Spring Arts Preview 2025: San Diego gave author Deborah Rudell the strength to make it through
The Normal Heights-based college professor has published a riveting memoir on trauma and shipbuilding
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Spring Arts Preview 2025: Natalie Gonzalez makes her artistic tribute a reality in adopted hometown
Born in Guadalajara, the local textile artist credits San Diego for making her creative dreams come true
2025 preview: Here are the San Diego art exhibitions we can’t wait to see
From monumental photographic exhibitions to surf-focused gallery shows, the New Year will be a feast for the eyes
2025 preview: San Diego authors and book events to read about in the new year
Look for new books from these authors with local connections: Sash Bischoff, Susan Meissner, Matt de la Peña, Nancy Goldstone, Marisa Crane and more
Year in review: Local authors, indie bookstores and zines flourished in 2024
From local influencers giving back to new novels from local authors, these were the writers, events and words that moved us this year
Year in review: Looking back on the vibrant visual art scene in 2024
From disability representation to a regionwide takeover of San Diego museums, 2024 was a year of growth, loss and change
Art of the City: ‘Little pieces coming together’ in a creative constellation
Video and installation artist Maddie Butler explores the intimacies, and lack thereof, of life in the digital world
Art of the City: Crafting young minds a priority for visual artist Meera Ramanathan
The San Diego elementary school teacher says artistic validation is the most important lesson for her students
Saving what was: Oceanside artist captures on canvas memories of her fast-changing city
Marisa DeLuca tackles issues of loss, nostalgia and gentrification in her hyperrealistic oil paintings
Fall Arts Preview 2024: Our top book picks for the season
From visits from bestselling authors to exciting new local releases, autumn is filled with excitement from cover to cover
Fall Arts Preview 2024: Medical background was Elizabeth DeLozier’s guide for debut novel
A physical therapist by profession, the North Park resident's historical fiction book is about the black plague in 1300s
Fall Arts Preview 2024: Our top visual art picks for the season
From intimate gallery shows to large-scale exhibitions, autumn is looking particularly artful
Fall Arts Preview 2024: Artist Carlos Castro Arias uses provocative ideas and materials to make people think
The Colombia-born San Diego artist, musician and college professor tackles subjects from colonialism to Indigenous culture in his work
Connecting art and science: Getty Foundation brings together 70 exhibits for PST Art
The huge Southern California event this fall will include shows at more than one dozen San Diego museums and galleries
Art of the City: For Grisel Márquez-Razón, making art is both an job and a calling
Installation artist and museum worker Grisel Márquez-Razón shifts her practice with a new piece in the 'Border Blasters' exhibition in Bonita
Art of the City: NextGen artist explores childhood, heritage through pop culture
Multidiscipline artist Deanna Barahona, a recent graduate of UC San Diego, isn't afraid of a little glitter
Young San Diego emerging artist is finding that queer history is his story
When Nathan Storey begins to describe his iration for printed media — everything from flyers and books to vintage magazines and self-published periodicals — one can’t help but feel a...
Showing and telling is the goal for San Diego multidisciplinary artist
There was a moment, not too long ago, where Linda Litteral just didn’t have it in her to do her art. Sure, she would dabble here and there, but she...
North County folk artist promises a hands-on ‘Experience’
“It’s not fully alive until someone touches it.”Ted Berryman often encourages patrons to touch and even disassemble his intricately peculiar sculptures. Inside his gallery space — a converted garage owned...
Two City Heights women are helping local creatives fulfill their artistic potential
Speaking with Noun Abdelaziz and Fatuma “Uma” Fadhil, one can’t help but walk away feeling inspired. The artists behind Abundance of Youth (AOY), a collective and community-based project in City...
Spring arts preview 2024: Our top 10 visual art picks and events for the season
Exciting exhibitions will be popping up all over the county this spring, from solo and group shows to community events like Art Walk and Art Alive! Here's a preview.Mingei International...
Spring arts preview 2024: Our top 10 book picks and events for the season
Of all the seasons, the spring is prime time for new book releases. Publishers often release new titles this time of year in the hope readers will pick them up...
Spring arts preview 2024: Author Courtney Deane’s debut offers hope to those tired of hopelessly romantic novels
On the surface, it seemed entirely fitting to be interviewing Courtney Deane on Valentine’s Day. This fact wasn’t lost on the freelance writer and novelist.“Yeah, it’s like the rom-com writer’s...
Spring arts preview 2024: The fantastical work of Ethan Chan in full bloom at local galleries
Ethan Chan is a hoarder. He its it. He even goes so far to say that he thinks hoarders get a bad rap.“I feel like that’s a very important mentality...
Author Elizabeth Gilbert to kick off San Diego’s Writer’s Symposium by the Sea
When we think of a writer, most of us will envision a solitary figure at a desk. Perhaps they’re click-clacking away on the keyboard of a laptop, having finally found...
City Heights resident explores culture, trauma through performance art
It’s difficult not to notice audience flinching while Hamsa Fae performs “Homework.”Performed last year at the Mingei International Museum as part of a curated group show of performance art,...
Chronicling through craft: Designer weaves tales of cultural resistance into her jewelry
It’s easy to say "don’t judge a book by its cover," but when it comes to viewing the art of Maru López, human nature begins to take over. When viewing...
Looking ahead: Four books and one book event I can’t wait for in 2024
One of the surprising takeaways from 2023 for me was witnessing just how many independent publishers and authors ended up with bestselling books. The internet and social media played no...
Looking ahead: Four books and one book event I can’t wait for in 2024
One of the surprising takeaways from 2023 for me was witnessing just how many independent publishers and authors ended up with bestselling books. The internet and social media played no...
Looking ahead: The San Diego art events I most want to explore in 2024
It’s not hyperbolic to state that a lot of eyes will be on the San Diego region in 2024. With big sister to the north (Los Angeles), the local visual...
Year in review: Looking back at 5 stellar local books in 2023
Much like the local music and theater scenes, San Diego’s thriving literary scene simply doesn't get enough national attention. Of course, there are exceptions to this theory, particularly in the...
Year in review: The best local art exhibitions of 2023
In my nearly two decades of covering the arts in San Diego, I’m hard-pressed to think of a time when San Diego’s major museums have been so ive of local...
The best books – fiction and nonfiction – to give this holiday season
Giving books as a gift can be a gamble, but 2023 saw a slew of new releases that should satisfy any person on readers’ lists. Some are naughty, some are...
12 books by San Diego authors you can buy at local shops this holiday season
One could argue that nothing says you care more than giving a book as a gift, but nothing screams it more than ing local authors and buying their work from...
Matt Coyle’s 20-year Rick Cahill ‘Odyssey’ poised to conclude … or is it?
There’s a point toward the end of our interview where local novelist Matt Coyle its, somewhat humorously, that he’s unsure how he’s going to move on from Rick Cahill. There’s...
Finding the balance: C Fodoreanu pursues his artistic dreams while working as a doctor
For many, the formative dreams of becoming a successful artist or creative, no matter the medium, were written off years ago. We get up. We go to work. We come...
Lasting legacy: Exhibition celebrates the colorful history of Korean art
There is art everywhere.On the surface, a statement such as this might sound hyperbolic, even New Agey in its triteness.But if we take a step back, taking a broad mental...
San Diego artist examines consumerism and consciousness
For as long as there has been recorded history, there has been advertising. And yes — without getting into the history, nuances and varying viewpoints on what, exactly, constitutes advertising...
San Diego artist examines consumerism and consciousness
For as long as there has been recorded history, there has been advertising. And yes — without getting into the history, nuances and varying viewpoints on what, exactly, constitutes advertising...
Sculptor delves into memory, geology and family history in ‘Formations’ at MCASD
For any serious visual artist, there comes a time when they begin to consider their legacy — what they’re leaving behind.Speaking with Kelly Akashi from her Los Angeles studio, one...
Sculptor delves into memory, geology and family history in ‘Formations’ at MCASD
For any serious visual artist, there comes a time when they begin to consider their legacy — what they’re leaving behind.Speaking with Kelly Akashi from her Los Angeles studio, one...
Fall arts preview 2023: At 54, ever-evolving Heige Kim revels in being named a ‘NextGen’ artist
Heige Kim certainly sees the irony in being looked at as an “emerging artistic voice.” At 54 years of age and recently named one of seven local artists who will...
Fall arts preview 2023: Our top book picks for the season
Bookworms will have plenty of pages to turn this season. Fun fact: publishing houses often release the most exciting and buzzed-about releases in the autumn in hopes of landing on...
Fall arts preview 2023: Our top visual art picks for the season
Fall has always historically been a fantastic time to get out and see some visual art. With kids back in school and the summer tourist crowds back at home, the...
Fall arts preview 2023: Author Jennifer Peoples Hernandez explores the life of a legendary San Diego artist in definitive biography
Jennifer Peoples Hernandez’s husband and three children like to joke that Belle Baranceanu may as well be a member of their family.Off and on for nearly three decades, Hernandez has...
Lemon Grove artist tells her life story through disparate elements
It’s very early in my interview with local artist Anna O’Cain when I realize that I’m unsure how to adequately classify her art. In my notes are a series of...
San Diego author Alberto Mansur finds ‘Peace’ writing novels
For Alberto Mansur, the writing has always been there. One could even say that the process has been cyclical in nature. In the beginning, he says he wrote for pleasure,...
San Diego author Alberto Mansur finds ‘Peace’ writing novels
For Alberto Mansur, the writing has always been there. One could even say that the process has been cyclical in nature. In the beginning, he says he wrote for pleasure,...
Young local artist channels the nuances of Southwest living in mixed-media sculptural works
It can be difficult to be a young artist.This statement might sound obvious, even trite, on the surface, but I can’t recall a time in San Diego where the hurdles...
The shapes & sizes of San Diego abstractionist Matt Rich
One of the more misunderstood aspects of abstract art is that it’s instinct first and intricacy comes second. One might look at the layered color fields within a Mark Rothko...
Sally J. Pla breaks the silence with novel about finding the normal for teens on the autism spectrum
Sally J. Pla always knew she was different. Like many adults of a certain age, she re her youth as a time of confusion, often attempting to understand why she...
Leslye Villasenor is out of the shadows as artist in residence at Liberty Station
Sitting in her studio inside Liberty Station in Point Loma, where she is the NTC Foundation’s 2023 artist in residence, Leslye Villaseñor points to a recent painting that was inspired...
La Jolla bestselling author of relationship books says she followed the signs to write her first novel
Arielle Ford is a big believer in signs. That shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. The La Jolla author, publicist and public speaker has written several self-help books centering...
Bestselling author of relationship books says she followed the signs to write her first novel
Arielle Ford is a big believer in signs. This shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. The writer, author, publicist, public speaker and overall multi-hyphenate has written a number...
La artista Leslye Villasenor sale de las sombras
Leslye Villaseñor no comparte la noción de nostalgia.Según cuenta ella misma, tuvo una infancia relativamente feliz al crecer como la hija de en medio de una familia de clase trabajadora...
Artist Leslye Villasenor is out of the shadows
Leslye Villaseñor doesn’t subscribe to the notion of nostalgia.By her own , she had a relatively happy childhood growing up as the middle daughter in a working-class family in Tijuana....
Power of the People: Exhibit showcases North County collectors’ Depression-era paintings
Bram and Sandra Dijkstra love a good story. And after nearly half a century of collecting art, they certainly have plenty. Point to any piece of art that covers nearly...
Intimate, iconic photos of Frida Kahlo focus of Nickolas Muray exhibit in Escondido
These days, Frida Kahlo is inescapable.The Mexican artist’s work, image and influence has become ubiquitous over the past few decades. She has unquestionably become an icon, her likeness plastered on...
Into the ‘Wild’: Solana Beach writer pens nature-inspired guide to living a full life
There are many inspiring and adventurous moments in “Will to Wild,” but it’s around the fourth chapter that author Shelby Stanger gets particularly personal.In the story that begins the chapter,...
The subversive abstraction of Monique van Genderen
About halfway through our interview, Monique van Genderen mentions she’s been calling herself “clairvoyant” lately. It’s a perplexing ission at first, bringing to mind mediumistic artists and their fascinations with...
The endless space: Peruvian artist discovering the beauty of her new country
Sylvia Fernández has just returned from the desert. In her quaint cottage home and studio in Carlsbad, she reflects on the desolate and barren landscapes that gave her the inspiration...
For ‘African by Design,’ function follows form at the Mingei
“When did it start? It really started in my head a long, long time ago.”So says Emily G. Hanna about when the idea came to her for the new exhibition...
Local poets channel memory and storytelling in new collections
All poetry tells a story, but not all storytelling is necessarily poetic.When it comes to two new collections of poetry from local authors Adam Deutsch and Manuel Paul López, they...
Local author, illustrator get ‘Real’ in children’s book about friendship
Minh Lê loves a good twist. The La Mesa-based author, best known for his award-winning picture books such as “Drawn Together” and “The Blur,” prides himself on putting new spins...
Pablo Castaneda sees the extraordinary in the ordinary
Like most artists, Pablo Castañeda needs his routine. Waking up at his home in Mexicali, he has something to eat, catches up on emails, maybe even reads a newspaper. Then...
For two local booksellers, new endeavor is a Joyride to behold
Susie Horn and Katie Turner knew they had something special. In 2020, they started Joyride, a mobile bookshop specializing in carefully curated children’s titles. They would travel around to different...
San Diego Museum of Art to open ambitious ‘O’Keeffe and Moore’ exhibit
On the surface, the work of Georgia O’Keeffe and Henry Moore wouldn’t appear to have much in common.Of course, there are the most obvious distinctions: one is a renowned American...
Artist Tarrah Aroonsakool creates by making more with less
Tarrah Aroonsakool is really into trash. Halfway through our conversation at her City Heights home she its that she’s had to limit herself to how many times she goes to...
Tiendas locales celebran 10 anos del Dia de las Librerias Independientes
Las librerías locales, desde Coronado hasta Del Mar, se preparan para el Día de las Librerías Independientes y el San Diego Book Crawl. Estos eventos, que se celebran durante todo...
The dog days of T. Jefferson Parker
T. Jefferson Parker re it as love at first sight. It was a cold November morning in 2020 and he says he just had this feeling. It was finally time...
Local shops celebrate 10 years of Independent Bookstore Day
Local bookshops from Coronado to Del Mar are gearing up for the annual Independent Bookstore Day and San Diego Book Crawl. Held all day Saturday, the annual events are meant...
Museum of Photographic Arts marks a picture-perfect 50th anniversary
Deborah Klochko re a time, not so long ago, when she would have to walk to the neighborhood drugstore to get her film developed. The executive director and chief curator...
Museum of Photographic Arts marks a picture-perfect 50th anniversary
Deborah Klochko re a time, not so long ago, when she would have to walk to the neighborhood drugstore to get her film developed. The executive director and chief curator...
Author Laura Cathcart Robbins recounts life as a tough pill to swallow
Everyone has their own ideas of what drug addiction looks like. If we were to close our eyes to envision someone who is dependent on drugs, we may see any...
Author Laura Cathcart Robbins recounts life as a tough pill to swallow
Everyone has their own ideas of what drug addiction looks like. If we were to close our eyes to envision someone who is dependent on drugs, we may see any...
Griselda Rosas explora las visiones de la herencia, tanto cultural como familiar
Hay un momento durante la contemplación de Yo te cuido, la recién inaugurada exposición individual de obra nueva de la artista local Griselda Rosas, en el que la artista reconoce...
Griselda Rosas explores visions of inheritance, both cultural and familial
There is a moment while viewing “Yo te cuido,” the recently opened solo exhibition of new work from local artist Griselda Rosas, in which the artist acknowledges the fact that...
Spring arts preview 2023: For artist Regan Russell, life has always been one of change and transformation
Life as a creative person can be tricky, oftentimes playing out as a series of crossroads, catharses, compromises and, ideally, conclusions about what to do or where to go next....
Spring arts preview 2023: Brian Selznick’s new book, ‘Big Tree,’ took root after pandemic-related detour
Of the many tender and heart-wrenching moments in “Big Tree,” Brian Selznick’s illustrated novel about two tree seeds, it’s a small illustration toward the beginning of the book that may...
Spring arts preview 2023: Our top 10 book events and picks for the season
Spring is prime time for book releases, with many publishers releasing anticipated titles in hopes that readers will pick them up for vacation reading. This also means authors will...
Spring arts preview 2023: Our top 10 visual art picks for the season
Fall and spring are the premiere seasons when it comes to the visual art scene, with most museums and galleries unveiling the most anticipated exhibitions of the year around these...
Local historian Elizabeth Cobbs tells the stories of feminist heroines in ‘Fearless Women’
Here’s a little insider secret: Almost every writer, whether they’re a bestselling novelist or diligent historian, thinks their new book is their best book. This isn’t always true, of course,...
Brothers in art: Exploring the contemporary human condition through ‘Post-Columbian Futurism’
For those of us who have siblings, it’s likely we a time where one of those siblings was our partner within the land of make-believe. They may have helped...
Local historian Elizabeth Cobbs tells the stories of feminist heroines in ‘Fearless Women’
Here’s a little insider secret: Almost every writer, whether they’re a bestselling novelist or diligent historian, thinks their new book is their best book. This isn’t always true, of course,...
‘Forever, the wonder’: Artist Celia Alvarez Munoz breaks the binding with retrospective show
“The form is dictated by the space, the space is the container.”These words, spoken by artist Celia Álvarez Muñoz more than 30 years ago, echo through my mind as I...
Bestselling thriller writer launches new detective series set in San Diego
In another life, Karen Rose would have been a travel writer. At one point in her life, working as a chemical engineer, she says she once filled an entire port...
Bestselling thriller writer launches new detective series set in San Diego
In another life, Karen Rose would have been a travel writer. At one point in her life, working as a chemical engineer, she says she once filled an entire port...
Bestselling thriller writer launches new detective series set in San Diego
In another life, Karen Rose would have been a travel writer. At one point in her life, working as a chemical engineer, she says she once filled an entire port...
The inside track: Artist explores trolleys and transitions in ‘On the Blue Line’
To hear Armando de la Torre tell it, he’s been thinking about his new art installation, in some iteration or another, for years. However, it was a chance encounter with...
San Diego author pens moving novel on mysterious 19th-century royals
It’s only about halfway through our interview when local writer and professor Jac Jemc its she doesn’t understand people’s insatiable fascination with royalty.“I don’t pay attention to any of it,...
Balance within the chaos: Kelsey Brookes reconnects with his love of painting in new solo show
Kelsey Brookes used to be my neighbor. Twice, actually.First, he used to live across the street from me in North Park, and I would walk past his backyard studio everyday...
Of drama queens and kings: Local author pens moving novel on mysterious 19th-century royals
It’s only about halfway through our interview when local writer and professor Jac Jemc its she doesn’t understand people’s insatiable fascination with royalty.“I don’t pay attention to any of it,...
Anthony Doerr leads list of top authors at San Diego’s seaside celebration of writing
Twenty-eight years ago, Dean Nelson had an idea. He wanted to bring the best and brightest literary minds to the seaside campus of Point Loma Nazarene University to talk about...
A seaside celebration of writing: Doerr leads list of top authors sharing their craft
Twenty-eight years ago, Dean Nelson had an idea. He wanted to bring the best and brightest literary minds to the seaside campus of Point Loma Nazarene University to talk about...
A seaside celebration of writing: Doerr leads list of top authors sharing their craft
Twenty-eight years ago, Dean Nelson had an idea. He wanted to bring the best and brightest literary minds to the seaside campus of Point Loma Nazarene University to talk about...
New exhibit celebrates the Torrey Pine State Natural Reserve
Historical exhibitions often involve years of curatorial work and research. In the case of an exhibition opening this week at the La Jolla Historical Society Wisteria Cottage Gallery, one gets...
A tree like no other: New exhibit celebrates the Torrey Pine State Natural Reserve
Historical exhibitions often involve years of curatorial work and research. In the case of an exhibition opening this week at the La Jolla Historical Society Wisteria Cottage Gallery, one gets...
Art of the City: Photographer Fedella Lizeth rediscovers her love for San Diego through a camera lens
Fedella Lizeth recalls a time, not so long ago, where she didn’t appreciate her hometown. Like many teenagers with an unsettled sense of displacement, she says that growing up in...
Playing it forward: San Diego Central Library exhibit an artistic game of telephone
“What’s that saying: ‘there’s a thousand words in a picture?’”So asks Chi Essary, a local curator and arts advocate when describing “Lost in Translation: A Game of Telephone.” Even while...
Oceanside Museum of Art celebrates 25 years with dual exhibitions of iconic works
As an independent curator with dozens of exhibitions under her belt, Danielle Deery is used to the time-consuming research that goes into the job. But when she was approached by...