To commemorate Father's Day, this issue contains a collection of reflections from Reader writers about their fathers:The Last Tag Sale — Jeanne SchintoAn Air of Exoticism — Duncan ShepherdKinder Than I Would Think Possible — …
June 20, 2026
Born in Chicago on December 11, 1950, Brizzolara was a writer since childhood. At age 29, he sold his first two short stories to Weird Tales. His writing appeared in Asimov's Science Fiction, Amazing Stories, Whispers, Weirdbook, and Twilight Zone Magazine. His short fiction has been translated to German, Russian, and Japanese.
In 1987 he published his first novel, Wirecutter, followed by the science-fiction novel Empire's Horizon in 1989. Thunder Moon, a sequel to Wirecutter, soon followed. In 1997 he won the National Conference Media Award for Journalism for a San Diego Magazine story on hate crimes. He reviewed numerous books for the Union-Tribune and the Los Angeles Times. He also wrote for the Chicago Reader, Pages, and San Diego Home Garden & Lifestyle. Brizzolara wrote for the Reader from 1989 to 2013, including a weekly column, TGIF.
John died in his sleep at Father Joe’s Villages on October 11, 2016. He was 65. Brizzolara wrote about his struggles with alcoholism and other ailments to which he succumbed.
Samples of his notable essays can be found in our From the Archives series. Other notable stories include:
Sadness and Strange Endings (Judith Moore interviews Brizzolara)
Set a Needle on My Heart and Play Those Songs of Love and Pain (author's record collection)
Flesh of My Flesh (unending romance of fatherhood)
My Belly (author's aging body)
Articles by John Brizzolara (RIP)
The Reader's Father's Day extravaganza
Michael Reagan, his own man – from Beverly Hills to White House
Michael Reagan, former KSDO radio personality, shows up at the City Deli at Sixth and University promptly at 9:30 a.m. He is wearing dark sunglasses, a navy- blue sports coat, white shirt with button-down collar, …
June 12, 2026
Jerry Frude has the most washing machine stories in San Diego
“You gotta keep a constant lookout for black widows. They just love to string their nests under these things.” Fifty-one-year-old Jerry Frude is crouched behind a 1972 Whirlpool washing machine tilted forward on a pile …
June 5, 2026
Judith Moore's tough-fisted regime at the Reader
"Moore wants more," I would joke to myself.Busy Fingers Are Happy Fingers — Joe DeeganI couldn't find an angle to get my story started, I told her. "Forget all about angles," she then said with …
May 12, 2026
Reader writers – music that shaped their lives
The Woes Of A Woman In Love — Barbarella....We've reached the end of the line. I hope your dreams turn out fine.Notes Give Pathos to Clouds — Laura McNeal.... I played Beethoven's sonatas until the …
May 5, 2026
Coolest place to skate in San Diego – city hall's garage
They are mostly young, fast, reckless, with a conditional respect for the laws of nature and the city of San Diego. they come from as far away as Temecula and Perris. There are dozens of …
April 3, 2026
San Diego Reader writers tell their dream stories never written
STEPHEN ESMEDINAStephen EsmedinaA number of years ago, I was persuaded by a guileful siren with designs on the music biz to share my lowly downtown apartment for “a couple of days” with the great but …
March 5, 2026
Young punk from Dahmer's Diner doesn't thrill his parents
The Reader has started this series of its best stories from the past 52 years — 2600 cover stories and some remarkable interior features — to help make up for the loss of its physical …
October 1, 2025
More glimpses of San Diego pop music
O.D. Corral – country-rock, ranging from Loggins and Messina to Doug Kershaw1974 was a long time agoO. D. Corral is one of San Diego’s most popular bands, judging by the number of people who follow …
September 29, 2025