In The White Album, Joan Didion famously wrote that "a place belongs forever to whoever claims it hardest, remembers it most obsessively...loves it so radically that he remakes it in his image." Cruising in her Daytona yellow Corvette Stingray, taking it all in behind dark glasses, Joan Didion claimed California for all time. Slouching Towards Los Angeles is a multi-faceted portrait of the literary icon who, in turn, belongs to us. This collection of original essays covers the turf that made Didion a sensation-Hollywood and Patty Hearst; Malibu, Manson and the Mojave; the Summer of Love and the Central Park Five-while bringing together some of the finest voices of today's Los Angeles and beyond. Slouching Towards Los Angeles is a love letter and thank you note; personal memoir and social commentary; cultural history and literary critique. Fans of Didion, lovers of California, and fellow writers alike will all find something to dig into, in this rich exploration of the inner and outer landscapes Joan Didion traveled, shaping our own journeys in the process. Featuring essays by Ann Friedman Jori Finkel Margaret Wappler Jessica Hundley Christine Lennon Catherine Wagley Su Wu Joshua Wolf Shenk Lauren Sandler Michelle Chihara Sarah Tomlinson Linda Immediato Tracy McMillan Dan Crane Steph Cha Caroline Ryder Joe Donnelly Monica Corcoran Harel Alysia Abbott Stacie Stukin Heather John Fogarty Marc Weingarten Scott Benzel Ezrha Jean Black

Imagine your favorite artist leading you through a museum to the very work of art they can't stop thinking about. That's the experience at the heart of It Speaks to Me. In lively and intimate interviews, some of today's most acclaimed artists share the compelling details that make an artwork memorable and meaningful to them. Together these artists bring to life a wide range of museum pieces, from celebrated masterpieces to little-known gems, or from a Rembrandt self-portrait to a social- protest drawing. In the process they remind us of why we look at art at all: to share in the spark of creativity that can jump from an artwork across countries and centuries and to experience the extraordinary sensation of being inspired. Highlights include: David Hockney on Edgar Degas, Marina Abramovic on Umberto Boccioni, Ai Weiwei on a Shang Dynasty jade, Nick Cave on Jasper Johns, Judy Chicago on Agnes Pelton, William Kentridge on Antoine Bourdelle, Luc Tuymans on Jan van Eyck, and Gillian Wearing on Rembrandt.