Info

Memorial Day special: 'Dear LA,' writing tips, black skate scene

May. 27, 2019

Book cover of “Dear Los Angeles.” Photo credit: Random House.

On Memorial Day, we listen back to some of our favorite recent interviews. David Kipen shares people's long-enduring complaints about LA. Grammar expert Benjamin Dreyer tells us to relax about the using "whom." Purple sea urchins are eating up seaweed off California's coast. And African Americans are trying to save roller rinks.

From this Episode:

What makes LA wonderful and terrible simultaneously

Los Angeles is sprawling, yet constantly congested. Glamorous and gritty. Deeply diverse. And yet it can’t shake the stereotype that it’s a superficial, vapid, La La Land.

15 min

A ravenous species of sea urchin is changing ecosystems off California’s coast

Seaweed is crucial to all sorts of life in the ocean. Here in California, it’s disappearing fast. And so are the fish and sea creatures that depend on it. The culprit:...

8 min

The great Oxford comma debate and grammar rules you can ignore

Every day, we write emails, text messages, Facebook rants, Instagram captions. Whether you like it or not, grammar matters. That’s why Random House copy chief Benjamin...

15 min