Press Play with Madeleine Brand
'Dark Sparkler,' 'The Epic,' and the Hi-Tech Teens of Silicon Valley
Photographer Matt Black has documented the troubles of the Central Valley in stark black and white images for two decades. And actress Amber Tamblyn’s latest poetry collection, Dark Sparkler, is about the starlets that Hollywood chews up and spits out.
By Madeleine Brand • • 53m ListenCalifornia’s Central Valley, the powerhouse of the state’s agriculture industry, is now under assault from the drought. Photographer Matt Black has documented the troubles of the Central Valley in stark black and white images that have appeared in many magazines, including the New Yorker. Black was also chosen as TIME magazine’s “Instagram photographer of the year” last year. We talk to Black, who grew up and still lives in the Central Valley, about how it’s changed since he first started photographing it two decades ago.
Then, Hollywood actresses from Jean Harlow to Marilyn Monroe to Brittany Murphy were all eaten up by Hollywood in one way or another. They are the inspiration for Amber Tamblyn’s latest poetry collection, Dark Sparkler.
And in the world of Silicon Valley, the talent is getting younger and younger. College dropouts have joined the ranks of tech companies for years, but now high school dropouts are calling the valley home. These are kids who were skipping school anyway to attend hack-a-thons; and kids who’ve already made apps on top ten most-downloaded lists.
Finally, the jazz record The Epic, by Los Angeles-based tenor sax player and composer Kamasi Washington, features dozens of musicians and singers performing almost three hours of music.
Banner Image: Kamasi Washington performs at KCRW; Credit: Larry Hirshowitz
