Karla Peterson

Karla Peterson was a columnist at The San Diego Union-Tribune. She is a longtime San Diegan whose beats included TV criticism, pop culture, Comic-Con and San Diego people and lifestyles. She has won awards for entertainment criticism from the American Association of Sunday and Features Editors. A graduate of San Diego State University, she ed the Union-Tribune in 1985.

Collage of celebrities for Karla's Arts story on Nov. 27, 2022

Tops of the pop: Retiring critic re the best from 37 years of pop-culture watching

November 27, 2022 at 1:45 p.m.

My first-ever byline in the San Diego Union was on a 1985 review of Aretha Franklin's "Who's Zoomin' Who" album, which included the Top 10 smash "Freeway of Love." My...

In this photo from 2016, Karla Peterson gets a wet peck on the cheek from Jake the sea lion while reporting on the 100th anniversary of the San Diego Zoo.

From giant pandas to big-hearted readers, retiring columnist says thanks for the San Diego memories

November 27, 2022 at 6:28 p.m.

Hello, and welcome to my goodbye column. I'm not crying! You're crying! Oh, wait. It's me. It's definitely me. After 37 years, I am retiring from the job that I...

Paul Reiser and Rachel Bloom co-star in "Reboot," a new Hulu comedy series about a streaming-cable update of a popular family sitcom from the early 2000s.

From sly sitcoms to music-nerd podcasts, a big pop-culture thanks for a cornucopia of entertainment treats

November 25, 2022 at 1:52 p.m.

In this season of eating, drinking and socializing, it is easy to give abundance a bad name. But when it comes to our entertainment, I am on Team Always Room...

San Diego, CA - November 18: La Playa Books staff member Marianne Reiner, far left, and manager Amy Hesselink, far right, help Marilyn Daniels, of San Diego, with a purchase at the store on Friday, Nov. 18, 2022 in San Diego, CA. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

On Thanksgiving, a toast to the community comforts of San Diego’s independent bookstores

November 24, 2022 at 1:30 p.m.

Growing up in suburban Southern California, my neighborhood bookstore was not in a neighborhood but in an Inland Empire mall. In those budding-bibliophile years, the Pickwick Books in Montclair Plaza...

This camera-trap photo from professional wildlife photographer Roy Toft captures a bobcat taking a water break in Toft's back yard in Ramona. The photo is included in "Caught on Camera: Wildlife When No One's Watching," a new exhibit of camera-trap photography at the San Diego Natural History Museum in Balboa Park.

Gotcha! A new San Diego Natural History Museum photo exhibit explores our backyard wild animal kingdoms

November 22, 2022 at 4:39 p.m.

They need to stay hydrated, just like us. They are also fans of the shortcut, the evening stroll and the midnight snack, just like us. And when you surprise them...

Jesse Eisenberg (left) and Lizzy Caplan star in FX's "Fleishman is in Trouble," a series about New Yorkers in conflict debuting Nov. 17 on Hulu.

The FX adaptation of ‘Fleishman is in Trouble’ will test your patience and reward it, too

November 18, 2022 at 2:01 p.m.

Near the end of FX's TV adaptation of "Fleishman is in Trouble," after the upscale lives of its privileged main characters have emerged from their slow-motion implosion, one character tells...

Acoustic guitar resting against a blank wooden plank grunge background with copy space

Give the gift of a unique San Diego County experience with these hip opportunities

November 29, 2022 at 2:05 a.m.

People always talk about "gifts that keep on giving," but when you give the gift of a hip, you're not just talking. You're doing. A hip to any of these...

Gotcha! A new San Diego Natural History Museum photo exhibit explores our backyard wild animal kingdoms

November 17, 2022 at 3:09 p.m.

They need to stay hydrated, just like us. They are also fans of the shortcut, the evening stroll and the midnight snack, just like us. And when you surprise them...

San Marcos, CA - November 07: Portrait of author Rachael Cohen in her backyard garden with one of her terrariums. Growing in it is a Tillandsia, also known as an Airplant. (Charlie Neuman / For The San Diego Union-Tribune)

San Diego author Rachael Cohen gets to the root of nature’s power in ‘Everyday Plant Magic’

November 12, 2022 at 1:01 p.m.

Whether she was a kid with a thing for climbing trees, a grown-up with a master's degree in marine biodiversity and conservation from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, or an...

Aubrey Plaza (left), Will Sharpe, Theo James and Meghann Fahy co-star in the second season of "The White Lotus," which premiers Oct. 30 on HBO.

In its second season, HBO’s ‘The White Lotus’ comes with some overstuffed baggage

October 29, 2022 at 1:01 p.m.

When it dropped into the middle of our second pandemic summer, HBO's "The White Lotus" was just what the TV therapist ordered. Set in a gorgeous Hawaiian resort where only...

La Jolla, CA - October 21: Surrounded with his wife PattiOs artwork (and a photo of her, left), Coop Cooprider poses for photos with art exhibit which is on display at Girard Gourmet on Friday, Oct. 21, 2022 in La Jolla, CA. Proceeds from art sales will benefit the Athenaeum School of Arts. (Eduardo Contreras / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

The Patti Cooprider art exhibit at La Jolla’s Girard Gourmet is food for the spirit

October 27, 2022 at 12:01 p.m.

When longtime local artist and arts er Patti Cooprider left her La Jolla home in the morning, her husband, Coop, didn't always know the particulars about where she was going....

Julian, CA - October 11:

At California Wolf Center’s Conservation Center on Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2022 in Julian, CA., Theresa Kosen (r), California Wolf Center executive director and Katie Sindewald (l), learning and engagement coordinator stand near two Northwestern Wolves, Poppy (l) and Yanna (r). (Nelvin C. Cepeda / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

At the California Wolf Center, special ‘Howl-o-Ween’ tours scare the myths away

October 25, 2022 at 8:41 p.m.

If you are a human thinking of attending the "Howl-o-Ween" event being held Oct. 29 and 30 at the California Wolf Center in Julian, here is a tidbit of useful...

At the California Wolf Center, special ‘Howl-o-Ween’ tours scare the myths away

October 22, 2022 at 1:01 p.m.

If you are a human thinking of attending the "Howl-o-Ween" event being held Oct. 29 and 30 at the California Wolf Center in Julian, here is a tidbit of useful...

Kathy Esty, co-founder of the San Diego Floral Association's "Birds, Bees, Flowers and Trees" eco fair, at Balboa Park on Thursday, Oct. 13, 2022. The fair, which will be held on Oct. 22, will include kids’ activities, information booths from local organizations and plant sales.

Asociacion Floral de San Diego va mas alla de las flores con una feria ecologica en el Parque Balboa

October 20, 2022 at 10:51 p.m.

Siguiendo el espíritu de las flores y capullos por los que es famosa, la Asociación Floral de San Diego quiere que su tercera feria ecológica Aves, Abejas, Flores y Árboles...

The San Diego Floral Association goes beyond flowers with a Balboa Park eco fair

October 20, 2022 at 1:01 p.m.

In the spirit of the blossoms and blooms for which it is famous, the San Diego Floral Association wants its third "Birds, Bees, Flowers and Trees" eco fair to be...

San Diego, CA - October 05: Artist and book illustrator Rafael Lopez poses for photos in his studio on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022 in San Diego, CA. (Eduardo Contreras / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Meet the San Diego artist who collaborated with the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu on a children’s book

October 14, 2022 at 7:31 p.m.

The new children's book "The Little Book of Joy" tells the story of two little boys who grew up to be very big deals.One of them is His Holiness the...

San Diego, CA - October 04: Anne Miggins, archive supervisor, talks about swimsuits in an image during the opening of a new exhibit called Roaring San Diego which displays items from the 20s in the City istration Building on Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2022 in San Diego, CA. (Ana Ramirez / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

What’s in San Diego’s archives? The City Clerk’s Office can’t wait to show you

October 8, 2022 at 1:01 p.m.

October is American Archives Month, and if you think there is nothing in it for you, time to make room in your mental storage facility for the stuff your San...

Linda Geraghty (left), and her children Chris Caltabiano Jr., Stephen Caltabiano and Nicole Caltabiano are featured in "Our American Family," a documentary about addiction streaming on AMC+ starting on Oct. 7 and airing on the Sundance Channel on Oct. 23.

In the documentary ‘Our American Family,’ addiction is in the blood

October 10, 2022 at 4:39 p.m.

The boisterous clan featured in the new documentary "Our American Family" is a true reflection of Our Complicated Country in all its ragged glory.The blended family — mother Linda; her...

The Pacific Southwest Railway Museum in Campo is part of Kids Free San Diego, which offers ission deals and other bargains at museums, parks and other attractions throughout the county in the month of October.

Kids Free San Diego turns October into a marathon of affordable family fun

October 7, 2022 at 12:59 a.m.

In the spirit of this spooky season, Kids Free San Diego is turning October into a trick-or-treat marathon of monstrous proportions. Now through Oct. 31, the treats include free-ission offers...

Kids Free San Diego turns October into a marathon of affordable family fun

October 12, 2022 at 6:34 p.m.

In the spirit of this spooky season, Kids Free San Diego is turning October into a trick-or-treat marathon of monstrous proportions. Now through Oct. 31, the treats include free-ission offers...

Authors appearing at the 2022 San Diego Writers Festival include (clockwise from left) Madhushree Ghosh, Renee Taylor and Keith Corbin. The event is Oct. 8 at the Coronado Public Library.

The San Diego Writers Festival is back with in-person programming and human connections

October 4, 2022 at 1:40 p.m.

After two years in cyberspace, the San Diego Writers Festival will be live again with in-person workshops, discussions and performances dedicated to the timeless arts of writing and storytelling.When...

Zahn McClarnon as Joe Leaphorn - Dark Winds _ Season 1, Episode 4 - Photo Credit: Michael Moriatis/Stalwart Productions/AMC

TV school is in session, and crime, comedy and Paul Newman are on the syllabus

September 30, 2022 at 1:01 p.m.

No more pencils? No more books? No worries, my grown-up friends. Just because fall no longer brings the promise of new shoes and fresh knowledge doesn't mean your mind-expanding days...

1190939-sd-me-karla-givhan_NL September 23, 2022 San Diego, CA San Diego author Jennifer Givhan with her new Mexican Gothic novel, "River Woman, River Demon," will be out on Oct. 4. She will be discussing the book at the Mysterious Galaxy bookstore that same day. The new novel, her third, is a psychological thriller that weaves folk magic and questions of culture and identity into its murder plot. She is photographed in Old Town, San Diego. © 2022 Nancee Lewis / Nancee Lewis Photography

Chula Vista author Jennifer Givhan summons magic and memories with ‘River Woman, River Demon’

September 29, 2022 at 2:04 p.m.

In the years before she started writing her latest novel, author and poet Jennifer Givhan was not in a good place. She was a stressed-out working mother trying take care...

Lakeside, CA - September 20: At at his home on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022 in Lakeside, CA., Jimmy Duke and Linda Piro-Duke sit next to their living room concert venue where the couple has hosted living room concerts since 1998. The concert scheduled for September 25th will be their 185th and last concert from their home. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Live from his living room, Lakeside’s Jimmy Duke is producing his last Dark Thirty house concert

September 24, 2022 at 1:01 p.m.

If you are a music fan, there are plenty of things you can do to your favorite musicians. You can go to their shows. You can buy their albums....

The cover of "See You At San Diego: An Oral History of Comic-Con, Fandom, and the Triumph of Geek Culture," a chronicle of Comic-Con's colorful history from pop-culture historian Mathew Klickstein.

A new Comic-Con oral history lets the geeks do the talking

September 22, 2022 at 3:39 p.m.

How big is author Mathew Klickstein's new oral history of San Diego Comic-Con? As big as it needs to be.Released earlier this month on Fantagraphics Books, the epically titled "See...

Hunger Action Hero winner Aiden Prior (left) is shown with actor Jason Zlatkus as Hunger Halter, costume creator Allan Lavigne, actress Tatiana Moore as Demeter, and fellow Hunger Action Hero winner Sirenna Acencio.

Conoce a los nuevos superheroes de Feeding San Diego que luchan contra el hambre

September 1, 2022 at 9:17 p.m.

La lucha contra el hambre en nuestra comunidad es un gran trabajo, y ahora Feeding San Diego tiene cuatro nuevos superdotados que les ayudan a hacerlo.Por favor, démosle una...

Meet Feeding San Diego’s new hunger-fighting superheroes

September 1, 2022 at 12:00 p.m.

Fighting hunger in our community is a big job, and now Feeding San Diego has four new super-somebodies to help them do it.Please give an enthusiastic and grateful welcome to...

Artists Ines Nefzi (second to left), Karla Burner (left) and Poet Kelsey Daniels (right) pose for a photo with "Las Soldaderas" mannequin honoring the women who traveled with the male soldiers during the Mexican Revolution at Joe and Vi Jacobs Center in Encanto on August 22, 2022.

First Women’s Equality Day Festival to be thrown by Women’s Museum of California in San Diego

August 25, 2022 at 9:08 p.m.

For the first Women's Equality Day Festival to be held in its new space in the Joe and Vi Jacobs Center in southeastern San Diego, the Women's Museum of California...

El Museo de la Mujer pone al voto como protagonista con su primer Festival del Dia de la Igualdad de la Mujer

August 25, 2022 at 8:47 p.m.

Para el primer Festival del Día de la Igualdad de la Mujer que se celebrará en su nuevo espacio en el Joe and Vi Jacobs Center, en el sureste de...

Women’s Museum puts voting in the spotlight with its first Women’s Equality Day Festival

August 25, 2022 at 9:23 p.m.

For the first Women's Equality Day Festival to be held in its new space in the Joe and Vi Jacobs Center in southeastern San Diego, the Women's Museum of California...

Dr. Cherice Roth, an Oregon-based veterinarian, explores diversity in medicine with her children's books "What is a Real Doctor

This veterinarian is breaking barriers with inclusive children’s books

August 29, 2022 at 11:41 p.m.

What does a real doctor look like? Dr. Cherice Roth has some thoughts on that. Enough thoughts, in fact, that the Oregon-based veterinarian has written two children's books that tackle...

In channel 8's newsroom MICHAEL TUCK, at left, chats with reporter/personality LARRY HIMMEL on Jan. 21, 2000. U/T photo CHARLIE NEUMAN <br/>

Michael Tuck, a Rancho Bernardo resident and longtime San Diego anchorman, dies at 76

August 20, 2022 at 1:32 a.m.

During his high-profile decades on the KFMB, KGTV and KUSI TV news desks, San Diego's Michael Tuck was the ultimate anchorman. He had the commanding on-air presence, the ability to...

Michael Tuck, longtime San Diego anchorman, dies at 76: ‘He was more than good. He was great’

August 19, 2022 at 11:28 p.m.

During his high-profile decades on the KFMB, KGTV and KUSI TV news desks, San Diego's Michael Tuck was the ultimate anchorman. He had the commanding on-air presence, the ability to...

Minha Kim (left) and Lee Min-ho costar in "Pachinko," a multigenerational epic streaming on Apple TV+.

Six TV shows to watch before the summer runs out

August 19, 2022 at 12:46 p.m.

If you are a TV viewer of a certain age, you the days when summer was a TV desert of reruns and whatever "The Starland Vocal Band Show" was...

Oceanside, CA_ 8_10_22_Artists Luz Helena Thompson, left, and Mike Stevens, right, assisted by curator Amber Zora, center were at the Oceanside Museum of Art for an show "Pop Smoke: A Veteran Art Exhibition," a new exhibition focusing on bright, pop-art focused works by artists who are military veterans. They are posed around Mike Stevens' work "Lick-Ten-Steins" porcelain, glaze and underglaze. Photo by John Gastaldo for the Union-Tribune

At the Oceanside Museum of Art, a pop art exhibit by military veterans defies stereotypes

August 15, 2022 at 5:52 p.m.

What you will see at "Pop Smoke: A Veteran Art Exhibition":Dazzling flowers and jewel-encrusted Madonnas. Warhol-esque silkscreens. Trippy seascapes. Mick Jagger's lips.What you won't see: The things you were expecting."Veteran...

Erin Doherty stars as a grifter with a cause in "Chloe," now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

HBO’s ‘Irma Vep’ and Amazon Prime Video’s ‘Chloe’ are your vacation from the ordinary

August 12, 2022 at 1:01 p.m.

Becky Green is a social-media obsessed outsider with a bit of a stalking problem. Mira Harberg is a coddled actress with a dramatic love life and a film project about...

San Diego, CA - August 05: Anastasia Zadeik at her home in Mission Hills on Friday, Aug. 5, 2022 in San Diego, CA. Zadeik debut novel, a thriller called "Blurred Fates," came out on Aug. 3. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Mission Hills author Anastasia Zadeik believes secrets are for spilling

August 11, 2022 at 4:23 p.m.

When we first meet Kate Whittier, her beautifully constructed house of cards is about to collapse. And when it does, everything she's been hiding behind the smooth façade of her...

San Diego, CA - August 02:

At the BFree Studio in La Jolla on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2022 in San Diego, CA., Richard Ybarra stands among several of his photographs. Ybarra, whose new exhibition of neon-art photography is on exhibit at the BFree Studio gallery. The exhibit is called "Lights, Night: Neon, Photographs That Glow." (Nelvin C. Cepeda / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

De la cerveza a Buster Brown, las fotos de neon de Richard Ybarra iluminaran algunos recuerdos

August 7, 2022 at 12:51 a.m.

El tentador resplandor de la marquesina del cine del vecindario, con su promesa de palomitas con mantequilla y una escapada de triple factura. El reluciente cartel del casino que te...

From beer to Buster Brown, Richard Ybarra’s neon photos will light up some memories

August 7, 2022 at 12:44 a.m.

The tempting glow of a neighborhood movie theater marquee, with its promise of buttered popcorn and a triple-bill escape. The glittering casino sign that makes you feel richer just for...

In her new collection, "The Loneliest Girl," poet Kate Gale gives the mythological Medusa a new narrative. Gale is doing a reading and book g at the Book Catapult bookstore in South Park on Aug. 10.

Busting the Medusa myth with poet Kate Gale

August 4, 2022 at 12:46 p.m.

Don't let the head full of snakes distract you. Do not be cowed by the presence of Greek gods and goddesses or lulled by the vaguely familiar details of a...

Fallbrook, CA_Kirk Whisler, right, and programs manager Ana Patino(accent on the n) run the Fallbrook-based Empowering Latino Futures, a literacy organization that is one of eight California groups to win a 2022 grant from the Amazon Literary Partnership. John Gastaldo for the Union-Tribune

Como Amazon dio a Empowering Latino Futures en Fallbrook mas influencia literaria

August 3, 2022 at 10:41 p.m.

Después de que varias personas fueran asesinadas en un evento musical centrado en los latinos en Los Ángeles hace 26 años, el editor Kirk Whisler y el actor Edward James...

How Amazon gave Fallbrook’s Empowering Latino Futures more literary leverage

July 31, 2022 at 2:13 a.m.

After several people were killed at a Latino-focused music event in Los Angeles 26 years ago, publisher Kirk Whisler and actor Edward James Olmos decided to fight back in the...

SAN DIEGO, CA JULY 25: Pacific Beach author Greg Van Eekhout sits with his new book "Fenris & Mott," at Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore on Monday, July 25, 2022. Greg is the award-winning author of several middle-grade novels.. (Photo by Sandy Huffaker for The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Why Pacific Beach author Greg van Eekhout finds magic in those awkward middle-grade years

August 4, 2022 at 10:21 p.m.

A lot of things can happen to a person between the ages of 8 and 12. You start out in third grade, and you end up in middle school. Your...

Brooks Ashmanskas (left), Neil Patrick Harris and Emerson Brooks co-star in "Uncoupled," a new gay romantic comedy premiering on Netflix.

Thinking about committing to Netflix’s ‘Uncoupled’? Think again

July 29, 2022 at 12:01 p.m.

Meet Michael Lawson, a fabulous gay real estate agent living a stylish upscale life in New York City. Then his partner of 17 years dumps him, and things become very...

Why Pacific Beach author Greg van Eekhout finds magic in those awkward middle-grade years

July 28, 2022 at 3:40 p.m.

A lot of things can happen to a person between the ages of 8 and 12. You start out in third grade, and you end up in middle school. Your...

People watchTop Gun at the Rooftop Cinema Club Embarcadero at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in downtown on July 16, 2022.

De los parques gratuitos a las azoteas mas elegantes, su guia de las salas de cine al aire libre de San Diego

July 26, 2022 at 11:45 p.m.

Si hay algo mejor que una estrella de cine, puede ser una película bajo las estrellas. En las salas de cine al aire libre de San Diego, puede ver El...

From free parks to swanky rooftops, your guide to San Diego’s outdoor movie venues

July 25, 2022 at 7:55 p.m.

If there is anything better than a movie star, it might just be a movie under the stars. At San Diego's outdoor movie venues, you can watch "The Wizard of...

San Diego, CA - July 14:

At their home in Clairemont on Thursday, July 14, 2022 in San Diego, CA., Darlene Alilain-Horn and Paul Horn along with their dog, Doctor. In 2018 Doctor was lost by a pet sitter. Eventually the three were reunited and the the couple has turned the experience into a 88 Hours: Lost and Scared novel that they are debuting at San Diego Comic-con 2022. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

How a lost-dog nightmare inspired a San Diego couple to write a graphic novel

July 22, 2022 at 1:01 p.m.

The sudden disappearance of a loved one. A panicked search. A bloody trail, a dedicated detective, and a game-changing tip from a stranger. And in the middle of the saga...

From free parks to swanky rooftops, your guide to San Diego’s outdoor movie venues

July 25, 2022 at 6:39 p.m.

If there is anything better than a movie star, it might just be a movie under the stars. At San Diego's outdoor movie venues, you can watch "The Wizard of...

Erik Arreaga, a comic-book illustrator and a of the largest San Diego Comic-Con Facebook Group sits in his home studio in Chula Vista on July 13, 2022.

Your moment of Zen from the of the biggest San Diego Comic-Con Facebook Group

July 21, 2022 at 12:42 p.m.

They come from London and La Mesa. They come for "The Walking Dead" photo opportunities and "Peanuts" exclusives. And they come with questions. So many questions.Regardless of where they are...

This from writer Patricia Campos and illustrator Sara Soler is from "Mzungu," a chapter in "Voices That Count," a new comic-book anthology from San Diego's IDW Publishing. The anthology was published in Spanish in 2011. The English translation was published on July 12, 2022.

A new comic book from San Diego’s IDW gets serious about women’s lives

July 16, 2022 at 1:01 p.m.

Patricia Campos was the first female jet pilot in the Spanish Navy. She has been a soccer coach, a newspaper columnist, and a soccer commentator for radio and television. After...

Downtown, San Diego - June 25: Owner Tony Wang introduces Andy the cat to potential families at The Cat Cafe in San Diego on Saturday, June 25, 2022 in San Diego, California. (Pat Hartley / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Alerta para amantes de los gatos! En Cat Cafe de San Diego, la compania y el cafe siguen en el menu

July 20, 2022 at 3:44 p.m.

El 23 de junio, Tony Wang pasaba la cuarta semana del Mes Nacional de la Adopción de Gatos de 2022 con Waverly, una gata negra a la que le apasionaba...

Bungalows on a pier at dusk; Crystal Pier; Pacific Beach; San Diego, California. Taken 9 November 2015.

Los sandieguinos tambien pueden ser turistas. He aqui 4 maneras de pasar un verano perfecto en San Diego

July 14, 2022 at 6:57 p.m.

¡Es oficial! Estamos en pleno verano. No estoy segura de lo que significa la llegada del solsticio de verano para mis compañeros del hemisferio norte, pero sé lo que significa...

Kaebian Conley dressed as Spider Man on the last day of Comic-Con International in San Diego on Sunday.

From Stan Lee to ‘Supernatural,’ here are my 5 favorite Comic-Con memories

July 21, 2022 at 3:43 a.m.

Catwoman boots? Check. Thor hammer? Got it. Bottomless supply of enthusiasm, optimism and patience? Always.Beginning Wednesday,Comic-Con International is back at the San Diego Convention Center for its first full-strength, in-person...

Cat-lover alert! At San Diego’s Cat Cafe, companionship and coffee are still on the menu

July 14, 2022 at 12:01 p.m.

On June 23, Tony Wang was spending the fourth week of 2022's National Adopt-a-Cat Month hanging out with Waverly, a black cat with a ion for leaping on tables and...

First-time author Holly James of Oceanside discusses her novel "Nothing But the Truth" at the Diesel bookstore in Del Mar on July 12.

How Oceanside author Holly James turned a dark time into a breezy book

July 9, 2022 at 1:01 p.m.

In the summer of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown was in its sixth month, and Oceanside resident Holly James was in bed having an epiphany. Two months later, she had...

El Cajon, CA - June 16: San Diego author Laura Preble poses for a portrait at her home El Cajon, CA on Thursday, June 16, 2022. Preble recently worked on the screenplay adaptation of her novel "Anna Incognito." (Adriana Heldiz / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

How San Diego author Laura Preble took a complicated heroine to Hollywood

June 25, 2022 at 1:01 p.m.

She is a germaphobe whose fear of what she might inhale, touch or somehow ingest keeps her mostly confined to her house. She also suffers from trichotillomania, a condition that...

Steve Martin (top left), Martin Short and Selena Gomez star in the Hulu comedy series "Only Murders in the Building," which starts its second season on June 28.

In its second season, Hulu’s ‘Only Murders in the Building’ keeps the TV fun alive

June 24, 2022 at 1:01 p.m.

I have a confession to make. When "Only Murders in the Building" debuted on Hulu last summer, I committed the TV offense of dismissing it, sight unseen. In my defense,...

Campers Abby Hodge (left), Lori Rodriguez and Morgan Allen play bongos during this year's Rock n' Roll Camp for Girls San Diego's "Gxrls Rock!" camp at A Reason to Survive (ARTS) in National City. During the one-week camp, participants learn how to play an instrument, form a band and write an original song, The bands will perform their songs during a showcase on June 25 at the Music Box nightclub in Little Italy.

Rock n’ Roll Camp for Girls San Diego is live and cranking up the volume

June 23, 2022 at 4:43 p.m.

When she attended her first Rock n' Roll Camp for Girls summer camp in 2017, Lori Rodriguez was a 12-year-old music fan who did not know how to play an...

47 things to do, eat and see in San Diego to level up your summer

June 22, 2022 at 4:45 a.m.

Beach: Coronado Whenever life gets too stressful, we point our cars westward — as in toward the ocean. And one of our favorite waterfront destinations is Coronado. Yes, it can...

San Diegans can be tourists, too. Here are 4 ways to your perfect San Diego summer

June 18, 2022 at 1:01 p.m.

It's (almost) official! As of June 21, it is really and truly summer. June Gloom or no June Gloom.I'm not sure what the arrival of the summer solstice means to...

Longtime of the KGB/101.5 FM staff are shown at a 2019 alumni brunch at the home of Gabriel Wisdom (back row, second from the right). Wisdom is among the interviewees in "KGB and the FM Radio Revolution," a documentary series from San Diego filmmakers Raul Sandelin and Tony Butler. The series begins screening at the San Diego Central Library on June 13.

Bic alert! The history of KGB radio is the subject of a new San Diego-made documentary series

June 11, 2022 at 1:01 p.m.

Technically, Raul Sandelin grew up in El Cajon. He went to elementary, middle and high school there, graduating from Grossmont High in 1981. And before going to University of California...

964389-sd-me-karla-women_NL San Diego, CA May 26, 2022 The Women's Museum of California Education Center is opening June 4 in its new location at the Joe and Vi Jacobs Center, on Euclid Ave. in Southeast San Diego. Pictured here are new community outreach leader Tisha Tumangan (left) and new artistic director Katie Ruiz. The debut exhibit is "Crafting Feminism: Textiles of the Women's Movement," which will feature hats, banners, sashes and other items that were essential parts of women's fight for equality. Nancee E. Lewis / Nancee Lewis Photography. ©Nancee E. Lewis / Nancee Lewis Photography

The Women’s Museum of California abre un nuevo centro educativo en el sureste de San Diego

June 4, 2022 at 11:08 p.m.

Si quieres saber lo que te depara el nuevo Centro Educativo del Women's Museum of California, basta con que mires hacia arriba.Allí, colgando sobre la entrada del nuevo espacio educativo...

The Women’s Museum of California opens a new education center in southeastern San Diego

June 3, 2022 at 9:23 p.m.

If you want to know what the new Women's Museum of California Education Center has in store, just look up.There, hanging above the entrance to the museum's new educational space...

SAN DIEGO, CA - MAY 26: The San Diego Natural History Museum has opened Expedition Baja, an exhibit that showcases the plants and animals of the Baja California Peninsula and the scientific and conservation research being done there, shown here on Thursday, May 26, 2022. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Nueva exposicion del Museo de Historia Natural de San Diego explora la hermosa Baja California

June 1, 2022 at 7:20 p.m.

En la nueva exposición Expedición Baja del Museo de Historia Natural de San Diego, el viaje comienza con 2000 pies cuadrados de espacio de oficina convertido.La nueva exposición permanente del...

Road trip! The San Diego Natural History Museum’s new exhibit explores beautiful Baja California

July 18, 2022 at 10:22 p.m.

At the San Diego Natural History Museum's new "Expedition Baja" exhibit, the journey begins with 2,000 square feet of converted office space.The Balboa Park museum's newest permanent exhibition opened yesterday...

Brendan Boyle of Folk Arts Rare Records (left) and Arsalun Tafazoil of CH Projects are shown inside Part Time Lover, a new listening bar CH Projects is opening in the North Park space formerly occupied by Bar Pink. Part Time Lover will play vinyl albums chosen by Boyle and his staff on its custom sound system, and Folk Arts Rare Records will have a store inside the bar.

North Park’s new Part Time Lover wants you to belly up to the bar and listen

May 28, 2022 at 1:36 a.m.

Arsalun Tafazoli's hospitality company, CH Projects, has created some of the most high-impact food and drink spots in San Diego. But while the man behind the steak-centric "Born & Raised,"...

ESCONDIDO, CA - MAY 18, 2022: Author Ken Blanchard sits in front of books he has written, including "Simple Truths of Leadership: 52 Ways to be a Servant Leader and Build Trust", at the Ken Blanchard Companies Global Headquarters in Escondido on Thursday, May 19, 2022. (Hayne Palmour IV / For The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Best-selling author Ken Blanchard has a new book for the leader in all of us

May 26, 2022 at 4:03 p.m.

He has been in the leadership business for 40-plus years, so it's no surprise that management guru and best-selling author Ken Blanchard has acquired some impressive titles along the way.He...

Pam Covarrubias inside her San Diego home where she records “Cafe con Pam,” a weekly podcast that interviews Latine/X and People of the Global Majority, on Wednesday, May 18, 2022.

With ‘Cafe con Pam,’ San Diego podcaster Pam Covarrubias serves hot topics from diverse voices

May 23, 2022 at 11:47 p.m.

Like many people who spend a lot of their time on the road, Pam Covarrubias got into podcasts long before they became everyone's pandemic obsession. During her travel-heavy days as...

With ‘Cafe con Pam,’ San Diego podcaster Pam Covarrubias serves hot topics from diverse voices

May 23, 2022 at 3:59 p.m.

Like many people who spend a lot of their time on the road, Pam Covarrubias got into podcasts long before they became everyone's pandemic obsession. During her travel-heavy days as...

Chrissy Metz (left), Justin Hartley, Mandy Moore and Sterling K. Brown star in the NBC drama "This is Us." The final episode of the series airs Tuesday, May 24.

The end of ‘This is Us’ is coming, and I’m not ready

May 20, 2022 at 12:01 p.m.

When I think about my TV life without "This is Us," one word comes to mind:Nooooooooo.On Tuesday, the NBC drama following the past, present and futures of Jack and Rebecca...

San Diego artist Linda Litteral is shown in her studio at Space 4 Art in the East Village.

She was saved by art. Now abuse-survivor Linda Litteral is sharing the healing power of creativity to save others, too

May 19, 2022 at 1:01 p.m.

Healing takes time. For Linda Litteral, that time was measured in the decades it took for her transformative journey to begin.Her road to the better place she's in now was...

Rob Thorsen, Young Lions Jazz Conservatory instructor and jazz bassist, and Dana Zimbric, Classics 4 Kids artistic director and conductor, go over music with drummer Preston Lange, 15, at the Young Lions Jazz Conservatory rehearsal space in the Arts District at Liberty Station on Saturday, May 7, 2022.

San Diego’s Classics 4 Kids is back with life-changing live performances

May 14, 2022 at 12:46 p.m.

For its first in-person event in two years, San Diego's Classics 4 Kids will be making up for lost time with a program of timeless music.At the music-education organization's May...

Joe Alwyn and Alison Oliver co-star in "Conversations with Friends," a Hulu series based on Sally Rooney's novel of the same name.

Hulu’s adaptation of Sally Rooney’s ‘Conversation With Friends’ leaves many things unsaid

May 13, 2022 at 1:01 p.m.

In Hulu's new adaption of Sally Rooney's 2017 novel "Conversations with Friends," one look on actress Alison Oliver's face is worth many flashing paragraphs of Rooney's kaleidoscopic prose. And it's...

San Diego filmmaker Ron Ranson, on location in Nepal.

Leucadia filmmaker Ron Ranson’s ‘Tattooed Trucks of Nepal’ is an award-winning ride

May 12, 2022 at 5:39 p.m.

Before he fell in love with the elaborately decorated, philosophically minded freight trucks of Nepal, filmmaker and UC San Diego lecturer emeritus Ron Ranson fell in love with the delightful,...

Leucadia filmmaker Ron Ranson’s ‘Tattooed Trucks of Nepal’ is an award-winning ride

May 12, 2022 at 12:46 p.m.

Before he fell in love with the elaborately decorated, philosophically minded freight trucks of Nepal, filmmaker and UC San Diego lecturer emeritus Ron Ranson fell in love with the delightful,...

The Japanese Friendship Garden in Balboa Park hosted its annual three day Cherry Blossom Festival this weekend where thousands of attendees were able to marvel at the beautiful pink hued cherry blossoms throughout the garden park.

For Mother’s Day: Four things I love about being a mom in San Diego

May 8, 2022 at 9:59 p.m.

One of the great things about living in a great city is that it gives you room to grow into the person you want to be. And on this day...

Colin Firth stars as Michael Peterson in HBO Max's "The Staircase," an eight-episode miniseries based on the true-crime documentary series of the same name.

With Colin Firth and ‘The Staircase,’ HBO Max turns true crime into truly riveting drama

May 6, 2022 at 1:01 p.m.

In these times of Extreme Peak TV, true crime is the streaming gift that keeps on giving.Whether it is the saga of convicted tech-fraudster Elizabeth Holmes ("The Dropout," on Hulu);...

Poet and photographer Debbie Hall is shown in Escondido home. Her new book of children's poetry, "In the Jaguar's House," features some of the wildlife photographs Hall has taken during her years of global travel.

Escondido poet and photographer Debbie Hall has a new book for kids, and it’s wild

May 5, 2022 at 1:01 p.m.

Before she introduces them to the laughing otter, the busy dung beetle and the stunning hummingbirds, poet and photographer Debbie Hall lets her readers hear from a wise human. One...

San Diego, CA - April 11: Local artist Araceli Carrera works with students from the Monarch School in San Diego, CA. The art pieces they make will be included in the school's Monarch Metamorphosis Art Exhibition that will be held May 11-13 to celebrate the grand opening of the school's Chrysalis Center for the Arts. (Adriana Heldiz / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

At the Monarch School’s new arts center, unhoused students have a place to create and grow

April 30, 2022 at 12:01 p.m.

In nature, a chrysalis typically contains the makings of just one new butterfly. At The Chrysalis: Monarch School's Center for the Arts, there is room for a multitude of new...

San Diego, CA - April 19: Roosevelt Brown poses for a portrait at Balboa Park on Tuesday, April 19, 2022 in San Diego, CA. Brown has been organizing the annual Children's Book Party, which gives free books to children, for more than 35 years. After downsizing last year, the event is back in the Spreckels Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park. (Adriana Heldiz / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

En la Fiesta del Libro Infantil de 2022 en el Parque Balboa, habra mas libros gratuitos que nunca

April 28, 2022 at 4:41 p.m.

Los libros han vuelto.Libros de imágenes. Libros de ciencia. Libros de arte, deportes e historia. Ficción y no ficción. Libros para principiantes y más allá.El sábado 30 de abril, la...

At the 2022 Children’s Book Party in Balboa Park, there will be more free books than ever

April 28, 2022 at 4:28 p.m.

The books are back.Picture books. Science books. Books about art and sports and history. Fiction and nonfiction. Books for beginners and beyond.On Saturday, April 30, the annual Children's Book Party...

Jon Bernthal (right) plays a real-life corrupt cop in "We Own This City," a new HBO series based on a book about the Baltimore Police Department's lawless Gun Trace Trask Force. The series was developed by George Pelecanos and David Simon of HBO's "The Wire." The six-episode series premiered this week on HBO.

In HBO’s ‘We Own This City,’ the team behind ‘The Wire’ returns to the scene of too many crimes

April 25, 2022 at 6:35 p.m.

Before we dive into the dark, murky waters of HBO'S "We Own This City," let us journey back to 2008 and the final season of HBO's "The Wire," when the...

Casa Loto founder and president Craig Loto is shown in front of the Hillcrest Pride Flag. Casa Loto is a new San Diego nonprofit created to LGBTQ+ youth program here and in Mexico. All proceeds from the group's April 23 "LGBTQ Masquerade" fundraiser go to the San Diego LGBT Community Center.

Casa Loto de San Diego quiere ayudar a jovenes LGBTQ+ a encontrar un lugar al que llamar hogar

April 22, 2022 at 11:13 p.m.

Cuando Craig Thomas llegó a San Diego por primera vez en el verano de 2019, no estaba de visita. Se estaba trasladando, sin que se le viera.Pero si el hombre...

Carlsbad, CA - April 12: Thomas K. Arnold, editor of Media Play News that covers the home-entertainment industry, poses for a portrait alongside his DVD collection at his home on Tuesday, April 12, 2022 in Carlsbad, CA. Arnold has been covering pop-culture since the late 70s and recently wrote about the 25th anniversary of the DVD for Media Play News. (Adriana Heldiz / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Yes boomers, the DVD turns 25 this year. This Carlsbad writer can help you celebrate

April 25, 2022 at 1:31 p.m.

The "DVD" acronym originally stood for "Digital Versatile Disc." The first DVD to ship more than 1 million units was "Titanic." And when Disney released "Snow White and the Seven...

San Diego’s Casa Loto wants to help LGBTQ+ youth find a place to call home

April 21, 2022 at 5:24 a.m.

When Craig Thomas came to San Diego for the first time in the summer of 2019, he wasn't visiting. He was relocating, sight unseen. But if the man from Kansas...

San Diego, CA - April 07: Author and Orthopedist Dr. Richard Brown, poses for photos in one of his exams rooms at at his medical office on Thursday, April 7, 2022 in San Diego, CA. (Eduardo Contreras / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

When this Del Mar doctor writes a book, Doctors Without Borders gets a windfall

April 16, 2022 at 12:31 p.m.

Like many busy people in need of a break, Del Mar resident Richard Brown likes to unwind with a good suspense novel. Nothing like a healthy dose of mayhem to...

In this scene from Netflix's "Our Great National Parks," an endangered von der Decken's Sifaka clings to a limestone pinnacle in the Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park in western Madagascar. One episode is devoted to the Monterey Bay National Marine Bay Sanctuary on the central coast of California.

In ‘Our Great National Parks,’ Netflix takes optimism out for a spin

April 15, 2022 at 12:01 p.m.

Behold, the monito del monte.Weighing in at less than 2 ounces, this small opossum has been around since dinosaurs roamed the Earth. A resident of Chile and Argentina, the monito...

SAN DIEGO, CA - APRIL 5, 2022: Artist Diana Benavidez in her exhibition called Text Me When You Get Home at the Athenaeum Art Center in Logan Heights on Tuesday, April 5, 2022. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Las pinatas de la artista de San Diego Diana Benavidez estan llenas de significado

April 11, 2022 at 4:40 p.m.

Hay muchas razones prácticas por las que la artista Diana Benavídez trabaja con piñatas. Reflejan la herencia binacional de una niña criada en Tijuana y Chula Vista. Los materiales —cartón,...

San Diego artist Diana Benavidez’s pinatas are filled with meaning

April 10, 2022 at 5:25 p.m.

There are many practical reasons why artist Diana Benavídez works with piñatas. They reflect the binational heritage of a kid raised in Tijuana and Chula Vista. The materials — cardboard,...

San Diego writer Amy Finley is the author of "The Regency Book of Drinks: Quaffs, Quips, Tipples and Tales from Grosvenor Square," a book of "Bridgerton"-inspired cocktails.

Thanks to San Diego writer Amy Finley, you can have your ‘Bridgerton’ and drink it, too

April 8, 2022 at 1:01 p.m.

You can't dress like them, even if you were willing to don the required undergarments. You can't dine like them, unless you have a generous staffing budget and an over-achieving...

San Diego, CA - April 01: Art teacher Jess Rogawski works on a mural at Zamorano Fine Arts Academy on Friday, April 1, 2022 in San Diego, CA. (Eduardo Contreras / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

San Diego’s Visual and Performing Arts Foundation is bringing creativity – and so much more – to classrooms

April 7, 2022 at 1:01 p.m.

Restoration help for Crawford High School's baby grand piano. A math-and-music program for Wangenheim Middle School. An after-school theater program at Point Loma High School, art-class equipment for Hardy Elementary...

Madhushree Ghosh prepares naroo (with strawberry and blueberry, in a westernized version of this sweet treat) in her Mission Hills kitchen, with her Dalmatian looking on, prior to her debut book, "Khabaar: An Immigrant Journey of Food, Memory and Family," being released on April 4.

Hungry? The new memoir from San Diego author Madhushree Ghosh serves up a banquet of life experiences

April 2, 2022 at 1:01 p.m.

One of the first times food spoke to her, Madhushree Ghosh was 7 years old and being tempted by a guava. It was the last of the three guavas Ghosh's...

In this archival photo, pilot Gary Betzner is shown with one of his crashed planes. Betzner is the subject of "The Invisible Pilot," a new docies premiering April 4 on HBO.

In HBO’s new docies ‘The Invisible Pilot,’ truth gets the fiction treatment

April 1, 2022 at 12:01 p.m.

Before you commit to watching "The Invisible Pilot," HBO's new documentary series about the eventful life and strange disappearance of pilot Gary Betzner, consider the words of former Arkansas sheriff...

San Diego, CA - March 25: Professors Kerianne Quick (left) and Adam John Manley pose for photos in the City Gallery at San Diego City College on Friday, March 25, 2022 in San Diego, CA. (Eduardo Contreras / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

SDSU professors’ ‘Small Acts’ exhibition packs big, bold thoughts into pint-sized packages

March 26, 2022 at 1:03 p.m.

At the San Diego City College City Gallery, good things come in U.S. Postal Service Priority Flat Rate mailers. So do funny things, rebellious things, and things that make you...

Minha Kim (left) and Lee Minho co-star in "Pachinko," a new Apple TV+ series based on Min Jin Lee's novel of the same name.

With the new ‘Pachinko,’ Apple TV+ gives you a world of epic entertainment

March 25, 2022 at 12:01 p.m.

It is one of the most delightful movies of this still-young year. It's got Sandra Oh in the cast and songs by hit-making siblings Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell on...

Rita Vandergaw, Comic-Con Museum’s executive director, and Dana Williams, Feeding San Diego’s director of marketing and communications, pose in front of costumes created by costume designer Allan Lavigne at the Comic-Con Museum in Balboa Park on Thursday, March 17, 2022. Non-profit Feeding San Diego and the Comic-Con Museum are hosting an art contest for K-12 students to design their own hero that helps end hunger through food rescue. The winner will have their hero design brought to life by Allan Lavigne and will be displayed at the museum during Comic-Con 2022.

How creating a hunger-fighting action hero can win you tickets to Comic-Con 2022

March 24, 2022 at 9:29 p.m.

Strength under pressure. Extraordinary vision. A super-sized heart with a soul to match.These are the qualities that Feeding San Diego is looking for in the hero who will help put...

San Diego, CA - March 10: Brooke Shields visits an umbrella cockatoo at San Diego Zoo on Thursday, March 10, 2022 in San Diego, CA. (Bill Wechter / For The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Brooke Shields re her ‘incredible’ month as a high-school intern at the San Diego Zoo

March 19, 2022 at 1:33 a.m.

Shifts that start at the crack of dawn? No problem. Many repetitive tasks? Not an issue. Long hours catering to the needs of unpredictable personalities? All in a day's work.When...

Lusia Harris, one of the greatest female basketball players ever, is the subject of Ben Proudfoot's "The Queen of Basketball." It is one of 2022's Oscar-nominated documentary short films.

Honoring Women’s History Month with a basketball queen, crusading lawyers and a DayGlo punk

March 18, 2022 at 12:01 p.m.

There are less than two consciousness-raising weeks left until this year's Women's History Month is, well, history. To help you make the most of this female-centric time, here are some...

Musicians from the Imperial Valley Symphony.

This weekend, San Diego musicians help the Imperial Valley Symphony achieve liftoff

March 17, 2022 at 5:00 p.m.

When Imperial Valley Symphony conductor and music director Matthew Busse decided to tackle the "Jupiter" and "Mars" movements from composer Gustav Holst's "The Planets" for the symphony's concert on Saturday,...

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