Zócalo Public Square

08/22/2026

We are now accepting submissions for the 2027 Zócalo Book Prize, which honors the U.S.-published nonfiction book that best enhances our understanding of community and the forces that strengthen or undermine human connectedness and social cohesion.⁠

The deadline to submit is October 16, 2026, at 11:59 PM PDT. Books must be published in the U.S. between January 1, 2026, and December 31, 2026, to be eligible. The author of the winning book will receive $10,000 and participate in a public program in Los Angeles in spring 2027.⁠

For more information and submission guidelines: https://zps.la/bp27

08/21/2026

Summer may be winding down, but there’s still plenty of time to get some reading in. Have you checked out Zócalo’s 2027 Summer Reading List?

This year’s selections consider the ways we build community, the sacredness of place, the power of living honestly, and the bravery and persistence it takes to build a better future for all. Discover must-reads handpicked by Zócalo’s friends and contributors: https://zps.la/4uUyWnr

08/21/2026

What’s one skill every student should graduate with today?

We posed this question to audience members at our program “How Will California Educate Its Future Workforce?,” co-presented with the IECF, in partnership with California Humanities, with generous support from Irvine Foundation.

Find out what they had to say, and read the recap of the night at the link in bio.

08/20/2026

Higher education and workforce policy leader Su Jin Jez discusses why colleges should integrate internships into degree programs to make career experience more accessible and equitable for students.

From Zócalo’s August 5, 2026 program in Riverside, CA, “How Will California Educate Its Future Workforce?,” co-presented with the IECF, in partnership with California Humanities, with generous support from Irvine Foundation.

Click the to watch the full program

08/20/2026

In July 1994, Black readers looking for beach reads had something they’d never had before: choices. Romance genre historian Steve Ammidown writes about the "Summer of Black Love" and its legacy three decades on:

And Black Readers Finally Found Their Love Stories on the Shelves

08/19/2026

Growing Inland Achievement president and CEO Ashish Vaidya discusses how postsecondary education can expand economic prosperity and mobility in California’s Inland Empire—and lift up the whole region.

From Zócalo’s August 5, 2026 program in Riverside, CA, “How Will California Educate Its Future Workforce?,” co-presented with the IECF, in partnership with California Humanities, with generous support from Irvine Foundation.

Click the to watch the full program.

08/18/2026

Before Gov. Gavin Newsom leaves office, his administration will have closed five prisons. In 2022, Zócalo investigated the impact of these closures on local communities. Read "What Would the End of Mass Incarceration Mean for Prison Towns?" co-presented with The California Wellness Foundation.

What Would the End of Mass Incarceration Mean for Prison Towns? A Collection of Essays and Event Explore the Topic

08/18/2026

Health workforce manager Vicky Bocanegra discusses the equity challenges of unpaid internships and the barriers they create for first-generation students and students from different economic backgrounds.

From Zócalo’s August 5, 2026 program in Riverside, CA, “How Will California Educate Its Future Workforce?,” co-presented with the IECF, in partnership with California Humanities, with generous support from Irvine Foundation.

Click the to watch the full program.

08/17/2026

Many young people from Mexico and around the world are abandoning plans to study in the United States. Yet hundreds of thousands remain, willing to shoulder uncertainty and the possibility of violence or exclusion. Historian of modern Mexico Rachel Newman writes about what makes the risk worthwhile for these international students.

Despite the Risks, the Power of an American Degree Has Always Held Weight

08/17/2026

How have rising gas prices impacted your life? ⛽

We posed this question to audience members at our program “Can the Energy Crisis Finally Unite Us?,” co-presented with Thomas Mann House, in partnership with ASU Rob Walton College of Global Futures, and Palisadian-Post.

Find out what they had to say, and read the recap of the night at the link in bio.