Jackie Mansky

Writer and Editor at Freelance

Senior Editor at Zócalo Public Square

Culture writer and editor based in L.A. Senior editor @thepublicsquare. Formerly @smithsonianmag. Same handle on Bluesky.

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Articles

Can the L.A. Bagel Come Full Circle? | Culture Class

3 weeks ago | zocalopublicsquare.org | Jackie Mansky

The bagel shop that opened in my neighborhood this spring announced itself with a bold blue banner out front that read “There are no good bagels in California.” Except the “no” came with a caret that tacked a “w” onto the end, so the text actually read “There are now good bagels in California.”The sentiment might have been provocative a decade ago. Back then, California, and specifically Los Angeles, where I live, was widely considered, at least by East Coast standards, to be a bagel desert.
How Do We See Ourselves in Each Other?

Feb 28, 2025 | zocalopublicsquare.org | Jackie Mansky

Video of this conversation will be available on Friday, May 9. “See yourself in it. Don’t hide,” the artist Pedro Lasch urged a packed audience at the Asheville Art Museum last week. He was discussing Coatlicue & Las Meninas: The Stanford Edition (2007/2025), his ten-foot black mirror merging Diego Velázquez’s Las Meninas (1656) and the Mexica deity Coatlicue (1400s), which was on view upstairs.
Do Fires on Film Have Anything to Teach Us? | Culture Class

Feb 21, 2025 | zocalopublicsquare.org | Jackie Mansky

It was the second day of the January firestorm. The Eaton and Palisades fires had already devastated two communities across Los Angeles County. Now, reports of another blaze in the Hollywood Hills spread on social media. Photos showed the Hollywood sign, one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks, just a few miles from me, circled by flames. The images were fake. Or were they?
Don’t Write Lunch Hour’s Obit Just Yet | Culture Class

Nov 21, 2024 | zocalopublicsquare.org | Jackie Mansky

Rewatching Modern Times the other day, I realized it’s only a matter of time before something like the Billows Feeding Machine gets shilled on TikTok Shop.
Giving Thanks for Friendsgiving

Nov 21, 2024 | saturdayeveningpost.com | Jackie Mansky

Across the United States, group chats are blowing up. Who’s bringing dessert? A side dish? A casserole? The wine? More wine? The discourse isn’t necessarily anchored to the fourth Thursday in November, and the people texting share neither DNA nor deep-rooted emotional baggage.
One of America's First Spectator Sports Was Professional Walking

Nov 6, 2024 | smithsonianmag.com | Jackie Mansky

Walking needs no publicist. The simplest, most accessible form of exercise has been around since humans first foraged and traveled on the ground. But today, walking seems to have entered its influencer era. It’s been the subject of countless viral videos, of people doing it silently, collectively, for their , for their physical health, for “hot girl” reasons and, yes, even for their gastrointestinal needs.
Will the real young voters please stand up?

Oct 27, 2024 | stocktonia.org | Jackie Mansky

Disenfranchisement, disillusionment and “Call Her Daddy” (the podcast, that is) were all buzzwords at a recent Zócalo event that brought together civically engaged Gen Z members and Zillenials from across the country and the political spectrum. They discussed what Americans ages 18-29 want, what politicians get wrong about their voting bloc and the barriers that keep young people from turning out at the polls.
America’s Earliest Sports Stars Were … Professional Walkers?

Oct 21, 2024 | zocalopublicsquare.org | Jackie Mansky

Walking needs no publicist. The simplest, most accessible form of exercise has been around since humans first foraged and traveled on the ground. But today, walking seems to have entered its influencer era. It’s the subject of countless viral videos, of people doing it silently, collectively, for their , for their physical health, for “hot girl” reasons (lawsuit pending), and yes, even for their gastro needs.
Will the Real Young Voters Please Stand Up?

Oct 21, 2024 | zocalopublicsquare.org | Jackie Mansky

Disenfranchisement, disillusionment, and “Call Her Daddy” (the podcast, that is) were all buzzwords at last night’s Zócalo event, which brought together civically engaged Gen Z members and Zillenials from across the country and the political spectrum. They discussed what Americans ages 18–29 want, what politicians get wrong about their voting bloc, and the barriers that keep young people from turning out to the polls.
What's the DNA of an Effective Protest?

Aug 23, 2024 | zocalopublicsquare.org | Jackie Mansky

by Jackie Mansky | With the new school year starting, universities across the country anticipate a new wave of protests around the war in Gaza, now in its 10th month. To offer broad perspective, Zócalo brought a panel of scholars and practitioners to the ASU California Center Broadway last night to discuss the history, legality, and art of American protest.