/k8F-a...
L.A. activists and councilmembers say L.A.’s Police Chief Jim McDonnell’s lack of response to federal lawlessness is unwise.
@californiajoe.bsky.social wants to thank him. Read why: zps.la/4sJkGOj
@californiajoe.bsky.social wants to thank him. Read why: zps.la/4sJkGOj
Letter to L.A.’s Police Chief: How Do I Join a Gang? | Connecting California
By Refusing to Respond to Federal Raids, Jim McDonnell Is Pushing Angelenos Outside the Law
zps.la
January 20, 2026 at 5:56 PM
L.A. activists and councilmembers say L.A.’s Police Chief Jim McDonnell’s lack of response to federal lawlessness is unwise.
@californiajoe.bsky.social wants to thank him. Read why: zps.la/4sJkGOj
@californiajoe.bsky.social wants to thank him. Read why: zps.la/4sJkGOj
Every Friday, Zócalo publishes a new poem. Read "Noticing Structures & Their Birds" by Maxwell Griego. zps.la/4sJ8PQl
Noticing Structures & Their Birds by Maxwell Griego | Poetry
eagles grinding rails of wind above an island, a bay / a reference to the poetic red flash of a woodpecker in my favorite novel / my Grandpa likes to say: “This getting old is for the birds!”
zps.la
January 16, 2026 at 5:34 PM
Every Friday, Zócalo publishes a new poem. Read "Noticing Structures & Their Birds" by Maxwell Griego. zps.la/4sJ8PQl
The Inglewood Park Cemetery preserves my best friend's memory—and a gentrifying neighborhood's story, writes Joshua N. Hernandez. zps.la/49kV5Um
Mike’s Life and His Death Are an Inglewood Story | Essay
Visiting His Grave in the ‘Soul of the City of Angels’ Connects Me With the Place That Raised Us
zps.la
January 15, 2026 at 6:49 PM
The Inglewood Park Cemetery preserves my best friend's memory—and a gentrifying neighborhood's story, writes Joshua N. Hernandez. zps.la/49kV5Um
The 2026 Zócalo Poetry Prize contest closes on January 23, 2026, at 11:59 PM PT. Since 2012, the prize has recognized the U.S. writer of a poem that best evokes a connection to place (literal, imaginary, or metaphorical). zps.la/pp26
The 2026 Zócalo Poetry Prize Honors Poems Evoking Place
Zócalo is currently accepting submissions. The deadline for entries is January 23, 2026, at 11:59 PM PST. There is no fee required to enter the contest, and we accept simultaneous submissions.
zps.la
January 14, 2026 at 5:52 PM
The 2026 Zócalo Poetry Prize contest closes on January 23, 2026, at 11:59 PM PT. Since 2012, the prize has recognized the U.S. writer of a poem that best evokes a connection to place (literal, imaginary, or metaphorical). zps.la/pp26
50 years ago, Los Angeles defended law enforcement abuse—and created a precedent that Trump is now using to strangle California and the nation, writes @californiajoe.bsky.social. zps.la/4qQDrh9
California Can Blame Itself for ICE’s Violence | Connecting California
LAPD Successfully Defended Police Chokeholds at the Supreme Court. Now, the State and the Nation Are Paying the Price
zps.la
January 13, 2026 at 10:41 PM
50 years ago, Los Angeles defended law enforcement abuse—and created a precedent that Trump is now using to strangle California and the nation, writes @californiajoe.bsky.social. zps.la/4qQDrh9
"History doesn’t reward shortcuts. To understand a crisis, you trace its roots. To see progress, you ask: progress for whom?" Economics history professor Iker Saitua on the value of considering the past: zps.la/3LtCAUn
It’s the Economic History, Stupid | Essay
In a Field That’s Fallen Hard for Statistical Models, I Teach the Importance of Studying the Past
zps.la
January 13, 2026 at 8:31 PM
"History doesn’t reward shortcuts. To understand a crisis, you trace its roots. To see progress, you ask: progress for whom?" Economics history professor Iker Saitua on the value of considering the past: zps.la/3LtCAUn
Every Friday, Zócalo publishes a new poem. Read "When the Truth is True" by Sonja Hegasy: zps.la/3YqPcPf
When the Truth is True by Sonja Hegasy | Zócalo Public Square
I woke up this morning with a plum cake in / My mouth, from Saxony-Anhalt, a sweet thing. / Embedded in the German exile community. / A second passport is the order of the day.
zps.la
January 9, 2026 at 10:46 PM
Every Friday, Zócalo publishes a new poem. Read "When the Truth is True" by Sonja Hegasy: zps.la/3YqPcPf
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
The Tea Expert Who Never Turns Down a Cup | Essay
A Master Taster Shares Notes From Smelling and Sipping Across the Globe
zps.la
January 8, 2026 at 6:27 PM
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...
Grammy Award–Winning Musician Martha Gonzalez on Music as Activism
YouTube video by Zócalo Public Square
youtube.com
January 7, 2026 at 11:32 PM
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
Artist Ariane Vielmetter's Sketchbook | Zócalo Public Square
Ariane Vielmetter is a Los Angeles-based artist, writer, and teacher. Vielmetter’s Zócalo Sketchbook is a homage to the amazing species of plants that have “grown, recovered, and sprouted” on her lot ...
zps.la
January 7, 2026 at 6:53 PM
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
@californiajoe.bsky.social on the potential of the climate resilience district. zps.la/3YUxi7A
Fire Victims Need Their Own Government | Connecting California | Zócalo Public Square
Is there a government that L.A.’s fire victims can depend upon? Probably not. Which is why they should demand the creation of a government of their own.
zps.la
January 6, 2026 at 6:18 PM
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
@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...
Grammy Award–Winning Musician Martha Gonzalez on Chicano Rock
YouTube video by Zócalo Public Square
youtube.com
January 5, 2026 at 9:18 PM
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
Newsletter | Zócalo Public Square
Get More Zócalo Eclectic but curated. Smart without snark. Ideas journalism with a head and heart. Sign up for the Zócalo newsletter to get our latest essays, poems and updates on our (always) free ev...
zps.la
January 5, 2026 at 6:20 PM
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
Why Do We Count Down to the New Year? | Essay | Zócalo Public Square
Few people counted down to anything until the 1960s and 1970s—and yes, that included the new year. Celebrations and midnight kisses on December 31, of
zps.la
December 31, 2025 at 7:02 PM
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
The 2026 Zócalo Poetry Prize Honors Poems Evoking Place
Zócalo is currently accepting submissions. The deadline for entries is January 23, 2026, at 11:59 PM PST. There is no fee required to enter the contest, and we accept simultaneous submissions.
zps.la
December 30, 2025 at 6:35 PM
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
Our Favorite Essays of 2025 | Zócalo Public Square
On Hip-Hop, Hopescrolling, How Experts Can Win Back Public Trust, and More, Zócalo Contributors Led with Creativity and Curiosity
zps.la
December 23, 2025 at 7:08 PM
What was your favorite Zócalo essay of 2025? Read our staff picks and let us know which are missing. zps.la/essays25
Reposted by Zócalo Public Square
"...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...
"It is our responsibility to do more than just set out the welcome mat."
www.zocalopublicsquare.org/making-plays...
December 19, 2025 at 9:00 PM
"...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...
"It is our responsibility to do more than just set out the welcome mat."
www.zocalopublicsquare.org/making-plays...
Reposted by Zócalo Public Square
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
D.C. Theater Is More Than the Kennedy Center | Essay
But Its Struggles Are Affecting an Entire Artistic Ecosystem
zps.la
December 1, 2025 at 6:30 PM
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
Orion's Belt by Emily Khilfeh | Poetry | Zócalo Public Square
Many who lived through the bombing depicted dark figures engulfed by red colored pencil. I know this from videos about art by the survivors of Hiroshima. When I could no longer bear the news out of Ga...
zps.la
December 19, 2025 at 5:38 PM
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...
BCG Worldwide and Burrell Communications Group CEO Tara DeVeaux on How Hip-Hop Transformed Culture
YouTube video by Zócalo Public Square
youtube.com
December 18, 2025 at 6:23 PM
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
Where Does Deportation Come From? | Recent Experience | Zócalo Public Square
Deportation has impacted communities across California and the country, and has become the face of U.S. immigration policy today. At the culmination of a year marked by violent ICE raids, it’s crucial...
zps.la
December 18, 2025 at 6:16 PM
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...
Offscript Worldwide and Revolt CEO Detavio Samuels on How Hip-Hop Made Him
YouTube video by Zócalo Public Square
youtube.com
December 17, 2025 at 8:01 PM
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
The Eaton Fire Took My Black Santas, But Not My Christmas Spirit | Essay
Friends, Family, and Generous Strangers Are Helping Rebuild My 40-Year Collection
zps.la
December 17, 2025 at 6:03 PM
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
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
The Voter ID Debate Is a Waste of Time | Connecting California | Zócalo Public Square
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.
zps.la
December 16, 2025 at 4:43 PM
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
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