In my interview this week with author and Oakland resident Daniel Alarcon, I asked him what he thought of Los Angeles. Here is his answer:
Each time, I like it more and more. In this weird way, Oakland exists more in the orbit of L.A. than it does San Francisco. It’s something about the lifestyle of Oakland, I think. Maybe the driving culture, the fact that it’s a little more spread out, it’s more of the arrival point for immigrants. I think of L.A. right now as being the capital of Latino culture in the United States, in the way Miami might once have been if it weren’t so ... wack. I feel like Miami is where the ruling classes of our various countries go to shop, whereas L.A. is the place where the working classes come — to work and pursue the American Dream. Like L.A. is a necessity and Miami is a choice. That’s why I love L.A., and I think Oakland has more of that than San Francisco.
With all due respect to Miami from both Daniel and I, surely, I hope readers enjoy the rest of the conversation. Alarcon has spent much of this year so far promoting his new novel "Lost City Radio," which I highly recommend. It is a rich and satisfying read, and makes you feel hopeful about the future of a more broadly American kind of literature in English. Here is Alarcon's interview at The Elegant Variation with another author named Daniel, L.A. native Daniel Olivas. Here is Alarcon's interview at New American Media, and on KPFA's Hard Knock Radio with dope artist (and fellow Cal alum) Favianna Rodriguez. And here is the website for Etiqueta Negra, the well-regarded international journal out of Peru where Daniel is an editor.
* Photo above from Columbia College. Adelante, tocayo!