Jenn Swann is a journalist and freelance writer living in Hollywood. She still has a 661 area code and a thing for the desert.
The artists and developer who put Inglewood’s arts scene ‘on the map’
Now, as Inglewood becomes irresistible to developers, house hunters, and major sports franchises, some artists wonder whether they’ll get priced out.
Vexit: Venice secession movement stalled, but not dead
At a town hall, a member of the California independence group tells Venice residents: "You need to be pissed off. Then people will pay attention."
Landmarking Arts District lofts ignores Japanese American history, artists say
Since the 1970s, the old factory on Traction Avenue has been an incubator for Japanese American artists.
The future of Historic Filipinotown
What will become of the changing neighborhood—and who gets to decide its fate?
The rustic Los Angeles outpost you’ve never heard of
Residents like to keep their little town a secret. That’s hard to do when "shit hits the fan."
‘Variety’ owner wants to turn a black church in Venice into a residential compound
Some members of the century-old church are trying to stop him.
The town once known as ‘the Black Palm Springs’
How the end of Jim Crow, a wave of art students, and an ever-growing landfill changed the rural town that thrived as an African-American resort community.
The real story behind the LA street named for a Confederate general’s son
California was a Union state not typically associated with Confederate efforts, but one of its streets is named after the son of Robert E. Lee’s predecessor.
The rise of ‘three-car garage rock’
How the tony suburbs of the West Valley launched early 2000s alternative rock.
The last artists’ haven in Los Angeles
As skyrocketing rents in Los Angeles continue to squeeze renters farther into the outskirts of the city, the Antelope Valley is positioned to become a new frontier for emerging artists—if they can get over its terrible reputation.