Lou Fancher, Author at 48 hills

Music

Heed the circle: Cécile McLorin Salvant weaves spells from Kate Bush, Voudou fables, blues magic

January 24, 2023

Latest album 'Ghost Songs' delves deep into the lauded Miami singer's personal side, stretching jazz into other realms

Lit

11+ books that stuck with us in 2022 (and a good part come from the East Bay)

January 2, 2023

Leila Mottley, Hua Hsu, Ibram X. Kendi, Ericka Huggins, even an appearance by Barack Obama on this year's list

Culture

48 sources of joy in 2022, from velvety jazz to young voters and plant-based cuisine

December 23, 2022

Food, tunes, talks, and more. How did your year highlights match up with our writer's?

Lit

Hua Hsu’s ‘Stay True’ views a deep and tragic friendship with scathing honesty

December 11, 2022

In the face of senseless death, the author spins out his love for an unlikely companion at UC Berkeley

Lit

Obama in Charleston: ‘Grace’ delves into White House response to horrific hate crime

December 2, 2022

White House Chief Speechwriter Cody Keenan reflects on pressures and transcendence of '10 Days in the Battle for America'

Dance

Which witches? Choreographer Liz Lerman’s coven is here to dance

October 25, 2022

"Wicked Bodies" at YBCA conjures magic from a diverse cast, in reaction to the crude depictions of the past

Lit

‘Am I a bad gay?’: Andrew Sean Greer’s ‘Less’ sequel digs deep with sharp laughs

October 13, 2022

In 'Less is Lost,' the Pulitzer winner sends his 'moderately accomplished novelist' protagonist on a more intimate journey

Lit

Ingrid Rojas Contreras’ memoir plants a supernatural family tree

September 16, 2022

'The Man Who Could Move Clouds' follows the Colombian author's journey to understand the mysteries of the past.

Lit

How a feminist faced the world 100 years ago

September 12, 2022

New biography of groundbreaking California journalist Elsie Robinson's life is a remarkable investigative achievement

Arts + Culture

Author Kate Bowler’s cancer memoir “No Cure” is—terrifically witty?

August 14, 2022

Humor and honesty abound as the book's heroine documents her health battle.

Lou Fancher