In 2016, Leah Koch and her sister Bea Hodges-Koch opened the Ripped Bodice, a romance bookstore, in Los Angeles. Since then, the genre has exploded—between 2020 and 2023, print sales jumped from eighteen to thirty-nine million copies sold. The sisters have since opened a second location, in Park Slope. For Valentine’s Day, Leah joined us […]
Reëxamining Romantic Tropes with the Ripped Bodice Read Post »
While firefighters work to extinguish the Los Angeles-area wildfires, city officials and emergency managers are also worried about what could come next. Light rain began falling on January 25, 2025, helping firefighters who have been battling fires for nearly three weeks, but rain can also trigger dangerous floods and debris flows on burned hillslopes. The
Amid L.A. wildfires, rain could trigger dangerous floods and debris flows Read Post »
The wildfires in the Los Angeles area have destroyed more than 10,000 structures, many of them homes, and firefighters continue to battle the infernos. Parts of Pacific Palisades, Altadena, Pasadena and other California communities are now unrecognizable. As evacuation orders are lifted, safe drinking water should be top of mind for those residents able to
