Squaw Valley

The Presentation of Self, Selfishness and Selflessness in Everyday Life: Louis B. Jones

The woman pictured at right is an imperfect, and so perfectly, well, perfect (!) cartoon version of the rival real estate agent vying for the existential attention, weird affection (sort of) and, of course, clients of the unlikely anti-hero you will meet if you are smart enough, brave enough, eager ... More >>

Staff Picks: Favorite Nonfiction from the Imaginary Bookstore of Mr. Bib!

Okay, no staff here, just me and the fambly back in the East Bay for an overnight visit, taking in the San Francisco Mime Troupe in Oakland, eating Cheeseboard Collective pizza out on the median strip on Shattuck Avenue, maybe having breakfast with poet-friend and political mentor Al Young at Saul's ... More >>

Literary Olympiad: Lists, Language, and Avoiding the Barbarous

Lists are fun. I read a couple great ones this week, including The Progressive magazine's nine worst lobbyists. I've assembled some great ones this past week at the Community of Writers at Squaw Valley, where I've taken notes and share them with you here. The conference's unsavory and racist name, b ... More >>

UC Irvine MFA Writers: Your Clip-and-Save Review

The end of the academic year approaches, which finids Mr. Bib looking forward to the arrival of annual literary journals sponsored by local colleges and universities. Alas, The Ear, Irvine Valley College's magazine is long gone as, it appears, is Orange Coast Review, out of OCC. Still UC Riverside p ... More >>

Starbucks Opens Its First 'Ski-Thru' in California

​Skiers know the dilemma. During a long, cold day on the slopes, you yearn for a steaming beverage to warm you up, but getting those clunky things off your feet, and then finding a safe place to store them, is so much of a hassle that you'd rather just eat snow.   Enter the world's first ... More >>

Snow Summit in Big Bear Reopens

​What the warm tropical storm taketh, the cold winter storm giveth.Snow Summit in Big Bear, which had to close Monday because warm rains washed away the snow that had been sticking to the slopes, reopens today thanks to the severe storm that wreaked havoc on Orange County Wednesday.

[Summer Guide] Lisa Alvarez's Summer Reading List