Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Memorial Day special: 'Dear LA,' writing tips, black skate scene
On Memorial Day, we listen back to some of our favorite recent interviews. David Kipen shares people's long-enduring complaints about LA. Grammar expert Benjamin Dreyer tells us to relax about the using "whom."
By Madeleine Brand • • 54m ListenOn Memorial Day, we listen back to some of our favorite recent interviews. David Kipen shares people's long-enduring complaints about LA. Grammar expert Benjamin Dreyer tells us to relax about the using "whom." Purple sea urchins are eating up seaweed off California's coast. And African Americans are trying to save roller rinks.
In this episode
4 storiesWhat makes LA wonderful and terrible simultaneously
Los Angeles is sprawling, yet constantly congested. Glamorous and gritty. Deeply diverse. And yet it can’t shake the stereotype that it’s a superficial, vapid, La La Land.
Read the story15 minA ravenous species of sea urchin is changing ecosystems off California’s coast
Seaweed is crucial to all sorts of life in the ocean. Here in California, it’s disappearing fast. And so are the fish and sea creatures that depend on it. The culprit: a purple sea urchin….known as a “purp” as the marine biology lingo goes.
Read the story8 minThe great Oxford comma debate and grammar rules you can ignore
Every day, we write emails, text messages, Facebook rants, Instagram captions. Whether you like it or not, grammar matters. That’s why Random House copy chief Benjamin Dreyer wrote “Dreyer’s English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style.”
Read the story15 minThe wild history of the African American roller skating community
World on Wheels is a roller skating rink on Venice Blvd in Mid City.
Read the story16 min
