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A River Runs Through Los Angeles

Los Angeles was founded around this river. But decades ago it was confined in concrete so that, for better or worse, the city could become the sprawling metropolis that it is today.

Historically, by the time it reached LA, the Los Angeles River was not a river in the normal sense of the word. If you put it on a map, you’d have to move it every few years. Its banks had no interest in staying put.

As someone who lives within walking distance of today’s concrete incarnation of the river channel, and spends a lot of time winding up and down its valley and adjacent neighborhoods, I really enjoyed this 99% Invisible episode.

Locally, there are ongoing efforts to further restore the river (and areas surrounding it) and finally connect the two ends of the bike path through downtown. But even now, the river is a phenomenal recreation and natural resource that remains a hidden secret to most of the city.

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My Project 2025

Poet Saeed Jones is one of the hosts of the excellent podcast, Vibe Check. On their most recent episode, he read a poem that he’d written that day, in refleciton on the election results. It’s beautiful and while you can read it, I highly recommend you listen to his own reading of it and the brief discussion afterward. It starts around the 49 minute mark (depending on the hellscape of dynamically-inserted ads in your download). The link should take you close to it.

“I am god talking to herself. I am evicting
America from my body and making room
in the borders of my black bad bitch body
for everyone I was sent into this life
to love loudly.”

Saeed is also a great follow on Bluesky.

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Nancy: God + The Gays

I grew up religious and struggled to reconcile the experience with my sexuality. This podcast episode did a great job of relaying some of that struggle.