Diablo • August 2022

From Spectacle to Sanctuary: 100 Years of the Oakland Zoo

"Growing up in early 1980s San Leandro, my oldest memory of the Oakland Zoo is watching a gibbon swing effortlessly around a cylindrical metal enclosure. It would pause, seemingly observing me, then swing away. I was mesmerized. Not unlike the sway of a gibbon, the history of the East Bay’s beloved institution feels a lot like an arc..."

Diablo • September 2021

Agents of Change: Kim Curtis

"Curiosity first drew Kim Curtis to the homeless. At age 14, she was riding BART into San Francisco when she saw people living on the street. She wanted to know why, so she asked them. Soon, she was making friends and bringing meals. Today, Curtis is the executive director of Goodness Village, a nonprofit in Livermore that provides affordable permanent housing for people experiencing chronic homelessness."

Diablo • May 2021

Game Changer: The Lab's Leading Lady

"When Kim Budhil came to Livermore from Chicago in 1987 as a graduate student studying lasers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, she didn't expect to stick around. But 36 years and many roles later she's still at the lab—and is now its director."

Saint Mary's Magazine • April 2021

Into the Future / An Empathetic Leader

Profiles of retiring Saint Mary's President James Donahue and incoming President Richard Plumb.

Diablo • September 2020

Agents of Change: Emily Pilloton

"When Emily Pilloton says, 'I want to give girls the tools they need to build the world they want to see,' she means it literally. She provides them with power drills and circular saws to make a bookshelf or a chicken coop—or a whole city."

Via • May 2020

Smart Person: Matthew Turner

"Matthew Turner is the quick-witted 37-year-old ranger behind the National Park Service's official social media presence."

Diablo • July 2019

Blade Runner

"It's understandably chilly in the Oakland Ice Center. Alysa Liu is gliding around in a knee-length navy puffer jacket. She marks some jumps and practices a spin, pulling her leg up within inches of her face. A large poster of Liu holding a gold medal looms over the rink, the text congratulating her on her 2018 junior national championship title. But it's out of date: She is now the 2019 senior national champion."

Diablo • June 2019

Odd Jobs: The Ice King

"When a buzzy Bay Area tech company wants to celebrate its IPO launch, party planners bring in Robert Chislett to make the event even cooler. The artist and owner behind Chisel-It Ice creates elaborate frozen sculptures that last for only a few hours, but won't soon be forgotten."

Via • January 2019

Smart Person: Joy Cho

"Joy Cho owns the world's most popular Pinterest account, with 13 million followers. The founder of lifestyle brand Oh Joy, she has designed wallpaper, baby moccasins, and dog collars—plus a Target line of home decor."

Diablo • June 2018

Fathers Know Best

"A year ago, Kevin Madsen noticed that conversations with his friends had completely changed. 'We were talking about allergies and car seats and what pacifiers work best,' he says. 'What was sort of surprising to all of us was that we weren't resentful of it.'"

Diablo • May 2018

Game Changer: Alicia Garza

"On July 13, 2013, upon hearing that George Zimmerman was acquitted in the shooting death of black teen Trayvon Martin, Alicia Garza took to Facebook. Capping a series of posts, she wrote: "Black people. I love you. I love us. Our lives matter." Patrisse Cullors, a friend and activist based in Los Angeles, shared Garza's sentiment, adding a hashtag: #blacklivesmatter. A movement was born."

Diablo • October 2017

Fall Arts Preview

"'Yes, I was very nervous about writing a convincing female lead. I'm not, you know, a woman,' offers author Andy Weir, before he's asked, about the protagonist of his novel Artemis, out November 14. Set in the moon's first city, Artemis, the tale is told from the perspective of Jasmine Bashara, known as 'Jazz,' a small-time criminal who gets in way over her head."

Diablo • September 2017

Elements of Good Taste

"Samin Nosrat believes anyone can learn to be a good cook. To start, you need to close the cookbook and turn off the kitchen timer. In her new book, 'Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat,' the 37-year-old Berkeley chef—a Chez Panisse and Eccolo alumna who taught Michael Pollan how to cook—distills her philosophy into four basic elements, and encourages readers to start using and trusting their senses."

Diablo • August 2017

Odd Jobs: Instrument Inventor

"From a Bluetooth-enabled sensor bow for violins to a programmable drum pad, Keith McMillen's innovations have been on the cutting edge of music for nearly four decades—and now he's rocking other industries."

Sacramento • June 2017

A Chat With... Ashlee Gadd

"When Ashlee Gadd launched Coffee + Crumbs in 2013, the collaborative blog about motherhood found quick success, with three posts going viral. Then, the East Sacramento mom scored a book deal with Zondervan, releasing a collection of essays, The Magic of Motherhood, this spring."

Diablo • February 2017

Starstruck Love

"Flowers are always a nice gesture. But having a bouquet delivered to your wife back on Earth while doing a spacewalk to assemble the International Space Station—well, that's stellar."

Diablo • November 2016

Chef Curry

"Ayesha Curry is slicing corn off a cob, her Shun chef's knife catching the sunlight in the kitchen of her Alamo home as she describes some of her favorite cooking tools. A few kernels bounce off the cutting board, roll across the countertop, and fall to the floor. At first, she doesn't seem to notice. Then, after praising her must-have appliance (a Vitamix blender), she says, "One thing I'm not is a precise chef. Stuff is flying everywhere!"

Diablo • February 2016

Master of Macbeth

"In Shakespeare's Macbeth, the main character travels a murderous path to the Scottish throne. The Berkeley Rep role won't be too much of a stretch for Conleth Hill, who has spent the last six years as Varys, the master of whispers, on HBO's similarly crown-scheming Game of Thrones."

Diablo • November 2015

Mi Casa, Su Casa

"It's late on a Sunday night, but Posada is packed. The only available table is on the patio, and despite space heaters, it's chilly. Owner Eduardo Posada comes by to offer me a jacket. A minute later, his wife, Blanca, offers the same."

Diablo • November 2015

Odd Jobs: The Big Cheese

"He teaches beer and cheese pairings at taprooms, gives presentations on the science of cheese at libraries, and helps customers at the new Whole Foods Market in Dublin create perfect holiday cheese platters. David Fleury is the East Bay's biggest cheese advocate—and one of about 400 Certified Cheese Professionals nationwide."