Zócalo Public Square

10/11/2026

Co-presented by Zócalo Public Square, Women’s Voices Now, Women in Film, Borderlands Cinematic Arts, and The Sidney Poitier New American Film School at ASU

Live from the ASU California Center in Los Angeles, CA: A free conversation on social impact documentary filmmaking, and the premiere of the 2026 Girls’ Voices Now short docs.

10/09/2026

Carola Di Poi (Carola Di Poi), head gardener of the Ranch and Kitchen Garden at The Huntington, discusses how growing and caring for plants can deepen our appreciation for not just food but the world around us.

From Zócalo’s August 30, 2026 program in San Marino, CA, “Can We Squash Food Deserts?,” part of The Huntington’s Sunday Suppers series, co-presented by Zócalo Public Square, The Huntington, and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. 

Read the recap and click the to watch the full program.

10/09/2026

Documentary films are for kids, too, writes director Alysa Nahmias, whose new film "Cookie Queens" uses Girl Scout Cookies to explore big questions about life in America today. https://zps.la/4ATuFEJ

Plus, register for Zocalo’s program “How Can Short Docs Make a Big Difference?,” co-presented with Women’s Voices Now, Women in Film, Borderlands Cinematic Arts, and The Sidney Poitier New American Film School at ASU. Join us in person in Los Angeles or watch the livestream this Saturday, October 10 at 5:30 p.m. PST: https://zps.la/docs

Nonfiction Films Help Young People Learn About Complicated Truths

10/08/2026

This Saturday, October 10, our program “How Can Short Docs Make a Big Difference?” will explore how telling real stories on screen can create awareness—and action—on important issues of the day.

The program will feature a screening of “Phoenix,” a short film produced by Girls’ Voices Now about incarcerated women who fought the 2025 L.A. wildfires.

The evening also celebrates the culmination of Women’s Voices Now’s annual Girls’ Voices Now documentary program, where young filmmakers learn documentary storytelling to amplify issues impacting their communities. Youth-produced films from the program have earned three Emmy nominations and one Emmy Award.

The program will also feature the debut screening of four new social impact documentaries by the 9th annual Girls’ Voices Now summer cohort.

Swipe to see the four films. Register at the link in bio.

Co-presented by Zócalo Public Square, Women's Voices Now, WIF, Borderlands Cinematic Arts, and The Sidney Poitier New American Film School.

10/07/2026

Jamiah Hargins (Jamiah E. Hargins), urban gardener and founder of Crop Swap LA, discusses how people today can play a part in their own food security, drawing on examples from previous generations. 

From Zócalo’s August 30, 2026 program in San Marino, CA, “Can We Squash Food Deserts?,” part of The Huntington’s Sunday Suppers series, co-presented by Zócalo Public Square, The Huntington, and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. 

Read the recap and click the to watch the full program.

10/06/2026

Swipe to meet the speakers for next week’s program, “How Can Short Docs Make a Big Difference?”

PBS SoCal producer Angela Boisvert, Film Independent director of artistic development and head of non-fiction storytelling lab Angela C. Lee, and social impact strategist Gretel Truong come together to discuss the power of the screen, collaborative storytelling—and what it takes to make films that make a difference. The conversation will be moderated by Cristina Ibarra (Cristina Ibarra), filmmaker and co-founder of Borderlands Cinematic Arts, a project of the The Sidney Poitier New American Film School.

This program will feature a screening of “Phoenix,” a short film about incarcerated women who fought the 2025 L.A. wildfires, as well as new short social impact documentaries by filmmakers in the Girls’ Voices Now program.

Join us Saturday, October 10 at 5:30 PM at ASU California Center Broadway in downtown Los Angeles (or online). Register at the link in our bio.

Co-presented by Zócalo Public Square, Women's Voices Now, WIF, Borderlands Cinematic Arts, and the Sidney Poitier New American Film School at ASU.

10/05/2026

Californians banned pay toilets in the 1970s. Historian Bryant Simon explains why, amid a lack of clean and accessible public restrooms, officials are now floating the idea again.

California Banned Pay Toilets in the 1970s. Starbucks Stepped In. Public Health Problems Ensued. Are We Worse Off Than Ever?

10/05/2026

What are you curious about?

If you’re new here, hi, we’re Zócalo Public Square, and we’re endlessly curious about the world around us. For more than two decades, we’ve hosted free public programs and published online journalism to spark conversations on the biggest issues of the day, the fascinating histories that shape us, and the wackiest ideas worth exploring.

At Zócalo, everything we do is free, and everyone is welcome.

Founded in Los Angeles in 2003, we are a unit of ASU Media Enterprise. Give us a follow to stay in the know about events, editorial, poetry, art, and more.

10/04/2026

How would you describe America’s place in the world?

We posed this question to audience members at “What Is the New World Order?,” co-presented with JLF International and UCLA UCLA Burkle Center for International Relations.

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

10/02/2026

Novelist Viet Thanh Nguyen explains why the new world order looks different to those at the top and those at the bottom, and raises the hopeful possibilities a reordered world might present, such as an end to the genocide in Gaza.

From Zócalo’s September 15, 2026 program in Los Angeles, CA, “What Is the New World Order?,” co-presented with the JLF International, an international edition of the Jaipur Literature Festival, and the UCLA UCLA Burkle Center for International Relations.

Read the recap and click the to watch the full program.