Mission

Headlines can be clarifying if you pay attention to what they are putting down. There are so many promises being made, so many takeaways, so many learnings to be had before you even choose to read. Listicles tease the reveal of what’s “hiding in plain sight.” Explainers show the utility of asking rhetorical questions. (“Don’t know what to do this weekend? Try this.”) Guides anticlimactically guarantee the big payoff with an endless sea of superlatives — best, new, perfect, unique, magical, ultimate — that are both nondescriptive and perfectly optimized. The reader’s expectations are clear: Either they know it all or they will soon find out.

The content trap is built on a paradox: You don’t need to do the thing that’s being advertised to get the feeling of having done something. One-click gratification is the direct experience being sold.

The literature nods at what we all know: There is a glut of talk about going that’s thicker than traffic on the 10 at rush hour. Everyone is a storyteller. And yet, there are so many unreliable narrators who can’t get us from Point A to Point B with any gusto. There is no shortage of destinations (so many hidden gems!). Rather, there is a lack of artful documentation of what happens along the way. They say don’t blame the messenger, but how can you not? The content is giving everything everywhere all at once without the plot (or acting).

Influencers show us how to live, while content creators and media teach us we can do it too. Nobody is mad at a good recommendation — or a promo code at the link in bio. But in a world full of wanderlusters, it’s bizarre how few folks dare to really take us with them.

We’re going on a mission. Won’t you join us? This issue is meant to transport you with style. “Mission” is an anthology of fantastic voyages told by people who specialize in the art of narrative. You’ll know why you’re here as soon as they get going. There will be some real skin in the game from the jump. Suga Free has half a century’s worth of hard living and hustle to unpack. George Evans and Cauleen Smith journey into the Deep West through the life and words of the late Wanda Coleman. And since we’re talking about poets, we brought in some of L.A.’s best — Morgan Parker, Safia Elhillo and Fariha Róisín — to pen a few dispatches from the ave.

Some of the greatest tales in human history are about comings and goings. We promise to give you heat from start to finish. This is a round trip as always — from L.A. to the world and back to the epicenter.

When it’s over, it won’t be long before you’re ready to mash again.

Ian F. Blair
Editor in Chief

Image logo by Daniel Escudeiro For The Times