The Mob, Vegas, and Tea

My interview with Buzz Aldrin

2009-07-06T21:57:00.000-07:00

He's an MIT scholar, a rocket scientist, an astronaut, a moonwalker, a user of Twitter, and now a rapper. Believe it. Buzz recently rapped with Snoop Dogg to bring the love of space exploration to a new generation.

I interviewed him about his new memoir, his life, and how he thinks we should live on Mars.

Check out the entire Q&A here:
"Buzz Aldrin on his new book, space exploration, and rapping with Snoop Dogg"

Bigfoot, why do we believe in you?

2009-07-02T21:25:00.000-07:00

Is it an odd topic? You bet.

And yet, when you think about it, Bigfoot is a classic. Americans have believed in him for so long, it takes research to really trace the roots of this wild monster.

Joshua Blu Buhs gives us the cultural and historical perspective in his new book Bigfoot: The Life and Times of a Legend.

I recently interviewed the author, and you can read the Q&A here:
"Bigfoot: Why do we believe in you?"

Evolution to the rescue

2009-07-01T23:41:00.000-07:00

In his book Evolution Rx: A Practical Guide to Harnessing Our Innate Capacity for Health and Healing, Dr. William Meller provides human history and plain good sense.

My Q&A with the author explores why people gossip, whether we stretch too much (or not enough), and why we should get more sun (not less).

Read the interview here:
"Evolution to your rescue -- Q&A with Dr. William Meller"

Moonwalker to Moonwalker

2009-06-25T22:03:00.000-07:00

Today was incredible, stunning really. Today I interviewed Buzz Aldrin about his new memoir Magnificent Desolation.

I had an excellent chat with Buzz, who had a great deal to say about space exploration, younger generations, and the future in general. His first steps on the moon certainly solidify him as an American hero.

As I walked out of the room where I was conducting the interview, a colleague told me while I was talking with Buzz, Michael Jackson had died. I was shocked. I hoped the early reports of hospitalization and coma could result in everything somehow being okay.

Sadly, Jackson died at UCLA today. Michael Jackson--the smooth robotic pop sensation who everyone wanted to dance like. Michael Jackson who invented the moonwalk. Michael Jackson whose video 'Thriller' defined the video age.

The Los Angeles Times reported this first. Here is a rundown of today's coverage:

"Pop star Michael Jackson dead at 50"

Music critic Ann Powers:
"A performer who kept transcending boundaries"

Fashion critic Booth Moore:
"Michael Jackson: King of style"

Michael's life in album covers:
"Michael Jackson discography"

Michael Jackson's obituary:
"Michael Jackson's life was infused with fantasy and tragedy"

Three little things

2009-06-22T22:09:00.000-07:00

Hotel, motel, Holiday Inn...In Reno, they like to make art in motel rooms. The New York Times has a fine photo gallery, capturing many of the quirky art installations:
"Get a Room, Make a Show"

According to the Press Enterprise, Joshua trees are going extinct. Scientists are saying the icons of the desert land could be completely extinct within a century due to global warming:
"Desert icon Joshua trees are vanishing, scientists say"

The blog Lens collected readers' old Polaroid pictures and published them. So many tender moments and memories here:
"Readers' Photos: Polaroid Gallery"

Photo: This is a shot of one of my favorite pieces of art--David Hockney's iconic tribute to the desert 'Pearblossom Highway' (1986). Revealing both the American west and mundane bits of the desert, Hockney really captured how the open road feels. Joshua trees appear on either side of his photocollage highway.

Reporting from Tehran

2009-06-22T15:25:00.000-07:00

The Citizen Journalism going on in Iran has perhaps reached critical mass, as the violent death of Neda Agha-Soltan, 26, was captured and uploaded to the Internet. The graphic content so shocking that her death is now being called "an international symbol of the protest movement."

A screen grab of the video is on the cover of the Wall Street Journal this morning.

And of course, stellar reporting continues from Tehran from Los Angeles Times correspondent Borzou Daragahi.

His full report, filed today, is here:
"Family, friends mourn Iranian woman who died on video"

Science Fiction in 2010

2009-06-19T22:20:00.000-07:00

Doesn't 2010 seem like the perfect year to publish a Science Fiction story? I think so.

A little note that in 2010, I have a Science Fiction tale coming out in an anthology put together by Jarret Keene and Todd James Pierce.

Very exciting. More details to come.

Photo: This is advertising art for the 1936 Science Fiction film Things to Come, orginally a novel by H.G. Wells.

Citizen Journalism in Iran, Part 2

2009-06-19T22:00:00.000-07:00

As events in Iran continue to escalate and unfold, Citizen Journalism is going strong as many Iranian citizens have uploaded their own videos to YouTube. In these videos, you can see the streets flooded, the chants, marching, and mourning.

Powerful first-hand accounts from the citizens themselves.

Also of note, as I've brought up once before, when the New York Times reported that Moldovans were organizing protests against Communism through tweets--(here's the article in case you missed it: "Protests in Moldova Explode, With Help of Twitter")-- Twitter could be a tool of revolution. As the crowds as we are seeing in Iran come together through the social networking site, it certainly shines a whole new light on what Twitter can be used for.

Andrew Sullivan writes an interesting piece on the topic for The Atlantic here: "The Revolution Will Be Twittered"

Citizen Journalism at work in Iran

2009-06-18T22:03:00.001-07:00

As social networks and mobile technology have propelled the world forward in terms of connection and the ability to tell your own story (through status updates, camera phones, and mobile video), Citizen Journalism has been on the rise for some time.

In recent memory, the plane crash in the Hudson River in New York City was first captured by a citizen who updated his Twitter account status.

Similarly, it's been fascinating in the last few days to watch events unfold in Iran.

According to CNN, information is being passed from person to person and to news organizations through iReports, Facebook, and Twitter.

Clearly, the power of not only social networking, but mobile technology is seen here.

Many traditional journalists and expats have been following the Iran Twitter feeds, through this hashtag: #iranelection.

Some fascinating bits of 140 character info. there.

Difficult to tell what bits are true and what could be made up. Nevertheless, we see technologies hard at work, aiding in storytelling and connection.

How the world beat smallpox

2009-06-17T14:29:00.000-07:00

It is always humbling to chat with interviewees who have accomplished amazing things in their lives. Ask Dr. D.A. Henderson what he has done in his life, and on the list is: eradicate smallpox from the face of the Earth.

Henderson tells his incredible story of battling bureaucracy, travelling to villages around the globe where smallpox ravaged thousands, and eventually the day that the World Health Assembly formally announced that smallpox no longer existed anywhere in the world.

Most people don't think of diseases as fascinating, but how smallpox haunted millions certainly is harrowing.

Here is my Q&A with Dr. Henderson about his story and his new book Smallpox: The Death of a Disease:
"‘Smallpox -- The Death of a Disease,’ a Q&A with Dr. D.A. Henderson"

Punk's not dead

2009-06-09T11:54:00.000-07:00

My most recent Q & A was with author Nick Rombes about his Cultural Dictionary of Punk: 1974-1982. Ever heard of the Slits? The Sleepers? The Raincoats? The Whistle Punk of Camp 15?

Pick up this dictionary and you'll know all you ever wanted. And more, probably.

Here's the full Q & A:
"Punk's not dead, and this is your guide: Q&A with author Nicholas Rombes"

Got migraines?

2009-05-27T22:42:00.000-07:00

Just last week, I talked with author Andrew Levy about his new memoir A Brain Wider Than the Sky: A Migraine Diary.

The book left me wondering how many colleagues, friends, and loved ones are silently suffering with this sort of pain. As Levy points out, many Americans out there are simply getting by, muddling through.

To read the full Q & A with the author, go here:
"'A Brain Wider Than the Sky' author talks about life with migraines"

Walking on the moon

2009-05-16T20:22:00.000-07:00

Every month I do an art-reading project with first graders in Watts.

Every month, their reading skills get better, and I think their art (which is always amazing) becomes more creative.

Today we read UFO Diary and then we made spaceships.

One girl almost cried because she didn't feel like her alien looked good enough.

As we read from big piles of books on a long table, one of the stories I read out loud had the word "naked" in it. And every time I read the word, two girls wouldn't stop laughing.

Some of the loveliest language out there in books today is actually in children's literature. Sometimes the storylines are surprisingly profound.

Here's my favorite line from today. A bear says this to a fox:
"You know how beauty always makes me cry."

Who's afraid of the 21st century?

2009-05-13T21:30:00.000-07:00

So, as a human race, we generally get a thrill from being scared.

However, when it comes to deciphering real news from a bunch of hooey, well, it isn't so easy to tell fact from fiction at times.

In my lastest Q&A, I chatted with Simon Briscoe and Hugh Aldersey-Williams about their latest book, Panicology: Two Statisticians Explain What’s Worth Worrying About (And What’s Not) in the 21st Century (Skyhorse Publishing).

Very nice fellows. Very skeptical, too.
And rightfully so. Many things we worry about, we can't do anything about.

Perhaps should we all just toughen up and then chill out?

Read the entire interview here:
"What is there to worry about in the 21st century?"

The footsteps of Bonnie and Clyde

2009-05-11T14:21:00.000-07:00

If you're looking for the ultimate in love, lust, and danger, can you really think of a more infamous pair than Bonnie and Clyde?

Paul Schneider, author of Bonnie and Clyde: The Lives Behind the Legend, chatted with me about his research and what he found when he drove his car throughout America, following the gangsters' famous footsteps.

Read the entire interview here:
"Romeo and Juliet with guns"

Do you have a crystal ball?

2009-05-07T20:47:00.000-07:00

I sometimes wonder if we really can predict the future. In these uncertain times, it would be nice to know what is about to happen next.

Though, if you really think about it, uncertainty is an integral part of modern life--think about sporting events, magic shows, falling in love. All of them are reliant upon a degree of unknowing.

That said, I think in my lifetime I've had one or two premonition-like dreams at least. Though in my case, the dreams are so confusing, I can't really tell completely what it all means.

Recently, I interviewed Dr. Larry Dossey about his new book The Power of Premonitions: How Knowing the Future Can Shape Our Lives.

He was fascinating to talk to. Check out the entire interview here:
"Dr. Larry Dossey and your internal crystal ball"

When pigs fly

2009-04-29T21:49:00.001-07:00

Over the weekend on Saturday, I was at the Times Festival of Books (lovely) and by Sunday morning, I was in the thick of swine flu reporting and coverage (lively).

You have to ask yourself in all the panic and with everything going around the Net, where did the sickness really come from?

And I must say, there are some amazing theories out there. People have gone hog wild with the suspicions.

For a whirlwind rundown:
"Is swine flu a conspiracy?"

For full coverage of swine flu:
www.latimes.com/swineflu

Festival of Books: Cool Saturday

2009-04-25T21:54:00.000-07:00

For the first time that I can ever remember, the Festival of Books was not a scorching hot event. Rather it was just right outside during the day and as the sun started to set, it was even a bit chilly.

I covered three panels for the Times: Security and American Ideals; Science Fiction: The Grand Masters; and History: Unknown L.A.

I guess my day went more of less like this: Present, Future, and then Past.

Each panel offered its own sense of feeling--the first dealt with naked detainees and torture, making the audience really think about where we are going globally as it relates to terrorism; it was heavy. The second panel had the authors arguing over whether Sci-Fi belongs in an academic setting and talking about boyhood dreams. Felt hopeful and I dare say, sweet. The last panel told me things I didn't know about L.A. Made me excited to know that there are still new stories that need to be told in Los Angeles. More to discover. More to see.

For full coverage click below:
"Barton Gellman, Jane Mayer, Tom Hayden and others talk torture"

"Spaceships on the spine"

"Unknown L.A.? Tell me something I don't know"

Jacket Copy

(Photo: I took this photo with my iPhone at the Science Fiction panel. Scott Timberg chats with the Grand Masters of Sci-Fi. From left to right: Moderator Scott Timberg, Robert Silverberg, Harry Harrison, and Joe Haldeman.)

What brings L.A. together?

2009-04-23T12:13:00.000-07:00

If there's one thing I've learned in my years in Los Angeles, it's this: very few things can bring this community together. Because L.A. is segmented into many different small communities and people are so spread out over a large county, creating a center for all people to come and enjoy and celebrate something can prove difficult.

One event that succeeds: the Festival of Books.

Why? It's at UCLA's pretty campus, provides two day's worth of lectures, panels, balloons, nice weather, free stuff, stamps, stickers, and books books books. It is free to get in, and many of the talks are also free of charge. It is like one big, fun intellectual celebration of the fact that it is still cool to read. (And to write.)

In its 13th year, the Festival attracts thousands of readers and lovers of books each year.

Panels this year that stick out to me as super cool: History: The Unknown Los Angeles, Memoirs with a Twist, The Future of News, Publishing 3.0: The Next Generation. Just to name a few.

I'm live blogging the event for the Los Angeles Times, so look for that on Twitter and on Jacket Copy.

Here's a link to the schedule, if you want to take a look.

Where else can you see Ray Bradbury, DJ Waldie, T.C. Boyle and Wells Tower all in one place?

One of my favorite L.A.-esque things to do: walk around the Festival, eating churros and drinking something frozen with my friends, enjoying the sun, sitting under trees.

Photos: I took these pictures last Saturday at an elementary school in Watts, where I do a monthly project with grade-school students. Ready to Learn helps kids to love reading and art. We read the kids books, then they read to us. And then we all do a huge art project together. Last week, we read The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. And then, as you can see, we made very hungry caterpillars (and some beautiful butterflies, for good measure).

To all the lonely hearts of L.A.

2009-04-22T21:59:00.000-07:00

In big cities, how hard is it to connect?

Unlike New York, in L.A., since we spend so much time in cars, you won't bump into anyone on the street. You won't brush up against anyone on the subway. And you certainly won't be walking very much. Instead in this sprawling (and expanding) metropolis, people live far apart. Travelling in private cars to private residences. It is quite possible to go from the bubble of your apartment to the bubble of your car to the bubble of your cubicle and back to the bubble of your car to the bubble of your place again. You might have to take three freeways just to see a friend. Seriously.

A super cool project created at the Times called ICU, created by Katy Newton, seeks to capture the spirit of Los Angeles' deep need to connect. Sort of like Craigslist's Missed Connections, but in video form. You can see people's real faces, as they tell their tiny tales of longing. Watch as people pine for each other at a gas station.

The project is up for a Webby Award.

Check ICU out here.

Twitter, Tweet, Tweeble, Re-Tweet, Hash Tag Madness

2009-04-18T00:26:00.000-07:00

So, I'm a bit late to the party. But better late than never, I suppose.

In this case, I'm talking about Twitter. A platform that I was reluctant to adopt early on.

And yet, after I was called "old school" by someone even older than me, I thought about this 140-character medium and wondered...maybe as a society we've reached a point where we really do want to know each other's random thoughts all the time?

Random thoughts aside, I can't deny that Twitter has proved powerful in breaking news situations, such as the Hudson River plane crash, where news of this event was first reported by a citizen journalist, who updated his Twitter status.

Around the globe, Twitter is also popular amongst Moldovan protesters. One might even say Twitter is feeding revolution.

The platform is also being employed by newsrooms like the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, and NPR, among others, to spread news updates. And on the go, that's a great way to stay up to date with your hometown's latest news.

Even though Mother Jones reports that Twitter has jumped the shark and tweeting is like so five minutes ago...

...well, you can catch me on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/lorikozlowski

(Photo: This is a magnet on my refrigerator.)

Author interviews on latimes.com

2009-04-05T23:02:00.000-07:00

One of the most delightful things to do after reading a book is getting to actually talk to the author about what they were thinking, what their struggles and revelations were while penning their latest work, and how they feel about their new art.

Here are a few of the latest interviews I've done for the Los Angeles Times with some authors you may know.

Carrie Fisher at her Wishful Drinking signing in Hollywood
"Carrie Fisher does Hollywood"

David Denby on Snark: It's Mean, It's Personal, and It's Ruining Our Conversation
"Why are we so snarky? David Denby thinks he knows"

Hank Cardello on Stuffed: An Insider's Look at Who's Really Making America Fat
"Who's making America fat? Hank Cardello on un-stuffing the nation"

Andrew Gottlieb on Drink, Play, F@#k
"'Drink Play F#@k': Doesn't the title really say it all?"

Zachary Mexico on China Underground
"Exploring 'China Underground'"

Ralph Keyes on I Love It When You Talk Retro: Hoochie Coochie, Double Whammy, Drop a Dime and the Forgotten Origins of American Speech
"Talk retro to me, baby"

Bzzz: Urban beekeeping is more than money and honey

2009-04-01T00:02:00.000-07:00

My latest article in the Los Angeles Times is on urban beekeeping--a popular, quirky and organic practice. I talked to so many beekeepers, scientists, and farmers and they all agree on this: bees are worth saving.

Check out the entire piece here:
"Urban beekeepers know it's more than just honey and money"

This is my desert notebook

2008-12-01T18:31:00.000-08:00

A long-time fascination of mine is the road between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. It is a strange, long desert drive that usually entails lots of caffeine and singing in the car.

I just spent a long holiday weekend in Las Vegas, and kept a running list of the objects I saw along the road that leads to what was once home for me.

When you leave in the very early morning from L.A., the first thing you notice is a slog of traffic that eventually lets up--like the desert itself, the road gets more barren the further you go.

It rained in L.A. last week, so this time we drove into the desert that smelled of rain. A unique, earthy scent. And as you look far beyond the highway, you can see streaks of sunlight coming down on far away purple mountains. Actually, I couldn't tell if it was sunlight or rain.

We stopped at a very chic gas station, as gas stations go. 18 varieties of coffee and clean bathrooms. It smelled like rain at this gas station, instead of gas.

Plow further into the desert and the misfit-type of stuff starts to emerge. You don't even have to go looking for it; strange things just appear on the side of the road, giving you more to think about.

On rickety, white plywood signs, each of the ten commandments was painted in big, black block letters. Pitched like forks, every thirty feet--reminding you to honor your mom.

A bigger sign appeared, reading, "WE LOVE TRUCKERS".
Gotta love the desert marketing campaigns.

As we drove further this time, again that same old thought crossed my mind: Why isn't there a bullet train between these two, fair cities?

Telephone poles and electric lines stretch out, connecting who knows what to who.

All the familiar Joshua Trees pop out.

A black crow pecks at the ground all by himself.

And that old, abandoned water park is still sitting there, in the middle of the Mojave. "Water Park & Resort" it is called. Resort? Bad business deal?

A hollow shack that looks like a tee-pee has graffiti all over its right side. I wonder if it is some lucky kid's fort that he plays and pretends inside of.

And at some point on the drive--nothing, nothing. Nothing.
Cue the music and more thinking.

Rain clouds, cottonwood bushes, shiny big rigs carrying goods that no one will buy this year.

I look to the right, and in the next lane there is an old man, leaning over the steering wheel of a gray Cadillac, as if he can't see at all. The strangest thing: there is a hands-free earpiece glowing in his left ear, and I can see it blinking a very blue light. It's as if he is digitally programmed.

In twenty-five minutes we will arrive in Baker, my favorite random desert stop-over. Aliens and Greek food! Love it.

"Pit stop"...I keep seeing those words throughout this desert ride. What is a "pit" "stop" anyway?

Ron Paul Revolution signs are still standing on low hills. I wonder if they know that the election is over?

A Winnebago passes us with ease. Who has a Winnebago anymore?

We loop through the mountains, and busted tires litter the road.

A white cylinder tank labeled "ROCKET FUEL" sits on the east side of the freeway.

When it rains in the desert, the colors are so different--the whole time it seems like we are riding through someone's water-colored painting, all milkweed and periwinkle brush strokes.

Here we are passing Baker, and the parade of billboards begins: Showgirls and magicians and all-you-can-eat buffets. And every adult dream that ever has been.

Another sign that Nevada is near:
"REAL FULL AUTOS" and a picture of an M-16. "Try one! at the GUN STORE!"

I see the pottery sale that is always there with large orange planters and clay swans, and I know we are close. The freeway starts to clear even more, and I begin to see stucco-covered homes, Spanish-tile roofs.

The Strip in the distance, and the faces of Penn & Teller and Studio 54 and Rita Rudner and Barry Manilow crooning on a billboard. And I know that I am home.

Thank you, Las Vegas

2008-11-11T19:53:00.000-08:00

Dear hometown and the participants in the Vegas Valley Book Festival,
Thank you for coming out celebrate books and all that is literary.

A special thanks to all those who came to the Noir panel on November 7th. Hopefully, we entertained you.

An even more special thanks to my fellow panelists: Jarret Keene, Tod Goldberg, Todd James Pierce, and Vu Tran (who wasn't on the panel, but should have been up there with us).

Las Vegas always opens my eyes to something new.

Thank you for the love and support.

xo,
Lori