Short Takes

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  My L.A. in Four Locations: A Jazz Tour

  "My L.A. in Four Locations" is a running feature in which Angelenos share the story of their city through four specific places. This week — Lynell...

  Jul 24, 2018

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  Shrine

  The hallway radiator had a wooden cover, with heat passing through a latticed sheet of chipboard painted white by my father. Years on and bubbles of...

  Apr 25, 2018

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  What You Knew: A Brief History of Summer

  Sally Ashton's short take on the theme 'To My Younger Self:' "What You Knew: A Brief History of Summer."

  Apr 21, 2018

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  Expectation and Emancipation: Raising a First Generation American

  I remember when I first came to the States. I got a job at the local mall and my mom would have to drop me off and pick me up each day without the...

  Apr 14, 2018

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  Mindfulness For Writers: Finding the White Space Within

  YA Author Heather Demetrios explores mindfulness for writers.

  Apr 7, 2018

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  To My Younger Self

  Deeki Deke's Short Take is a word of advice to his younger self: "NO."

  Mar 31, 2018

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  The Prostitute's Kiss

  Fiona Helmsley's Short Take: "Myth and Legend" and sex workers.

  Mar 24, 2018

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  Gertrude Stein: Nonsense with a Social Conscience

  Sarah Hestra's Short Take on Gertrude Stein.

  Mar 17, 2018

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  As Strong as They Come

  You are "bold," "feisty," "sassy," and "magical." When you're young they call you Black Girl Magic. When you're old, they call you Big Mama. Do you...

  Mar 14, 2018

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  Los Angeles

  Flash Fiction: Stephen Elliott's Short Take on "Healing."

  Mar 10, 2018

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  California Distraction: A Cocktail

  Writing a novel is slow and tedious, delightful and fulfilling. It takes years and draft after draft. Ron Carlson recommends that you write...

  Jun 28, 2016

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  Two Very American Tragedies

  Watching ESPN’s "OJ: Made In America," I thought of Theodore Dreiser's "An American Tragedy."

  Jun 23, 2016

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  A Note from Mike Davis about the Second Amendment

  FIVE WEEKS BEFORE the final ratification of the Bill of Rights in December 1791, the regular Army of the United States of America...

  Jun 13, 2016

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  Ali

  I WENT TO a boxing match in Las Vegas once, because it was a Showtime match and I had a friend on a Showtime show at the time. It was Mike...

  Jun 8, 2016

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  From Discarded Chapters, Final Sentences

  7. The assassin appeared out of the dark and fired the shotgun through the kitchen door, striking him from below, in the back, under his...

  Jun 7, 2016

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  Are We Still Fabulous?

  Oh you’ve got green eyes, oh you’ve got blue eyes, oh you’ve got gray eyes.” — New Order, “Temptation” (1982) IN THE EARLY 1980s, Medusa’s Juice Bar...

  May 17, 2016