{"id":12557,"date":"2025-01-31T11:31:14","date_gmt":"2025-01-31T19:31:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lesliedinaberg.com\/wordpress\/?p=12557"},"modified":"2025-01-31T11:31:14","modified_gmt":"2025-01-31T19:31:14","slug":"year-in-review-my-top-stories-of-2024-editor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lesliedinaberg.com\/wordpress\/?p=12557","title":{"rendered":"Year in Review | My Top Stories of 2024 (Editor)"},"content":{"rendered":"

An Arts, Culture & Community Editor Reflects on Her Favorite Stories of the Year<\/strong><\/p>\n

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From left: Leslie Dinaberg; SOhO Restaurant & Music Club; Keith Puccinelli exhibit; Cheese tasting event<\/p><\/div>\n

I wear a few different hats at the Santa Barbara Independent<\/em>, as both a writer and as the editor of the Arts & Entertainment, Living, and Food & Drink sections of the paper.<\/p>\n

Putting on my editor\u2019s hat, here are a few of my favorite stories from this year:<\/p>\n

Arts & Entertainment<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to stay in business in this town, and I loved the way Joe Woodard told the tale of SOhO\u2019s 30 years in business:\u00a0SOhO Goes the Big 3-0<\/a><\/p>\n

Few wordsmiths can string together 26 letters with as much originality and punch as Nick Welsh can, and though he doesn\u2019t write arts stories often, when he does, he\u2019s pretty much guaranteed to knock them out of the park. Case(s) in point:\u00a0The Brasscals Bring Honk to Santa Barbara<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0SBIFF Gives Fiesta 5 a New Lease on Life<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The late artist Keith Puccinelli was such a talented individual and Joe Woodard captures his quirky personality exceptionally well in this cover story:\u00a0Art About Life, Death, and Clowning<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Speaking of capturing personalities, Roger Durling\u2019s cover profile of Baret Boisson \u2014\u00a0The Accidental Artist-Activist\u00a0<\/a>\u2014\u00a0was one of my favorite features of the year, with vibrant, insightful writing (I\u2019ve known Baret for years and learned a lot from the story), and particularly beautiful shots captured by Ingrid Bostrom.<\/p>\n

Food & Drink<\/strong><\/p>\n

Matt Kettmann\u2019s recent cover story \u2014\u00a0Santa Barbara\u2019s Hospitality Game-Changers<\/a>\u00a0\u2014\u00a0was exceptionally well-researched and although it had a zillion moving parts, he managed to put it together elegantly and informatively, as well as entertainingly. He also, of course, writes quite eloquently and knowledgably about wine on a regular basis, but I was particularly intrigued by this story of\u00a0How a Documentary About an Armenian Winemaker Created Iran\u2019s First Wine in Decades<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I love a good literary pun as much as anybody who plays with words for a living, and George Yatchisin did himself proud with this take on\u00a0Poe-tent Potables | The Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy.\u00a0<\/a>I also really enjoyed his take on how\u00a0The Black Sheep Santa Barbara Brasserie Raises the Baa<\/a>\u00a0\u2014\u00a0including the headline, for which George deserves all the credit. No surprise, he\u2019s also a poet!<\/p>\n

When Michael Delgado first pitched me the concept for\u00a0Cheese the Day<\/a>\u00a0\u2014\u00a0an ambitious cover story bringing wine, cheese and culinary experts together to sip, savor, and share their expertise \u2014\u00a0 I had some doubt that he could pull it off. But he did an incredible job on this one, and we got to enjoy the fruits, and the pairings, of his labor. We\u2019ll be working with him again soon and I can\u2019t wait. Keep an eye out for more information on an open-to-the-public Cheese the Day event you won\u2019t want to miss out on.<\/p>\n

Living<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been reading John Zant\u2019s sports reporting for as long as I can remember, and his story on\u00a0Remembering OJ Simpson and the Dangers of \u201cGodding Up Those Ball Players\u201d<\/a>\u00a0was one of the standouts of the year.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m always happy to have Starshine Roshell in our pages, but her post-election column,\u00a0\u00a0And So It Begins \u2026 Misogynists Are Already Crawling Outta Their Hovels<\/a>, struck a particular chord with me. When something needs saying OUT LOUD in a crowded space, I\u2019m so grateful to have her as the one who is willing, and oh-so-very able, to say it!<\/p>\n

Victor Bryant\u2019s story\u00a0The Urzua Family Athletic Legacy Shines On at Bishop Diego<\/a>\u00a0hit the perfect sweet spot between sports and community. I loved learning more about this family.<\/p>\n

While I\u2019m on the subject of sports and family, Jim Buckley\u2019s cover story\u00a0Going for Gold \u2026 Times Three: Isla Vista\u2019s Neushul Family Rides a Chlorine-Scented Wave All the Way to the Olympics<\/a>\u00a0was another favorite of the year.<\/p>\n

And finally, in what was probably my favorite story of the year in an \u201conly in the\u00a0Santa Barbara Independent<\/em>\u00a0would you read this way,\u201d was Callie Fausey\u2019s\u00a0Down the Rabbit Hole<\/a>\u00a0first-person trip into the world of ketamine therapy. Gutsy, specific, original, and compelling from start to finish.<\/p>\n

Click here<\/a>\u00a0to read my own writing picks for 2024 as well.<\/p>\n

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