FOR YEARS I COLLECTED OBJECTS THAT HAD SPECIAL SIGNIFICANCE FOR ME, AND I KEPT THEM IN A WOODEN WINE BOX: SHELLS AND CORAL FROM FARAWAY BEACHES AND REEFS I'D VISITED; FEATHERS, SEEDS, STICKS, AND STONES …

"The serial killer has become our debased, condemned, yet eerily glorified Noble Savage, the vestiges of the frontier spirit, the American isolato cruising interstate highways in van or pickup truck.”

Mr. Alice: In the past, you’ve talked about how the big black birds we see in San Diego are ravens, not crows. Well, lately, I’ve had lots of big, noisy black birds in the trees …

Dear Ms. Alice: I understand that the Africanized bees are on their way, but for the first time anyone can remember, we have NO (zero, zip) feral bees in our garden. I understand that commercial …

Dear Matthew Alice: I would like to photograph you. Please entertain this request. — A.S., San Diego Well, I’d probably open with a little juggling — a slide rule, a nectarine, and a flaming volume …

Matthew Alice: In the bizarre world of boxing, occasionally a fighter will die from injuries received during the bout. From a legal standpoint, do boxers sign away their lives as a condition to get in …

I remember breakfast tables from my earliest childhood; sunshine spills across a blue-checked tablecloth stiff with starch and fresh air. Cut-glass bowls hold jelly and jam. The Concord grape and strawberry wriggle, seem to live …

Middle school and I go way back. My mother taught eighth-grade English and social studies. I attended PTA meetings before entering kindergarten. On Friday nights, the principal would show up at our house and play …