The Freeway as a Tool of Oppression
In THIS, my latest for @CurbedLA @voxdotcom a short #history of the freeway as a symbol of racial and societal #discrimination. #BlackLivesMattter #racism #systemicracism #LosAngelesProtest #Transportation
Royal Marriages From Heck!
In THIS, my latest for Vanity Fair, seven utterly, totally, comic and/or tragic royal marriages. The last one is a tabloid dream!
Grabtown Girl
True story. Right before I moved to Los Angeles, I took a trip to Smithfield and poured a bottle of liquor out on Ava Gardner's grave for good luck. Now, I get to write THIS story about my beautiful, brash, bawdy North Carolina girl for Vanity Fair. I'm so damn lucky.
Santa Monica Stroll
In THIS, my latest for Curbed LA, a brief, bustling history of Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade.
A Dream of Hollywood
Pinch me, I'm dreaming! In THIS, my latest for Vanity Fair, I uncover the juiciest bits in the book that has influenced me more than any other (and is the perfect light summer read), the chatty cosmopolitan movie star David Niven's memoir "Bring On the Empty Horses."
Step-by-Step: Writing A Personal History
Hi friends! I’m so humbled and pleased that my Atlas Obscura History writing workshop has resonated with people. We’ve added a second session starting May 30th. Hope to see you there!
Our Gift to You
Hey darlings! I am so thrilled to be leading THIS fun Cartwheel Art discussion of some of LA’s most scandalous stories on Sunday May 17th at 3pm! Our gruesome gift to you free of charge!
Summer Fun
In THIS, my latest for LA Magazine, fascinating stories of black owned leisure #resorts in the era of Jim Crow.
VANITY FAIR!
Y’all I absolutely cannot tell you how thrilled I am to write this: In THIS, my first article for Vanity Fair, a brief history of royal entertainers past and present.
(Child Hadley, lying on her back in a sundress, ballet shoes and tiara reading an expose on Doris Duke in Chapel Hill in the summer is getting up to dance in the grass right now.)
Goodbye, Old Friend
In THIS, my latest for Curbed LA, the controversial history of LACMA's original campus.
Killing Castaways
In THIS, my latest for @KCET, how Captain George Hancock and the crew of the Velero III got involved in one of my favorite mysteries of all time. This one involves- PIRATES, SILENT MOVIES, GALAPAGOS, MURDER, FOLKS VANISHING, THE BEACH, BACKSTABBING, FAKE ROYALTY AND THREE WAYS.
Just the best.
Victory Garden Victory
In THIS, my latest for LAist, how LA's "soldiers of the soil" helped win World War II.
A Tale of the High Seas
I loved writing THIS true life historical adventure of the 20th century floating laboratory Velero III for KCET! With amazing pictures and films from the USC archives.
Ghost Hunt Girls
I had such a lovely time chatting with the charming and talented Bridget Marquardt about ghosts of the Biltmore Hotel on the awesome podcast Ghost Magnet with Bridget Marquardt! On podcast platforms everywhere, check it out!
Buildings Drafted Into Service
In THIS, my latest for LAist, buildings drafted into service during times of emergency. Featuring lots of archival pics from the amazing LAPL photo collection.
The Last Great Plague
In THIS, my latest for Curbed LA, the forgotten history of the 1924 plague in Los Angeles, the last large-scale outbreak of the “black death” in the United States.
History Repeating Itself
My interview with A. Martinez on Take Two about the 1918 Influenza Pandemic in Los Angeles (starts around the 34 minute mark). Sadly, we have been here before.
Party In the Sky
This was such a fun one to write! In THIS, my latest for Curbed LA, a history of the scandalous goings-on in the world's most glamorous...public storage building.
Hollywood, 1918
In THIS, my latest for The Hollywood Reporter, how Hollywood handled the great 1918 flu.