The 42nd-annual Writers Week conference, California’s longest-running free literary event, kicked off the evening of Feb. 4 with a full-house event featuring Margaret Atwood. Chancellor Kim Wilcox introduced the acclaimed author, known for popular works such as "The Handmaid's Tale" and the "MaddAddam" trilogy, followed by a Q&A between Atwood and...

UCR Lecturer Rachelle Cruz has been appointed to a two-year term as Inlandia Literary Laureate, an award celebrating the literary excellence of the inland Southern California region. To be eligible, Inlandia Literary Laureates must live or work in Inland Southern California, write in a regional voice, work with diverse audiences, mentor emerging...

Deanne Stillman, a member of the core faculty at UCR’s Palm Desert Low-Residency MFA Creative Writing program, is a finalist for the 2018 Ohioana Book Awards. The awards, first given in 1942, are the second-oldest state literary prizes in the nation and honor outstanding works by authors from Ohio. Stillman’s work of narrative nonfiction, “ Blood...

Juan Felipe Herrera, acclaimed poet and professor emeritus in the Department of Creative Writing, will soon be able to list an elementary school in his roster of honors. Juan Felipe Herrera Elementary School, slated to open in August 2020, will be erected in southeast Fresno. The decision to honor Herrera, a Fresno County native, was announced May...

The University of California, Riverside, will be hosting a free event organized by The Campaign for College Opportunity examining the disparity between student demographics and the lack of diversity among California community college and university leadership. Changing Faces: The Case for Inclusivity in Higher Education Leadership, scheduled for...