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‘Pomona A to Z’: R is for Roman Goddess
[The letter R proved a good excuse to recount how Pomona got its name. As for the runnerups, Robbie's, Red Hill Pizza and Randy's Records have all closed. Sob! Oh, and the "Jane Eyre" quote referred to...
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‘Pomona A to Z’: S is for Spadra
[Spadra was a natural choice for the letter S when I was writing this series. Not only is Spadra a crucial part of Pomona's origins, but people remain fascinated by the place, mostly because of its...
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‘Pomona A to Z’: T is for Turkeys
[Somewhere along the line I'd heard Shelton's was a cult favorite and thus its product was tailor-made for the letter T. Of the runnerups, the trompe l'oeil paintings were nixed because it was hard...
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‘Pomona A to Z’: U is for Underpass
[My U choice was unknown until the day I finally took at look at that stone marker outside Joey's BBQ. When I read the inscription commemorating the nearby underpass, I laughed out loud there on the...
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‘Pomona A to Z’: V is for Vietnamese
[After a monthlong break for reasons I can't recall -- vacation? deadline problems? other news crowding to get into my column? -- "A to Z" returned to print with the letter V. I was happy to write...
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‘Pomona A to Z’: W is for Westmont
[For W, I focused on a whole neighborhood, one that has a certain fascination for midcentury architecture buffs because of its tracts designed by Cliff May, creator of the ranch home. Oh, and the two...
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‘Pomona A to Z’: X is for Xochimilco
[As you can imagine, finding an X was exceedingly difficult when I was writing the "A to Z" series. (Although writing the intro was fun.) Xochimilco was one of Pomona's longest-lived Mexican...
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‘Pomona A to Z’: Y is for YMCA
[Here we are at the penultimate letter! Yellow Cab made a pitch to be the letter Y, telling me they've got several vintage taxis in their Pomona yard, but since that's not open to the general public, I...
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‘Pomona A to Z’: Z is for Zanja
[Well, here we are at the end of our little recap of my 2004-05 "Pomona A to Z" columns. I had the topic for Z picked far in advance, relishing the neatness of ending the series the way it began....
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‘Pomona A to Z’: letters on the letters
[My encore of "Pomona A to Z" is complete, but here's a followup column -- originally published July 3, 2005 -- of reader reaction to the series. The comment from the Ontario reader really cheesed me...
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Coming soon: ‘Pomona A to Z,’ the book
For years, people have asked, “When are you going to do a book?” At last I have an answer: “On July 18.” That’s the release date of “Pomona A to Z,” a collection of newspaper columns by yours truly...
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No. 10 with a bullet
“Pomona A to Z” is on an end-cap display at Rhino Records (235 Yale Ave., Claremont) right when you walk in, my book placed between Led Zeppelin vinyl reissues and Morrissey’s new album. This is such...
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‘Pomona A to Z’ party
Look at all the people! I’m standing up in the background by the banner, talking to my friends Elizabeth Casian and Doug Evans and feeling somewhat overwhelmed. Pomona’s literati and glitterati turned...
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‘A to Z’ double-header
I’m doing not one but two book signings Saturday for “Pomona A to Z.” The first is at Claremont’s Rhino Records, 235 Yale Ave., from 1 to 3 p.m. The second is at Pomona’s Magic Door Books, 155 W. 2nd...
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Claremont Courier writes up ‘Pomona A to Z,’ me
I was surprised when the Courier put my April 9 talk at Rhino Records in its calendar of events — in which I was described for the first time in my life as “reporter and author” — because, after all,...
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‘Pomona A to Z’ in RC
If you’re in or near Rancho Cucamonga, come to the Archibald Library, 7368 Archibald Ave. (just below Base Line) tonight for the 20th anniversary party, 7 to 9 p.m. I’m due to be interviewed for a few...
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‘A to Z’ from ONT
Ken McNeil, formerly of San Antonio Heights, is spotted on a plane back to Reno reading his newly purchased copy of “Pomona A to Z.” Do you have yours? (“Spotted” is a joke: His wife, Pam, took the...
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Village Venture 2014
For Village Venture, the popular crafts fair and street festival that took place Saturday in Claremont, I arranged to sell “Pomona A to Z” in the parking lot of Rhino Records, right by the sidewalk to...
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‘Pomona A to Z’ on Vacation
Did you catch our “Daily Bulletin on Vacation” feature on Sunday? Diana Cheever of Upland brought our newspaper with her on vacation to the Virgin Islands. She took the photo, with the paper being...
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‘Pomona A to Z': where to buy
July 18 marks the one-year anniversary of publication of my first book, “Pomona A to Z.” Gosh! It’s done quite well, selling more than 500 copies to date. And although events and sales have tapered...
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