This is a song from the great and often unjustly overlooked Austin-based rocker James McMurtry about — he says as he says introducing this new song — “18th century feudalism and primogeniture and their combined effects on modern-day American redneck culture.” After playing to countless “rooms full of rednecks” in Texas and other Western states,Continue reading “Sons of the Second Son; or, origin of the redneck, by James McMurtry”
Author Archives: Kit Stolz
The Unfurling at Yosemite
Nate Vince, the locksmith at Yosemite National Park until this month, protested the the termination of his and countless other positions at the park by hanging — upside down — an enormous American flag on El Capitan.
10 Years of Reading Ojai
A decade of conversations with notable writers in and around Ojai.
Radioactive Rain
The Partial Nuclear Meltdown That Still Haunts Ventura County Here’s a new story I wrote for Ojai magazine on — believe it or not — a major nuclear accident, a partial nuclear meltdown, that still contaminates part of Ventura County. ‘Woody Guthrie used to say that some men will rob you with a six-gun, andContinue reading “Radioactive Rain”
Wild Nature: Waiting All Around Us to be Seen
Here’s an Off the Shelf book feature I wrote for the Ojai Quarterly this winter about a delightful and quite unconventional SoCal birder and writer named Charles Hood, who refuses to play the role of the “High Church” nature writer, but insists nonetheless that we should stop for a minute, and take a look atContinue reading “Wild Nature: Waiting All Around Us to be Seen”
John Lennon’s Lullaby
This year I stumbled upon a spectacularly good story about the often-overlooked song that concludes the White Album, a record that John Lennon thought included some of his best work with the Beatles. That song is “Good Night.” You may recall the lush orchestration, the soothing, and Ringo — not John — singing with aContinue reading “John Lennon’s Lullaby”
STATE FINDS CHEMICAL AND RADIOACTIVITY EMERGENCY IN FORMER BURN PIT AT SANTA SUSANA FIELD LAB
From the Ojai Valley News/VCSun At an online Nov. 9 meeting with nearly 60 community members, Jamie Slaughter, a public participation specialist for the state Department of Toxic Substances Control, announced plans for soil removal, cleanup and further testing at the former 6-acre burn pit site within the Santa Susana Field Lab site in easternContinue reading “STATE FINDS CHEMICAL AND RADIOACTIVITY EMERGENCY IN FORMER BURN PIT AT SANTA SUSANA FIELD LAB”
Nature’s Revenge: T.C. Boyle on “Blue Skies”
Here’s this quarter’s book feature for Ojai Quarterly, an allusive interview with the delightful-if-doomy T.C. Boyle. (Think that’s part of Boyle’s brilliance: he embeds an awareness of the end of his characters’ lives into the storytelling — so often we see characters up against their uniquely-driven fates. Worse, they know it — which makes usContinue reading “Nature’s Revenge: T.C. Boyle on “Blue Skies””
Ventura County Public Health Calls for Clean-up of Santa Susana Field Lab
[Note: here’s a story I wrote for Friday’s Ojai Valley News, about the decades-long controversy over cleaning up one of the most contaminated sites in the state, both chemically and with radionuclides.] Public Health Officer warns of dangers of not fully cleaning up Santa Susana Field Lab Editor’s Note: This content is being offered free,Continue reading “Ventura County Public Health Calls for Clean-up of Santa Susana Field Lab”
Hetch-Hetchy Loop 2023
Yours truly took an exploratory journey around a favorite new locale in the Sierra, the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne, which is well-known and much-loved, and deservedly so. I wanted to see a little more of what surrounds this spectacular river canyon. And, to be honest, I also wanted to spend a day just hangingContinue reading “Hetch-Hetchy Loop 2023”
Kit Stolz 