I wear a few different hats at the Santa Barbara Independent, as both a writer and an editor. As for my own prose, I wrote more than 200 stories of various types over the last 12 months, which is on par with my 2024 tally. That sounds like a lot — and it is — but a good chunk of what I do is short and snappy, and a lot less time-consuming than some of the longer features can be.
That being said, some of my favorite stories are the ones I get to dig in more deeply on. The annual Indy Awards for Theater, which we present every spring, are something our arts & culture team works on year-round, seeing as much local theater as we can and taking careful notes along the way so we can spotlight the bright lights in our community on stage at SOhO. In case you missed it, here’s the cover story and list of winners.
Covering the Santa Barbara International Film Festival is also always one of my favorite, immersive experiences, and one of my 2025 highlights was the Virtuoso Awards, which featured Kieran Culkin, Harris Dickinson, Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande, Clarence Maclin, Mikey Madison, and John Magaro. The 2026 slate looks equally impressive, with Frankenstein’s Jacob Elordi, One Battle After Another’s Chase Infiniti and Teyana Taylor, Weapons’ Amy Madigan, The Secret Agent’s Wagner Moura, Sentimental Value’s Renate Reinsve, Christy’s Sydney Sweeney, and Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere’s title star Jeremy Allen White set to be at the Arlington on February 8.
Arts Stories
I do a little bit of a lot of things in the arts realm: a little bit of theater and a little bit of dance and a little bit of comedy (which means just about everything that comes to Santa Barbara), some visual art, some film, and some books, and a whole lot of pop music.
On the visual art side, one of my favorite stories was about the “Creative Resistance” show at CAW (Artistically Speaking, The Power of Art and Community) for the art itself, but even more importantly for civic inspiration of organizer Laura Walker Ragan in bringing artists together to speak out in the ways they do best during such a politically charged time in our history.
On the music side, interviewing Jim James of My Morning Jacket was so much fun. The guy’s not only an engaging performer, he’s a great conversationalist, which is always a treat! I also loved talking with Michelle Zauner of Japanese Breakfast, who is super interesting not just as a musician, but as the author of the book Crying in H Mart, which UCSB Reads wisely selected as their 2026 book. Not to mention the show at the Bowl was awesome, with Carl Perry’s photos as some of my favorite shots of the year as well.
Writing reviews remains both challenging and fun for me. I do a little bit of theater and a little bit of dance and a little bit of comedy, but mostly I write about music. Other than seeing Lady Gaga in Las Vegas, and Green Day and Eddie Vedder at the Ohana Festival — all of which were awesome but outside of the 805 — my sentimental favorite Santa Barbara show of the year was probably James Taylor at the Bowl (When the World Gets You Down, James Taylor Lifts You Up). I also really loved Molly Tuttle at the Arlington, both Colin Hay and Dawes at the Lobero, and I’m With Her at Campbell Hall. The Music Academy of the West’s Percussionfest was also an awesome show and one of those ones where I’m kicking myself for not going before 2025. I’ll definitely be back for that one again this summer.
Wine & Dine Experiences
As the editor of the food section, I definitely get to do some fun things. Going behind the scenes with the fabulous pastry Chef Yannick Dumonceau and his family Cecile and Nathan was quite a delicious adventure (Let Your Taste Buds Travel to France).
I also particularly enjoyed an early visit to the Marisella, Ritz-Carlton Bacara’s newest restaurant (The Sea Has a New Star), and Storybook Sipping at the Rosewood Miramar Beach Manor Bar, where the cocktails are fabulously over the top. The Rosewood was also the spot for a special dinner with three Michelin Star Chefs. It’s a tough job, but sometimes you’ve got to take one for the team!
