記事

Matt Porterfield has written and directed four feature films, all set in his hometown of Baltimore. His latest, Sollers Point, tells the story of a young man just released from prison and living under…

It’s back-to-school time! Time to sharpen up your pencils, meet your new teachers, and grab your list of classics to read for homework. Time to put away those comic books and graphic novels in favor…

My experience at the Mayor’s Youth Council was an interesting one. As a group, we focused on homelessness in Los Angeles. I was surprised to find out that there is a large number of homeless youth and…

Once upon a time in Hollywoodland, 80 years ago today, The Wizard of Oz had its Hollywood Premiere at Grauman’s Chinese Theater. The Wizard of Oz lobby card, [1939] On August 15, 1939, the blockbuster…

My first day was overwhelming—meeting lots of new people who were all very welcoming and learning about all the different departments and what each department does to help run the daily programs of…

Be truly green, save time, money, and resources by traveling via green screen. Go anywhere, any time, any dimension from the comfort of the Octavia Lab.Wow, that only took you 15 minutes!No one will…

Del Howison is an award-winning editor, journalist, fiction author, and actor. He has been nominated for the Bram Stoker Award four times (and won it once), for the Black Quill Award twice, for the…

1969 was a tumultuous year. The US Apollo 11 mission brought men to the moon, and the Beatles gave their final live performance. Richard Nixon was sworn in as President, the war raged on in Vietnam…

The Los Angeles basin cannot escape the fact that its climate tends to extremes, particularly of the hot variety. Global warming and galloping urbanization have exacerbated the situation Temperatures…

Before the advent of GPS and smartphones, residents of Los Angeles were wholly dependent on the street guide to navigate their sprawling metropolis. In this video, map librarian Glen Creason explores…

Casey McQuiston grew up in the swamps of Southern Louisiana, where they cultivated an abiding love for honey butter biscuits and stories with big, beating hearts. They studied journalism and worked in…

Before Mickey and his Magic Kingdom, there was Billie the Alligator and his reptilian pals at the California Alligator Farm. Opened in 1907 and conveniently located opposite Lincoln Park, the farm…

Hugo award winner Sarah Gailey lives and works in Los Angeles, California. Their nonfiction has been published by Mashable and the Boston Globe, and their fiction has been published internationally…

It’s been over forty years, but the water is flowing again at the Fort Moore Pioneer Memorial. If you’ve ever driven on Hill Street between Chinatown and the Civic Center, you have passed by an 80…

Independence Day aka the Fourth of July commemorates the signing of the Declaration of Independence of the United States on July 4, 1776. The Continental Congress declared that the thirteen (American)…

Kris Waldherr is an award-winning author, illustrator, and designer. She is a member of the Historical Novel Society, and her fiction has been awarded with fellowships by the Virginia Center of the…

Seanan McGuire is the award-winning author of the October Daye urban fantasy series, the InCryptid series, and the Wayward Children series. In addition, she writes darker fiction under the pseudonym…

In the latest, Pride-themed episode of Stories from the Map Cave, map librarian Glen Creason walks us through some significant landmarks and events in Los Angeles' LGBTQIA history. Watch below:

We have written before about Herman Schultheis, the German-born photographer and jack of all film-related trades. With his wife, Ethel, Herman arrived in Los Angeles in 1937 with high hopes of a…

Charlie N. Holmberg was raised a Trekkie alongside three sisters, who also have boy names, in Salt Lake City, UT. She plays the ukulele, owns too many pairs of glasses, and finally adopted a dog. Her…

The month of June is Refugee Awareness Month and June 20 is World Refugee Day. This day was established in 2001 by the General Assembly of the United Nations to honor the courage, strength and…

“Habit is persistence in practice.”—Octavia E. ButlerOctavia E. Butler (1947-2006) is a writer, creator, world-builder and genius who made room in the white male-dominated science fiction world for…

Ever think about designing your own toys, creating a personalized gift, prototyping your invention, or even replacing a broken oven knob?You can 3D print all these ideas in the Octavia Lab, but you…

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. Unfortunately, there is much of gay history that has been forgotten because queer authors and artists weren’t offered publishing…