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: August 2009
Street Walker: Up in smoke
As you might know, we’re having a little problem keeping ourselves from catching on fire these days. This is the Station Fire, about 11 miles away in La Cañada Flintridge as I left the house around 10 am at the … Continue reading
Posted in riding, Street Walker, walking
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Happy 826 Day!
Last fall, I started volunteering at 826 LA, also known as the Echo Park Time Travel Mart, and also known as a place I like to go dressed like Princess Leia. Going to work with a group I’ve admired for … Continue reading
Posted in creating, reading, writing
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Eat My Words: Transit merch
Not only do I ride the bus, I wear the bus. In addition to the Naughty/Nice shirts they kindly donated for our GOOD events last December, the design team at Metro gave me a ton of flair-tastic pins emblazoned with … Continue reading
Posted in advertising, designing, Print, riding
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Advice for students
Alissa Walker from MFA Interaction Design on Vimeo. My good friend Liz Danzico, the new director of the School of Visual Art’s MFA Interaction Design program, tapped me and 13 other designers, writers and educators to make short videos giving … Continue reading
Posted in advertising, crafting, creating, designing, traveling, walking, watching, writing
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Thought for food
Why, oh, why do I get so excited when design and food collide? Redesign Your Farmers Market is a new contest co-sponsored by lots of my favorite places, including GOOD, The Architect’s Newspaper, The Urban & Environmental Policy Institute, and … Continue reading
Eat My Words: Utne Me
Back in December I took the 30 bus further east than I had ever taken it before to visit the annual holiday art fair of Self Help Graphics, the legendary Chicano art studio located in East LA. Self Help’s future … Continue reading
Posted in crafting, creating, Creative Review, designing, traveling, walking
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Yes, Alissa, there is gelato in Michigan
If you remember my last post recapping THE BIG PARADE walk through LA, I noted that at about mile 14, we hit up Fix, a tiny, adorable Echo Park cafe (actually, I think we overwhelmed them with our sweaty, salivating … Continue reading
Posted in eating, gelatoing, growing, traveling
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