If there’s one thing in American sports that’s going to get people to sit up, lean forward and engage, it’s the home run. We all dig the long ball.
If anything can get someone to run home and turn on a softball game, it’s a big-time slugger from a big-time school mashing homers like nobody before.
Heard about Grant? She’s the UCLA softball player who’s hit an NCAA-record 40 home runs (so far) this season.
UCLA senior Megan Grant leans over and holds her helmet between pitches during a super regional game against UCF on Friday at Easton Stadium.
(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
Forty! In 147 at-bats! That’s a home run every 3.68 at-bats!
If you’re wondering, Mark McGwire hit a home run every 7.3 at-bats in 1998, the year he finished with 70. And Barry Bonds went deep every 6.52 at-bats in 2001, when he hit his MLB-record 73 home runs.
Whenever she gets asked about her historic home runs, the red-hot, red-haired hitter is like, shucks: “I mean, it’s incredible,” she said. “I’m just honestly blessed to be able to say the number 40. But, yeah, that’s all I can say.”
She just wants to be thought of as a hard worker and a good teammate. But what Grant is going to be remembered for most is as the founding member of softball’s 40-home run club.
Her 40th home run came in her 58th game this season and on her seventh career grand slam — Grant Slam? — in the Bruins’ NCAA regional final victory over South Carolina last weekend.
Forty, a round number of round-trippers with a ring to it. And a sweet echo coming so soon after the Bruins women’s basketball team won its first NCAA championship, history to which Grant also contributed as a reserve before softball beckoned.
Side quest completed, the left-handed-hitting senior stepped back into the box to help the Bruins chase a 13th championship on the softball field.
Grant is soaking up the experience, and encouraging her younger teammates to, too: “‘Enjoy this, it’s so rare to be here’ … and, ‘Hey, we can do this, we can do it together.’”
A .469 hitter, she leads the nation in slugging percentage (1.333), on-base percentage (.650) and OPS (1.983). She bats second in UCLA’s NCAA record-breaking lineup that shattered Oklahoma’s 25-year-old previous record of 160 home runs. UCLA hit seven home runs during two super regional wins against Central Florida this weekend to push that record to 200.
With a 9-1 win Friday and a 14-4 victory Saturday, the Bruins advanced to the Women’s College World Series for the 34th time and for the third time in Grant’s astounding tenure.
UCLA senior Megan Grant (43) high-fives teammates during a win over UCF Friday at Easton Stadium.
(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
Tip your helmet and toss Grant her bouquets — flower power — because there she is popping up on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” and on the MLB Network. One of three finalists for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award, she’s got guys discussing her exploits on a dad pod otherwise dedicated to NBA takes. Fans dressed up as chefs as a tribute to her nickname, “Chef Megan.”
Star power, power broker. Grant is a lift-all-boats attraction for a sport that’s been steadily carving out space in the public consciousness.
All over the country, college softball teams have been breaking attendance records. And ratings are up, up, up; ESPN said this has been its most-watched college softball regular season since 2009, with games averaging 292,000 viewers. The MLB-backed Athletes Unlimited Softball League is entering Season 2; Grant was drafted No. 4 overall by the Portland Cascade.
“People will pay to see her play,” said Lisa Fernandez, UCLA softball legend and associate head coach.
Fernandez also is the general manager of the AUSL’s Utah Talons, for whom UCLA’s other senior slugger Jordan Woolery will play this summer.
The Bruins imported the latest in a lineage of Bay Area dynamic duos. The Oakland Athletics had the Bash Brothers, Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire; the Golden State Warriors gave us the Splash Brothers, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. And now UCLA has Walnut Creek’s Woolery and Grant, of San Bruno — the Bruin Bombers.
They’re the first teammates in NCAA history to each hit 30-plus homers in the same season, with 74 between them.
And, yes, chefs! Like Curry before her, Grant is cookin’ the competition, breaking the 31-year-old NCAA single-season home run record with No. 38 on May 9 against Nebraska.
Included among the record wreckage she’s leaving in her wake: Stacey Nuveman’s UCLA single-season record of 31 homers. For her career, Grant needs only one more to tie Nuveman’s Bruins record of 90.
But Grant’s got to get a pitch to hit first. After UCF walked her six times in two games, she has 74 walks this season and 69 base hits. She also has 13 hit by pitches.
“It’s very similar to Barry Bonds, right?” Fernandez said. “It’s either a walk or a home run. Like, you pick.”
The tale of the tape measure behind Grant’s greatness is the down-to-the inch precision of her preparation. The Mamba-esque magic is in the embracing behind-the-scenes monotony, powering through it.
“She was the hardest worker, always working. Never enough,” said Ray McDonald, Grant’s coach at the San Mateo-based Warrior Softball Academy since she was that kid with an electric, bat-busting swing. “It was eating and sleeping, hitting, and you know, shower. The essentials.”
“When we recruited her, Ray, he was like, ‘Coach, you better be ready to work,’” said Fernandez. “And I’m like, ‘Oh, I know how to work.’ And [then] I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, now I understand how people must have felt when I played.’
“There is an aspect of this game that people don’t realize unless you are in it. To be great, there’s a — for lack of a better word — monotony to the process. Can you master the same move over and over again? And she’s committed to it. To her drills, to the process, to her routine, all of it. There’s a lot of people who are committed to it when they’re not doing well: ‘Oh, got to get back to my drills.’ She has been committed to that process from the day she stepped on campus.”
The process includes working on her mind. That deep, deep breath before every deep, deep home run is a way to stay centered. To stay in the moment — and it is a moment.
For softball. For UCLA. For Grant, who, with all this power and responsibility, is hitting it out of the park.
But it seems that Madonna also has royal standards when it comes to travel. I can reveal that the Like A Prayer hitmaker brought her own private chef on to a British Airways flight last month.
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Madonna has royal standards when it comes to travelCredit: instagram/madonnaThe Queen of Pop brought her own private chef on to a British Airways flight last monthCredit: instagram/madonna
She jetted from Los Angeles to London’s Heathrow with former foot- baller boyfriend Akeem Morris.
Her chef plated her up some sushi before they took off for the 11-hour flight to England.
A source said: “Madonna is strict about her lifestyle and avoids processed foods.
“She has the luxury of taking her private chef when travelling. He knows exactly what she eats to ensure she is sufficiently nourished when travelling between timezones.”
Madge is understood to follow a strict macrobiotic diet which is favoured by A-listers including actress Gwyneth Paltrow.
She avoids sugar, caffeine, alcohol and processed items, instead favouring fruit, veg and protein.
Functional nutritionist Pauline Cox previously told The Sun: “Madonna has a carefully planned diet that allows her to carry on performing at a high level.
“She eats complex carbohydrates — brown rice, beans and oats — for slow energy release.”
I previously told how Madonna turned night owl for a new music video, shooting between 5pm and 2am.
She is set to premiere the ten-minute film at the Beacon Theatre at the Tribeca Festival in New York in the US on June 5.
It is built around the first six tracks from her album, Confessions II, out on July 3.
ELLIE KNUCKLES DOWN
Ellie Goulding returned to the stage for the first time after giving birth to baby number twoCredit: GettyShe wore a baggy white tee and diamond knuckle-dusterCredit: Splash
ELLIE GOULDING let her hair down as she returned to the stage for the first time after giving birth to baby number two in March.
Wearing a baggy white tee, leather shorts and diamond knuckle-duster, inset above left, for her show at Radio 1’s Big Weekend in Sunderland, the singer revealed that her five-year-old son Arthur was watching.
She said: “So, guys, this is kind of a big deal, because my son is watching me for the first time today.”
Ellie also sang her new song Black Prada Dress.
Great to have you back, Ellie.
BBCRADIO 1 host Charlie Hedges has pleaded for Harry Styles to return to the Live Lounge.
The DJ, who hosts Dance Anthems, revealed how she was presenting a 24-hour show when the former One Direction star was in the building.
She told Biz on Sunday: “Harry was confirmed to be in the Live Lounge however it was the same day that I’d decided to do a 24-hour Radio 1 dance day. So I missed Harry Styles.
“I stitched myself up because it was my idea to do the 24-hour show. I can’t blame anyone. I am fuming.”
Meanwhile Charlie – who is in Sunderland for Radio 1’s Big Weekend – revealed Lewis Capaldi is one of her favourite guests.
She said: “He is probably the funniest man I have ever met in my entire life, let alone being an incredible performer.”
ZARA McDERMOTT cheered on boyfriend Louis Tomlinson from the side of the stage yesterday.
Louis Tomlinson performs during Radio 1’s Big WeekendCredit: SplashZara McDermott was cheering her boyfriend onCredit: Getty
Sam Workman is hoping to make sparks fly in the Love Island villaCredit: Instagram
HUNKY electrician Sam Workman is hoping to make sparks fly in the Love Island villa.
The lad, from Dudley, is lined up for the next series of the ITVdating show in Majorca, which kicks off on June 1.
A source said: “Sam is ready to use his electrician charm in the villa.
“He has also been hitting the gym to make sure he’s villa ready.”
Sam has started his summer in style and was spotted at Coachella Festival in California, US, in April.
Hopefully Sam finds himself a festival sidekick in the villa.
STORM OFF, YAS
Yasmin Pettet has left modelling agency Storm ManagementCredit: Getty
SHE signed up with top modelling agency Storm Management after leaving Love Island last year.
But I can reveal that Yasmin Pettet has left the company that has launched the careers of supermodels Kate Moss and Cara Delevingne.
A source said: “Yasmin loved working with Storm and learned a lot from the agency. However her career is going in another direction.”
The agency posted a snap of Yasmin – who finished third with Jamie Rhodes on the dating show – on their Instagram last year to announce the new signing.
It read: “Yasmin’s fearless, edgy aesthetic positions her within the new wave of British It girls: challenging conventions and breaking the mould.”
MARRIED MILEY’S WEBBED BLISS
Miley Cyrus was joined by designer Donatella Versace and actress Anya Taylor-Joy at her Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremonyCredit: Reuters
MILEY CYRUS is a married woman, according to her mother.
The revelation came at the singer’s Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony in LA on Friday, where Miley wore this webbed maxi dress.
Onlookers witnessed Tish call Miley’s fiancé Maxx Morando, who proposed in winter 2025, her “husband”.
As Miley’s mum herded together family and friends for photographs, she looked over at Maxx, drummer for the rock band Liily, and declared, “We’re gonna bring the husband.”
Miley wore this webbed maxi dress to the ceremony in LACredit: ReutersMaxx Morando posed next to Miley at the eventCredit: Reuters
Maxx then posed next to Miley and kissed her on the cheek.
Tearful Miley lavished praise on her father Billy Ray even though he wasn’t present to see her being honoured with the Hollywood Walk of Fame star.
The singer, who was also joined by designer Donatella Versace and actress Anya Taylor-Joy, declared, “My dad used to say a skyscraper starts with a jackhammer” as she vowed her career is fuelled by making her art immortal.
With tears on her face, Miley continued: “To my family, my future family, parents, my mom, my siblings, my friends, my collaborators, thank you for loving and supporting not only the choices that I make, but my fears, and then facing them with me.
“Today is something that I’ll never forget and I’m always going to cherish.”
AD SUITS YOU, TOM
Tom Hiddleston has shot a top-secret Ralph Lauren collaborationCredit: BBC
The actor has shot a top-secret Ralph Lauren collaboration, which will be unveiled later this year.
Thor star Tom has been a mainstay at the American label’s events lately, including sitting front row at Milan Fashion Week and attending the post-runway dinner party where he sat pride of place next to Ralph’s son.
A source said: “Tom has a busy filming schedule, but he managed to squeeze in this ad as he was delighted to be asked.
“He loves the brand and plans to wear it on red carpets and at awards dos.” Tom, who is engaged to Fresh Meat actress Zawe Asthon, gushed about fashion earlier this year.
Speaking to Esquire he said: “There’s a certain element of respect when you wear a suit. Not just for yourself, but for the people you’re in the company with.
“I admire the craft of it all, and there’s something about how tailoring can honour shape and athleticism as a man. I love texture. I love the idea of getting dressed up.
“I love the construction of it and the details add up to a whole that I find pleasing.
“My tan shoes match my watch strap, and my pocket square gives a flourish.”
AIR WE GO… OFF TO AMERICA
Donna Air is quitting the UK as she hopes to land some roles in the USCredit: Getty
SHE’S kept her head down since appearing in the Jeffrey Epstein files earlier this year, but I can reveal that Donna Air is quitting the UK.
The ex-Byker Grove actress is returning to her acting roots and hoping to land some roles in the US.
This follows The Sun on Sunday story in February revealing her links to the paedophile businessman. Plus, earlier this month, Donna lost her dad Trevor to cancer.
Posting on social media she wrote: “I’ve packed up my home, and I’m off to pastures new.”
A source said: “It’s been a tough year for Donna. She wants a change of scene and a fresh start. She is hoping to audition for some roles in America and see what comes her way.”
STARS OUT FOR THE BBC
A 1986 BBC advert starring comic John CleeseCredit: Supplied
A HOST of top stars from music, films and telly are backing the BBC after filming a new ad promoting the licence fee.
When San Juan native Rafael Rodriguez opened Señor Big Ed in Cypress in the mid-90s, there were few Puerto Rican restaurants in Southern California.
“A lot of customers were driving long ways to come to eat at Señor Big Ed,” said restaurant manager Veronica Coronado. “They would get very emotional when they would eat the food, because it reminded them so much of their childhood.”
While cities like New York and Miami have come to be veritable hubs for Puerto Rican cuisine, the food community here in Los Angeles — more than 3,000 miles away from the island — still remains relatively small.
“His whole movement and everything that he’s been doing for the island … has really been this big boost for global awareness of the Puerto Rican identity and culture,” said Carmen DeLeon, the actor and chef behind Capicu, a Puerto Rican pop-up in L.A.
While longstanding restaurants like Señor Big Ed have anchored communities for decades, newer spots like Taínos in Woodland Hills and La Casa de Iris in Long Beach are expanding the Boricua food landscape in L.A.
“Everyone comes to look for this food because this is like gold,” said Edwin Torres, chef at Taínos in Woodland Hills.
In addition to traditional guisados, mofongo (mashed green plantains) and banana-leaf-wrapped pasteles, Taínos shares Puerto Rican dishes rarely seen outside of home kitchens. Soon, co-owner Odessa Rodriguez plans to add guanimes con bacalao, boiled flour dumplings with salted cod, a Taíno dish that traces back centuries.
“We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel. We are just trying to bring back essential plates that our ancestors ate,” Rodriguez said.
DeLeon, known as the Not Starving Artist on Instagram, started her pop-up in 2023 with her sister Anabel, serving small bites at bars, farmers markets and local events. The siblings grew up in Arizona cooking Puerto Rican food with their island-born parents, and DeLeon said she’s passionate about making the cuisine accessible to others.
“I want to attract people first, and then I can talk about where these dishes derive from and where the inspiration comes from,” she said.
The current menu features pizza empanadillas, vegan arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas), vegan tostones and gazpacho, and mini sandwiches with ham, cheese and sweet pimiento peppers.
DeLeon hopes more people will grow excited about Puerto Rican food as they discover the culture and meaning behind the cuisine.
“There’s so much history and structure and love behind this group of people, this environment, this culture, this food, this identity,” she said. “I hope that when people eat this food … I want your belly to feel full, I want you to feel as if you’re sitting at my house with my family.”
Similarly, Rodriguez hopes Taínos will become a cultural hub for Boricuas in L.A.
“It fulfills me to feel that I am providing a sense of comfort, nostalgia, home,” she said. “It’s bigger than food.”
Whether you’re craving nostalgic flavors from home or looking to experience L.A.’s small but growing Puerto Rican food scene, here are four restaurants serving up a taste of the Isla del Encanto. — Angela Osorio
For more than 40 years, Barry Walters has been closely watching the dance floors of New York and San Francisco, chronicling the ways in which LGBTQ+ culture has influenced mainstream culture. As a writer for the Village Voice, the Advocate and Spin, among others, Walters became one of music journalism’s most eloquent and crucial voices, championing artists like the Pet Shop Boys and Madonna during their formative years.
Walters’ new book, “Mighty Real,” draws on his deep firsthand knowledge, offering a comprehensive history of LGBTQ+ music from 1969 to 2000. I recently spoke with Walters about Babs, Madge and Bowie.
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✍️ Author Chat
In the book, you make a distinction between pre-Stonewall LGBTQ music and post-Stonewall LGBTQ music.
Gay culture before Stonewall really had to be hidden, or at least secretive. I think of Barbra Streisand as a quintessential pre-Stonewall figure. Judy Garland, as well. These women are tough, and even though they sing songs written by men, it’s not in a submissive way. They are singing like they are the champions, even when they are suffering through what men do to women through the torch songs they perform.
What can you say about the encoded nature of certain songs that spoke to gay culture in a way that flew under the radar of hetero listeners in the pre-Stonewall era?
The music that spoke to gay culture, by necessity, had to be encoded. “Secret Love” by Doris Day is a good example. It’s about struggling to have something that’s otherwise forbidden. Sinead O’Connor covered that song. There was a song I loved as a young child called “Have I The Right?” by the Honeycombs, which was written by two British gay men at a time when homosexuality was illegal in England. You know, have I the right to be with whomever I want to be with?
What, in your view, was the big bang of post-Stonewall LGBTQ music?
David Bowie to a large degree. Right around the time that “Hunky Dory” was being released in 1971, he told the Evening Standard newspaper that he was gay, flat out just said it. And it was such a strange thing to say that many people doubted his sincerity.
Barry Walters, a writer for the Village Voice, the Advocate and Spin, among others, wrote a new book about the history of LGBTQ+ music.
(Kelly Lawrence for Walters)
I remember seeing Bowie wearing that dress on the cover of “The Man Who Sold The World,” thinking that was the most transgressive act any rock star had ever committed.
And then he performed “Starman” on Top of the Pops in 1972 and he put his arm around his guitarist Mick Ronson, who also looked gorgeous. They were displaying a familiarity men aren’t supposed to have.
I thought I knew everything about pop music, but you have uncovered so many fascinating stories. Tell me about Olivia Records.
Olivia Records was an independent record label in the Bay Area owned and controlled by lesbians for female artists. This is years before punk or indie rock, when so many small labels cropped up. They pioneered so much. They would recruit fans in different cities to man the merchandise and to help get their records in stores. The idea of a merch table was something new at the time. They also created the forerunner of Burning Man. They would go find a farm somewhere and create an impromptu village, with food, sanitation and the rest.
You have given the most space in your book to Madonna, whom you have written about extensively over the years. Why is Madonna such a huge figure in the history of LGBTQ music?
Her art is so queer. I feel like she is one of us. She’s very much like Grace Jones, in that her sensibility is so aligned with gay culture. I related to Madonna on multiple levels. In the early ‘80s, I would see her around town, dancing at the same New York clubs I was frequenting, like Danceteria. She was steeped in gay culture, and then she brought all of this into the mainstream, and that was profound. I also feel like she was misunderstood in many ways. When straight men called her a slut, things like that. That is so far from the truth. She is such a complex artist. If you are making that claim, you don’t know anything about her.
(This Q&A was edited for length and clarity.)
📰 The Week(s) in Books
(Javier Pérez / For The Times)
Pulitzer prize winner Elizabeth Strout has a new novel called “The Things We Never Say,” and Julia M. Klein approves. “[Strout] reprises her familiar themes: the mysteries of human personality, the perils of solitude, the occasional possibility of grace … in deceptively simple, occasionally mannered prose that draws readers in and immerses them in her fictional worlds,” Klein writes.
They’re on a boat! Paula L. Woods climbed aboard a 130-foot yacht in Marina del Rey to soak in the vibes of the Yacht Girls Book Club. “I wanted conversations with like-minded women that were intellectual but fun,” club founder Aloni Ford told Woods. “And talking about books seemed to be the ideal way to achieve that.”
“PEN15” co-creator Anna Konkle has written a memoir called “The Sane One,” and Rachel Brodsky talked to her about it. “In some ways, ‘PEN15’ was a reaction to loving memoirs,” she tells Brodsky. “Raw memory has always been very exciting to me.”
Finally, our Times critics take the measure of this summer’s hottest beach reads.
📖 Bookstore Faves
Kinokuniya bookstores sell Japanese manga, stationery and literature.
(Courtesy of Kinokuniya)
When Kinokuniya opened its first L.A. shop in 1977, it was primarily to provide Japanese expats with imported books and magazines to read in their native tongue. Forty years later, the store has become a locus of Japanese printed matter for Angelenos eager to scoop up Japanese literature and manga in Japanese and English, as well an expansive selection of imported stationery products that, in L.A., can only be found in Kinokuniya’s three stores. I spoke with Sakura Yamaguchi, who manages two of Kinokuniya’s stores downtown (the third is in Mar Vista) about its many-splendored pleasures.
How did the store travel from Japan to Los Angeles?
Books Kinokuniya was founded by Moichi Tanabe in 1927. Located in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo in a two-story wooden building, the first Kinokuniya started with five employees, including Mr. Tanabe himself. In 1969, Kinokuniya opened its first overseas bookstore in San Francisco. The first Los Angeles store opened in 1977.
Who are your customers?
We first started as a store for Japanese customers, so we imported Japanese books and magazines and sold them, mainly. But in the past 10 years, Japanese manga/anime, stationery and literature has been quite popular in the U.S. Therefore our customers are a mix of Japanese-speaking customers and non-Japanese speakers who are interested in Japanese culture.
What percentage of your clientele buys Japanese–language products?
Forty percent Japanese-language products versus 60% English books.
What specific titles are selling for you right now?
Are you seeing more young people turning to printed matter? It seems like there is an analog revival at the moment.
We have been trying to make exclusive editions that come with freebies to make the printed manga more attractive, but without that our English manga sales have been increasing and our main target for the manga is young people. There are many titles that are published exclusively in e-book format, but we frequently hear from customers asking when they will be released in print form. Also, recently there has been a growing number of cases where titles that were originally available only in digital format have later been published as physical books.
Kinokuniya at the Bloc in Los Angeles is located at 700 W 7th St.
(Please note: The Times may earn a commission through links to Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookstores.)
Free agent NFL receiver Stefon Diggs has been found not guilty of felony strangulation and not guilty of misdemeanor assault and battery in connection with an alleged dispute with his private chef over money she said he owed her for her services.
Diggs remained stoic in the courtroom as the verdicts were announced, following less that two hours of deliberation by the jury.
Diggs was charged Dec. 30 and pleaded not guilty during his arraignment at Massachusetts’ Dedham District Court on Feb. 13, five days after playing in Super Bowl LX with the New England Patriots.
Diggs did not take the stand during the trial, which started Monday in Norfolk County District Court in Dedham, Mass.
His accuser, Jamila Adams, told the jury that the 11-year NFL veteran “smacked me with an open hand” and wrapped his arm around her neck during an incident that is alleged to have occurred at Diggs’ house on Dec. 2.
“When I went up to block him, he took his arms and came around my neck and he began to choke me,” said Adams, who became emotional during her testimony.
Defense attorney Andrew Kettlewell told jurors there was no evidence of an assault, with no one in the house reporting anything of the kind and no medical records, photos or video that documented any injuries.
Adams said she did not take any photos or video that showed any marks on her body that could be used as evidence because she “was in shock.”
According to Adams, her employment dynamic with Diggs was “complicated.” The two of them have known each other for more than four years, she said, and had previously been in a sexual relationship, although they were not at the time of the alleged assault. As Diggs’ private chef, she lived in his home and prepared him meals and snacks, she said.
In reporting the alleged incident to police Dec. 16, Adams said she and Diggs had a dispute over payment she thought she was owed. Kettlewell told jurors that Adams had sought money from Diggs after reporting the alleged incident, in amounts that increased over time and culminated in her attorney seeking $5.5 million.
“She was furious and she wanted Mr. Diggs to pay in every sense of that word,” Kettlewell said.
Asked Tuesday about the $5.5-million claim, Adams answered at various points, “I can’t speak on that,” “I don’t understand the question” and “I don’t know how to answer the question.”
At times during the trial, Judge Jeanmarie Carroll instructed jurors to disregard parts of Adams’ testimony that the judge said went beyond the scope of the questions.
We are living in an era of dissent, but what does that mean in 2026? According to writer Gal Beckerman, to be a dissident is as much a way of being as it is an act of resistance. In his new book “How to Be a Dissident,” Beckerman, a staff writer for the Atlantic, unpacks dissent as a kind of rough art. His book is both an instruction guide and a primer.
In nine short, potent chapters, Beckerman lays out the essential traits of an effective dissident — loyalty, recklessness and watchfulness, among them — to illustrate how communities of resistance are built from the ground up. I recently chatted with Beckerman about playwright and former president of the Czech Republic Václav Havel, President Trump and AI.
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✍️ Author Chat
You have written three books that deal with dissent — political, cultural and societal. It’s clearly a big issue with you.
I don’t think of myself as an activist; I don’t approach these topics with an activist’s fervor. I’m genuinely curious about how change happens in society. All four of my grandparents survived the Holocaust, and I think the notion of a society that can change that quickly and turn on you was always very shocking and interesting to me.
In reading your book, it’s really inspiring and extraordinary to read about individuals putting their lives on the line to make change happen.
They genuinely fascinate me as these bizarre human beings who are able to act in ways that I find really mysterious. There’s a mystery as to how people’s minds actually change, and how society can change.
You write about making moral choices, and doing something bold because of some strongly held belief. This is not the same thing as joining the crowd, which can be the path of least resistance.
I had this feeling during the first few months of the current Trump term (and I share this sentiment with a lot of people) that we were just bowled over by the degree to which people in elite places were acquiescing to the exercise of executive power and being willing to bend the knee in ways that felt shocking to me. This prompted me to wonder, what would I do in that situation? Would I say “no” and not succumb to the will of executive power? Would any of us do so? It’s a question we all have to ask ourselves.
You cite Iris Murdoch’s notion of “radical humanism” as a key trait of effective dissent.
Radical humanists are attuned to the messy and wonderful ways that beings just are. They are defending those conditions for human beings to have a normal life, whether that means being able to listen to whatever music you like, or to wear your hair in a certain way, or to take care of a neighbor that is being ill-treated. Václav Havel called it the “pre-political” way of thinking and acting. And we saw this recently in Minnesota, with people standing up to ICE, regardless of what their political affiliations might be. Something pre-political was going on.
Another important factor you cite is civic mindedness, which feels like a difficult goal given how our communities have been dissolved by our screen addictions.
The communication tools that we use are dehumanizing in many ways because they don’t allow us to really see each other. Instead we preconceive each other and just scream a lot. And we know this at a gut level even as we continue to use them. That’s why I do think it takes an almost dissident sort of energy to insist on thinking in a different way and scrambling the assumptions that our modes of communication have foisted upon us.
What about AI? It feels as if there is a lot of resistance to accepting AI into our lives just because technology companies are investing billions of dollars to make it so. You are seeing communities protesting against the construction of data farms in their neighborhoods, for example.
The money behind the ideology pushing AI is about letting us feel that the only way to have an efficient life is through AI. And I feel like the 20th century taught us that there are lots of ideologies that come around to promise this sort of thing. And so we need to learn from that. I think there are a lot of overwhelming powers that try to flatten us. But we have to take that wonderful human element, that radical humanism, to say no, maybe there’s a way to do it better.
📰 The Week(s) in Books
Monica Lewinsky as a saint offering solace to the lovelorn and abandoned? Julia Langbein’s wild conceit works beautifully in her novel “Dear Monica Lewinsky,” according to Julia M. Klein, who calls the book “smart, poignant and involving.”
Among the casualties of the Vietnam War were the Appalachian communities whose male populations were decimated on the frontlines. This is the subject of Pamela Steele’s “taut, lyrical” novel “In the Fields of Fatherless Children,” a book that delves into the “poverty, racism, environmental degradation and despair suffered in the Appalachian ‘holler’ during the Vietnam era,” writes Meredith Maran.
The Times’ Deputy Entertainment and Arts Editor Nate Jackson sat down with the rapper, actor and K-Town native Jonnie Park to discuss his memoir, “Spit: A Life in Battles.”
Finally, Maddie Connors answers the question, “why are novels getting shorter?” Welcome to the age of the Adderall novel.
📖 Bookstore Faves
The inside of Mystery Pier Books
(Mystery Pier Books)
Established in 1998, Mystery Pier Books is L.A.’s prime destination for rare books and signed editions across a wide range of genres and forms, including Shakespeare folios and vintage sci-fi paperbacks. Located right alongside its Sunset Strip neighbor Book Soup, Mystery Pier was established by character actor Harvey Jason and his son Louis, who continue to run the store together. I chatted with Harvey about the treasures to be found in his store.
What is the market like for rare books right now?
Very strong, in fact. We just sold a beautiful edition of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy to a private collector for $55,000. And that is actually a reasonable price for those books. We have a long list of serious collectors all over the world that contact us for books, customers that have been coming to us for years. We also sold a first edition of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” for $17,500.
Why should one own a rare book?
It’s a good investment. People who collect rare books are book lovers, first and foremost. And they are smart enough to know that the books they love can increase in value year by year. First editions never depreciate. They always become more valuable over time.
I’m interested in journalism books. Do you have any Tom Wolfe or Hunter Thompson in your store?
Hunter Thompson came in here years ago and signed all of his books, so, yes, we have his books signed by him.
Do you see young people looking to get into collecting books?
Yes. A lot of recent college graduates are building collections. It’s very heartening to see that. You can come into our store and find nice editions for $100. The front room of our store contains the first editions but our other rooms will have landmark titles for far less money. This is really a pursuit for everybody, not just wealthy collectors.
An estimated five million people travel from the UK to Italy on holiday each year – and chef Vincenzo Prosperi has named the one authentic city that should be on every traveller’s radar
15:01, 29 Apr 2026Updated 15:01, 29 Apr 2026
A chef says Bari is an ‘authentic’ Italian destination(Image: Getty)
An Italian chef has highlighted an “authentic” city worth visiting – and it’s not Milan, Venice or Florence. The recommendation comes as roughly five million Britons jet off to Italy for holidays each year.
While countless holidaymakers head for coastal spots like Puglia or Rimini, the nation is equally renowned for its stunning city escapes. According to chef Vincenzo Prosperi, known as Vincenzo Plates online, there’s one particular city that offers a genuine taste of Italy.
Vincenzo champions Bari on the Adriatic Sea as an “old town where the nonnas make pasta on the sea”. In a YouTube video, he said: “A really wonderful city.
“It has really improved in the last 10 years. It is one of the best places to see in the south of Italy. This is authentic, this is great.”
Boasting just over 315,000 residents, Bari ranks amongst the most significant cities in southern Italy. It serves as both a breathtaking Mediterranean port and a thriving university hub, reports the Express.
Bari divides into separate districts. The old town, known as Bari Vecchia, comprises a maze of ancient streets housing the historic Basilica of Saint Nicholas, which originates from the 11th century.
The delightful Piazza del Ferrarese gazes out over the Augusto Imperatore waterfront while its palm-lined avenues provide the ideal fusion of historic town and contemporary seafront. Its name derives from a Ferrara merchant who resided there during the 1600s and maintained his warehouses on the square.
Remnants of a Roman road stretching back to the 2nd century lie cordoned off on the piazza. Nowadays tourists can savour a peaceful moment while observing the vibrant boats gently rocking in the harbour.
Meanwhile, the Murak Quarter, constructed under Joachim Murat, serves as the pulsating centre of contemporary Bari. It’s renowned for its orderly grid pattern of streets, thriving retail area, and lively café scene.
Its energetic character stands in stark contrast to the ancient old town. Travel authority Mark Wolters advises that anyone visiting Bari must head to Strada Arco Bass where residents prepare orecchiette pasta right on the street.
In a YouTube video, he said: “When you come here, you’re going to see there’s a street where all these grandmas, all these ladies, are making orecchiette, they’re making a special kind of pasta from here.”
He added: “We bought two bags for like five euros and it was so worth it. We got to see the lady and she was making them and they had them out there, it was a really cool thing.”
Mark also urges travellers to Bari to try the focaccia barese – a bread crafted from mashed potato and semolina flour. He said: “Focaccia is like a really fluffy, almost like a pizza-bread dough bread, and in it they put tomatoes and olives and it is fantastic, it’s a really special one from here.”
The expert advises that anyone keen on embarking on a road trip around the wider Puglia region should pick up a hire car at Bari airport before exploring the surrounding area. He explains that you “don’t want to drive” in the city itself, particularly around the old town.
Flights from the UK to Bari start at around £70 on Skyscanner. During the summer months, temperatures can soar to as high as 30C, with May typically seeing highs of around 23C.
This year’s festival will take place Saturday and Sunday at the USC campus, and it’s packed with a mind-boggling array of great participants and exhibitors. You can peruse the complete schedule, download the book festival app, and book your parking and panel reservations here.
I have warm fuzzy feelings about the festival, attending as a budding writer in the early aughts. As someone who aspired to “go long” but had no clue how to go about doing it, the event was an inspiration: all these hot-shot authors talking about their craft, and free admission no less.
Of course the event wasn’t the sprawling, magnificent behemoth it is now, with cooking demonstrations from the world’s greatest chefs, and bestselling children’s authors reading to tiny budding bibliophiles. The first festival in 1996 drew 75,000 book fans; last year, more than twice as many people showed up.
As the festival grew, so did the excitement. In 2007, I waited in line along with hundreds of other fans for the privilege of hearing Gore Vidal talk about his craft in UCLA’s Royce Hall. Gay Talese, one of my journalism heroes and a veteran of some of the very first festivals in the late ’90s, was always a pleasure. His stories about breaking into the New York Times conjured up a lost world that seems positively antediluvian now. “If you show up in a three-piece suit and a hat, and you look like you might have taken a bath recently, they don’t kick you out as fast,” Talese told a packed crowd in 2008.
By that time, much to my astonishment, I knew Talese personally. In 2004, I was working on a book about the New Journalism movement that he spearheaded. That year, he asked me to join him at the book festival as a guest. It was my first time in the “green room,” the backstage area where authors socialize over food and drinks. After ogling all the A-list talent in the room, I was asked by Talese to join him for lunch at a table along with novelists Jane Smiley and John Kaye, historian Doug Brinkley and social critic Naomi Wolf, all of whom were appearing at the festival. Reader, my mind was suitably blown. I just kept my mouth shut and listened.
I will be moderating a panel Sunday at 1:30 p.m. at the Ray Stark Family Theatre (plug) and I can’t wait. There is nothing like this festival; it is The Times’ annual gift to the Southland, and we should all be grateful we get to enjoy it.
Here are some of this weekend‘s festival highlights. All panels are an hour in duration.
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Graphic novelists Henry Barajas, Eagle Valiant Brosi, Anders Brekhus Nilsen, Mimi Pond and Angie Wang discuss their latest graphic novels, each of which is based on true events or popular myths.
Where: Albert and Dana Broccoli Theatre When: 10:30 a.m.
Acclaimed author Amy Tan is the recipient of the 2025 Robert Kirsch Award for lifetime achievement, which recognizes a writer with a substantial connection to the American West. Tan’s expansive body of work, including essays, memoirs and bestselling novels “The Joy Luck Club,” “The Kitchen God’s Wife” and “The Bonesetter’s Daughter,” is widely celebrated for its profound exploration of the immigrant experience, family bonds and the quest for individual identity. Join us for a conversation with Amy Tan and award-winning former Los Angeles Times writer Thomas Curwen.
Novelists Jade Chang, Kevin Wilson and Sarah Levin discuss their new novels, which are fresh examinations of family in contemporary life: the ones we’re born with, the ones we make, and the ways we reach out for connection in an increasingly isolated, chaotic, and lonely world.
Lana Lin, Melissa Febos, Susan Orlean and Amanda Uhle have produced literary and artistic work that has shaped conversations, influenced culture and established them as leaders in their fields. Now, they turn the pen inward and become the story. Exploring their careers, relationships, sexuality and more, these writers offer a rare and intimate look at the vulnerability, creativity and humanity behind their work
Join California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta, Steven J. Ross, Omer Aziz, Erwin Chemerinsky and Los Angeles Times reporter Seema Mehta for a conversation about the state of our freedoms today and what our current political atmosphere could mean for the future of our democracy.
Where: Hancock Foundation, Newman Recital Hall When: 1:30 p.m.
How do we raise children in an age of rapid technological change, political polarization and global uncertainty? Drawing from their new books and their experience as parents, Reza Aslan and Jessica Jackley will explore how to have honest, age-appropriate conversations with kids about complex and challenging topics, while psychologist Darby Saxbe shares groundbreaking research on the science of fatherhood.
Join Austin Channing Brown, Tre Johnson, Tamika D. Mallory and Carvell Wallace as they reflect on the moments that shaped their lives, work and perspectives. Through individual stories of resilience, love, purpose and self-discovery, their experiences weave together like a mosaic to form a deeper collective portrait of Black life and identity in America today.
Where: Hancock Foundation, Newman Recital Hall When: 10:30 a.m.
Panelists Matthew Cuban Hernandez, Karla Cordero, Sonia Guiñansaca and Yesika Salgado will dive into what it means to be autonomous, to be your own supreme authority, to belong to yourself, the land(s) and people you choose.
Christine Bollow, Karen Tei Yamashita and Naomi Hirahara dive deep into the myriad Asian American experiences at turning points in American history, shedding light on untold stories and essential characters in our shared history.
