Hey there! My name is Alissa. I’m a writer, a gelato-eater, and a walker in LA.
You can learn more about who I am, what I write, why I walk, and even see where I live and work. Last year I was honored to be named as an USC/Annenberg Getty Arts Journalism fellow. You also might like this talk I gave about how to do the work you love.
Welcome to Gelatobaby
Follow me at @gelatobaby
- @JinxMcGillicudd Crested Butte, Colorado
- Due to last night's blizzard, the snowbride is now wearing a fashionable veil. http://t.co/PiYYUYB0
- @GetDianeFarr Ha! Thanks, I like to keep my readers on their toes.
- What's a park, really? My story on Southern California's first parklet, located in Long Beach, is in today's @LAWeekly http://t.co/HWgVcrtY
- My story at @ForYourArt on Suzanne Lacy's powerful public performance artwork @3WeeksInJan http://t.co/R2sWn7XL #RapeEndsHere
Come say hello
- GOOD Design for Cities
A new event series hosted by Alissa and supported in part by ArtPlace is coming to Portland and St. Louis. Here's how creatives can apply to be part of it.
- GOOD Design for Cities
Check out our next de LaB
- Design East of La Brea is a monthly party I co-host with Haily Zaki, Marissa Gluck and Erin Cullerton. Almost always east of La Brea. Learn more about past de Labs and sign up for our monthly newsletter.
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Click on some recent posts
Read my articles elsewhere
You can find my writing most days at GOOD, or at Fast Company's new design site, Co.Design, or over at Dwell. You can also read about my 13 favorite stories from 2010.
- Waaaaay Back to the Future
Fast Company, August 2011
Nike's 23-year journey to make Marty McFly's AirMag shoes real. - Meet the Makers
Details, July 2011
Profile of Saul Griffith, an engineer and inventor who could change the way we make... everything. - Sasaki's Heartbeat
Dwell, June 2011
A studio visit with the Japanese-born artist Sasaki, who has been drawing people's heartbeats for 15 years. - Is LA's Public Transit a Joke? This Comedian Sure Hopes So
GOOD, June 2011
For comedian Kristina Wong, living car-free isn't just an act. - Middle School Students Tell LAUSD: No More Styrofoam
GOOD, April 2011
A group of sixth graders mounts a campaign to rid their school of the evil white foam. - The Future of Reading Online [Video]
Fast Company, March 2011
At SXSW, I interviewed designer Khoi Vinh about tablets, pay walls, and browsers. - How LA's "Farmers Field" Could Boost Urban Agriculture
GOOD, February 2011
Let's turn the city's new football stadium into the world's biggest urban farm. - BOOM! Palm Springs Plans a Wacky Old Folks Community
Fast Company, February 2011
10 architects have collaborated on a very unique new kind of retirement home for gays. - The Design Difference
GOOD, January 2011
How can design help create change in the underserved community of Brownsville, New York? A three-part series. - Why We Don't Need Any More Anonymous Critics
GOOD, January 2011
Let's stop the dining in disguise and make food critics powerful, public voices for real social change. - The Rise of the Bus-Riding Celebrity
GOOD, October 2010
Why don't more eco-minded celebrities in LA take public transit? - Can Design Save the World?
Fast Company, October 2010
Profiles of superstar emerging designers Candy Chang and Bobby C. Martin, Jr. - Where My Ladies At?
GOOD, August 2010
Why aren't there more women in industrial design? - At Home with Ed Begley, Jr.
Dwell, June 2010
I visited LA's greenest celebrity to talk about gardening, solar panels and riding the bus. - Why I Write About Design Now
GOOD, May 2010
How we need to cover the design industry: Without a chair in the world. - Here's Why the Banksy Movie is a Banksy Prank
Fast Company, April 2010
The world's most famous street artist makes a documentary? I'm not buying it. - If You Lived Here, You'd Be Urban By Now
GOOD, Spring 2010
The case against fake "walkable urbanism" developments which are neither walkable or urban. - Why Can't the World's Best Architects Build Better Websites?
Fast Company, March 2010
Loading... - The Fake Freeway Sign that Became a Real Public Service
GOOD, January 2010
Artist Richard Ankrom's act of guerrilla public service improved the commuter experience.
- Waaaaay Back to the Future
View my photos
Try some gelato
- Catch up on my latest gelato adventures, or find gelato using my Gelatobaby GeLAtomap.
Monthly Archives: April 2009
The grand tour
There are a lot of weird and wonderful perks to my work. Admittedly, most are weirder than they are wonderful. But then there are those moments that are so wonderful that I have to stop and look in a mirror … Continue reading
Posted in building, crafting, creating, designing
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Eat My Words (for real): Some Alexandra Grant Love
As regular readers of this blog know, I never, ever make mistakes. Except for that one time, but the authorities were never able to prove I was solely at fault. And besides, a few of those kids said they liked … Continue reading
Eat My Words: Watts up
It’s a fact that’s almost too scandalous for me to admit: In my almost eight years in LA I had never been to the Watts Towers. So when I got assigned one of LA Weekly‘s People issue profiles (an annual … Continue reading
On Today’s DnA: Relevance vs. Extravagance
Tomorrow is, symbolically at least, an interesting day. For those of us who have working credit cards and travel budgets, it’s the launch of the Milan furniture fair. And of course for the rest of us, it’s Earth Day. With … Continue reading
Posted in building, designing, DnA, Fast Company, greening
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Eat My Words: Lauren Dukoff, shooting star
I’m so ridiculously behind in posting some magazine articles for you to read that this shall represent the beginning of a daily blitz of words sure to keep you nourished and informed for at least a week. The first piece … Continue reading
Posted in advertising, creating, Print, writing
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You won’t hear a Peep from me until Monday
So have a Good Friday, Great Saturday and an Easter Sunday filled with all the marshmallow, sugar, gelatin and carnauba wax you can cram into your mouth at one time.
Posted in crafting, creating, eating
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Each sold separately
Somehow I missed the fact that Barbie turned 50 earlier this year, even though there’s been a slideshow of her fashionable half-century plastered alongside my posts on Fast Company for at least a month. I’m surprised, though, that none of … Continue reading
Posted in advertising, creating, watching
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