Alumni Gabriel Ibarra (left) and Pilar Christiana Graham have joined the list of more than 50 Fresno State MFA alumni to publish a debut book.
Kudos to #FresnoWriters is an ongoing series on the Fresno State MFA blog, celebrating the professional accomplishments of students, alumni, and faculty in Fresno State’s Department of English and Creative Writing Program. This compilation includes news between September and December 2022.
Compiled by Jefferson Beavers
1/30/23
J.J. Anselmi (alumni) — Published his third nonfiction book, “Out Here on Our Own: An Oral History of an American Boomtown,” with Bison Books, an imprint of the University of Nebraska Press. Published excerpts from the book in the Cleveland Review of Books and Popula.
William Arcé (faculty) — Served as guest co-editor of the “Latinx Detectives and Noir Narratives” issue of Diálogo, an Interdisciplinary Studies Journal. His article “Murder in Military Fatigues: Interrogating Military Masculinity in Lucha Corpi’s Dective Novel ‘Eulogy for a Brown Angel’” is included in the issue.
Rodolfo Avelar (alumni) — Published the poems “Creation Myth” and “Ghost | Girl | Cypher” in ANMLY Lit.
Rosie Bates (MFA student) — Interviewed the author Katie Ives for The Normal School.
Venita Blackburn (faculty) — Published the story “Chew” in the anthology “Flash Fiction America: 73 Very Short Stories” from W.W. Norton. Featured in a Meredith College story about her author visit to their campus.
Sara Borjas (alumni) — Published the poems “Toxic Healing” in Kweli Journal; and “Complicit Poem” in Catapult.
David Borofka (retired faculty) — Won the American Fiction Award from the American Book Fest for his story collection “A Longing for Impossible Things.”
CJ Brady (BA student) — Published the poem “Forbidden Portal” in Zaum, the literary magazine at Sonoma State.
Michelle Brittan Rosado (alumni) — Published 15 pieces in 15 days as part of The Fresno 15 Creative Writing Marathon.
Kenneth R. Chacón (alumni) — His poem “A Love Supreme; or, Giant Steps” won the Bird in the Hand Prize from Thin Air Magazine. His bilingual manuscript “How the Cholo Became a Mystic & Other Dreamer Poems” was named a finalist for the Alta California Chapbook Prize.
Ethan Chatagnier (alumni) — Published his second book, the novel “Singer Distance,” with Tin House Books. Published an excerpt from the book on Tor.com. The book finished as a finalist for a Golden Poppy Award from CALIBA Bookstores. The book was reviewed by Sam Sacks for the Wall Street Journal; and by Janice Derr for the Historical Novel Society. Interviewed about the book by Marshal Zeringue for America Reads; by Malavika Praseed for the Chicago Review of Books; by Ken Kalfus in The Millions; and by Michael Schaub in the Orange County Register. The novel was included in NPR’s list “2022 Books We Love,” Alta Journal’s list of “15 Best New Books,” Literary Hub’s list of “Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Books,” Daily Hive’s list of “Best Books We Recommend,” Debutiful’s list of “12 Can’t-Miss Debut Novels,” and Tor.com’s list of “Can’t Miss Indie Press Speculative Fiction.” Published the essay “Why We Should Reach Out When We’re Lonely” in Literary Hub; the list “10 Brilliant Novels About Communicating with Extraterrestrial Life” for Publishers Weekly; and the story “The Small Alarm” in the Colorado Review.
Sarah A. Chavez (alumni) — Published her second book, the poetry chapbook “Like Everything Else We Loved,” with Porkbelly Press. Her poem “Halfbreed Helene Goes to the Beach,” previously published in Thimble Literary Magazine, was nominated for a Pushcart Prize.
Anthony Cody (alumni) — Published the poem “Stop. Go put your shoes back on. They’ll know we Oakies,” a Lost Image Reclamation” on Poets.org’s Poem-a-Day, from the Academy of American Poets. Published the essay “Home Human Machine Failure Spiral” on Poetry magazine’s Harriet blog. His book “Borderland Apocrypha” was the subject of a paper on “transcultural poet as counter-witness” by Matthew Moran, published in New American Studies Journal. Interviewed by Dean Rader for the “Poems that Changed Me” series; and by Vanessa Hua of the San Francisco Chronicle on the “Best Books to Celebrate Hispanic Heritage.”
Glover Davis (alumni) — Published his seventh book, the poetry collection “Academy of Dreams,” with Lamar University Literary Press.
Brian Dunlap (alumni) — Published the poem “A Peculiar Country” in The Journal of Radical Wonder. Reviewed the Cynthia Guardado poetry collection “Cenizas” for Cultural Daily.
Ronald Dzerigian (alumni) — Exhibited new paintings and sculptures in the show “Associative Property” at the Downtown Artist Gallery in Fresno.
Kathy Fagan (alumni) — Published her sixth book, the poetry collection “Bad Hobby,” with Milkweed Editions. The book was reviewed in Publishers Weekly. Interviewed about the book by Amanda Rabadeux for the Sundress Publications blog. Published the essay “Mr. Levine: On Lineage and Compassion” in New Ohio Review. Published the poem “Dedication” in Pleiades magazine.
Manuel Farias (MA student) — Interviewed the author Manuel Muñoz for The Normal School.
Rebeca Abidail Flores (alumni) — Accepted a new job as a cultural arts events manager for Acción Latina.
Will Freeney (alumni) — Published the essay “Don’t Trip” in the Blue Mountain Review.
Esmeralda Gamez (alumni) — Featured on Fresno State’s College of Arts and Humanities blog in the story “Library careers offer English alumni a collection of opportunities.”
Xavier Garcia (MA student) — Will appear on the panel “Connecting the Local with the Global: Teaching Civic Engagement in the FYW Classroom” at the annual Conference on College Composition and Communication (4C’s) in Chicago.
Pilar Christiana Graham (alumni) — Published her debut book, the poetry collection “Currents,” with Tourane Poetry Press.
Aaliyah Green (alumni) — Published her debut book, the story collection “The Bones Stay,” with Passengers Literary Press.
Cynthia Guardado (alumni) — Published her second book, the poetry collection “Cenizas,” with the University of Arizona Press. The book was reviewed by Diego Baéz for Poetry magazine’s Harriet blog; and by Brian Dunlap for Cultural Daily.
Celeste Guirola (MA student) — Published the teaching guide “A Writing Curriculum for Civic Engagement” in the Write to Vote Project. Will appear on the panel “Connecting the Local with the Global: Teaching Civic Engagement in the FYW Classroom” at the annual Conference on College Composition and Communication (4C’s) in Chicago.
Sarah Harian (alumni) — Under the pen name S.A. Harian, published the novel “Briardark” with Compass and Fern LLC. The book was reviewed by Kirkus.
Bonita Jewel Hele (alumni) — Published the essay “Fingerspelling” in Upstreet Magazine.
Nou Her (alumni) — Accepted a new job as a marketing specialist for WestCare Foundation.
Melanie Hernandez (faculty) — Invited to become a member of the American Antiquarian Society. Selected as a fellow for the fourth cohort of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) Leadership Academy, Academia de Liderazgo.
Hermelinda Hernandez Monjaras (MFA student) — Published the poems “Inceptus” in Voicemail Poems; “Zapotec” in sin cesar magazine; “Remanoir” in The Ana magazine; and “Valentines: ‘untitled’” in Honey Literary.
Sydney Allison Hinton (alumni) — Her essay “The Immaculate Illusion,” previously published in Under the Sun, was nominated for a Pushcart Prize.
Patrick Hogan (alumni) — Under the pen name Padraig Hogan, published his debut novel, “Wax,” with Querencia Press.
Soreath Hok (alumni) — Produced the audio series “Health and Healing for Cambodian Survivors” for Valley Public Radio, as part of the USC Annenberg’s Center for Health Journalism fellowship.
Kimberly Horg (alumni) — Published an essay in the Free Spirit anthology “End of Days and Wars.”
Gabriel Ibarra (faculty, alumni) — Won the Alta California Chapbook Prize for his bilingual manuscript “On Display,” selected by Francisco Aragón. His debut book will be published this spring by Gunpowder Press.
Ra Jarrar (faculty) — Published the story “A Sailor” in the anthology “Flash Fiction America: 73 Very Short Stories” from W.W. Norton. Her short film, “Yes, Goddess,” screened at the Queer Cinema for Palestine Film Fest in Philadelphia. Her memoir “Love Is an Ex-Country” was included on the “Queer Road Trip Novels” list by Book Riot.
David Kader (alumni) — Published the pieces “Everyone Has a Name,” “Our Blood Our Proof,” and “Fragments” in Emeritus Voices, a publication of the Emeritus College at Arizona State University.
Karen Eileen (Sikola) Kovach (alumni) — Published the essay “Count to Ten and Stop Counting” in Mutha Magazine.
Jenny Krichevsky (faculty) — Published the essay “Indexical Heirlooms in Immigrant Literacy History Narratives” in the anthology “The Material Culture of Writing,” from the University Press of Colorado.
Hannah Leece (BA student) — Published the paper “The Sickness of the Education System: Why Standardized Testing Belongs in the Past” in the Richard Macksey Journal.
Suzanne Lummis (alumni) — Published the essay “Three Passes at Larry Levis’ Immortal Poem” in VerseVille. Interviewed for the Rising Stars feature in Voyage L.A.
Victoria Monsivaiz (MFA student) — Presented on a panel for Fresno State’s Hispanic Serving Institution week symposium.
Sarah Fawn Montgomery (alumni) — Published her sixth book, the essay collection “Halfway from Home,” with Split Lip Press. Published excerpts from the book in Literary Hub, The Normal School, and Dialogist. The book was reviewed by Brian Watson for Hippocampus Magazine; by Beth Kephart in Cleaver Magazine; by Susan Tweit for Story Circle; by Joe Walters for Independent Book Review; by Suzanne Kamata for Foreword Reviews; and by Courtney Ludwick for Eclectica Magazine. The book was included in the list “Prose Gift Guide” on The Rumpus, “Nonfiction of 2022” from CLMP.org, and “Impressive Indie Books of 2022” from Independent Book Review. Published the essays “Writing Emotional and Environmental Grief” in Hippocampus Magazine; “Museums of Natural History: Essay Collections as Curation” in Essay Daily; “As a Disabled Writer, I Am a Rich Innovator” in Catapult; “7 Memoirs about Leaving Home” in Electric Literature; “What to Read When You Have to Carry On During Contemporary Collapse” for The Rumpus; and “Finding Time: Writing Your Book in a Busy World” in Women’s Writers. Published the poems “Celestus Memorius” and “Pith” in Diode Poetry Journal; “Swift” in The Fourth River; and “Shadow Box” in Dialogist. Her essay “Giving Up,” previously published in Under the Sun, was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Her poem “Ghost Town,” previously published in Split Lip Magazine, was nominated for Best of the Net. Her essay “Tumble,” previously published in the Sycamore Review, was listed as notable in Best American Essays. Her manuscript “Abbreviate” was named a finalist for the Gold Line Press nonfiction chapbook contest. Interviewed the author Sonya Huber for the “Disability in Education” issue of The Rumpus. Interviewed by Hannah Grieco for the Atticus Review; for Authors Answer; by Eric Vachon for the Brevity blog; by Marissa Higgins for the Daily Kos; for the Solid Objects series in Hayden’s Ferry Review; by Michael Wheaton for the Autofocus podcast; and by J.M. Tyree for Behind the Byline in the New England Review.
Lena Mubsutina (alumni) — Published 15 pieces in 15 days as part of The Fresno 15 Creative Writing Marathon. Interviewed about her book “Amreekiya” by Layla Azmi Goushey for Baladi Magazine. Featured on Fresno State’s College of Arts and Humanities blog in the story “Library careers offer English alumni a collection of opportunities.”
Samina Najmi (faculty, MFA student) — Published the essay “Ash Tree Elegy” in Bending Genres. Interviewed the author Talia Lakshmi Kolluri for The Normal School.
Lindsay Norton (BA student) — Had a paper accepted for the Sigma Tau Delta national conference in Denver.
Taylor Petersen (alumni) — Featured on Fresno State’s College of Arts and Humanities blog in the story “Library careers offer English alumni a collection of opportunities.”
Shelby Pinkham (alumni) — Their manuscript “Rx / suppressor” was named a semifinalist for the Noemi Press Book Award.
Monique Quintana (alumni) — Published the pieces “Manchester Gate Apartments” in Maudlin House; “Crow Tarot” in The Daily Drunk; and “Spray Locket” in Red Ogre Review.
Jacob Reina (BA student) — Published the poem “A Disgraced War Veteran Finishes His Exile” in the Watershed Review.
Ernesto Reyes (alumni) — Accepted a new job as a lecturer in the School of Humanities and Communication at CSU Monterey Bay.
Ashley Rivera-García (MA student) — Presented on a panel for Fresno State’s Hispanic Serving Institution week symposium.
René M. Rodríguez-Astacio (faculty) — Published the co-authored article “With Great Power Comes … Youth Empowerment?: A Critical Content Analysis of Marvel’s Superhero Young Adult Literature,” in the ALAN Review.
Brynn Saito (faculty) — Published the poems “Dear Reader” and “Poem for the Solstice” in Discover Nikkei. Awarded a grant from UCLA’s Aratani Community Advancement Research Endowment for a collaborative poetry project with anthropologist Koji Lau-Ozawa.
Steven Sanchez (alumni) — Published 15 pieces in 15 days as part of The Fresno 15 Creative Writing Marathon.
Cristina Sandoval (MFA student) — Published the poem “I Know Why We Drink” in Talon Review.
Emily Jo Scalzo (alumni) — Published the story “Hydrogen Bubbles” in Tree and Stone magazine.
Reva E. Sias (faculty) — With faculty Jenelle Pitt Parker (education) and Travis Cronin (social work), co-awarded a two-year, $55,000 grant from the Fresno County Department of Behavioral Health for the Evaluation of Jewel of Justice Community Action Research Project.
Navdeep Singh Dhillon (alumni) — Published his debut book, the novel “Sunny G’s Series of Rash Decisions,” with Dial Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House.
Mary Sosa (alumni) — Will appear on the panel “Connecting the Local with the Global: Teaching Civic Engagement in the FYW Classroom” at the annual Conference on College Composition and Communication (4C’s) in Chicago.
Hector Tapía III (faculty, alumni) — Presented the paper “Lust in Translation: Rethinking Why the Hyena Laughs in Aelian, Aesop, Aristotle, and Others” at the annual Pacific Ancient and Modern Language Association (PAMLA) conference in Los Angeles.
James Tyner (alumni) — Featured on Fresno State’s College of Arts and Humanities blog in the story “Library careers offer English alumni a collection of opportunities.”
Mai Der Vang (faculty) — Her poetry collection “Yellow Rain” won the $25,000 Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize from the Academy of American Poets; the Northern California Book Award in poetry; and the American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation. The book was reviewed in the International Examiner. Published the poem “Forest of Beginnings” in Mn Artists. Her previously published poem “Out of Research into Reveries” was reviewed by Jon Riccio’s Teaching Takeaways in 1-Week Critique. She was a featured author in the Fresno Bee article “Fresno has inspired a diversity of authors.”
M. L. Williams (alumni) — Interviewed about his poetry collection “Game” by Daniel Chacón for the Words on a Wire podcast.
Jer Xiong (alumni) — Published the op-ed “Losing our Hmong dolls led me to unearth a piece of my culture” in the Los Angeles Times. A longer version also appeared in Zócalo Public Square.
Did we miss your accomplishment? If you’re an alumni of the English Department and you have a special announcement, a new job, a professional or creative success, or an inspiring story that you’d like to share, please submit this short “Share Your Success Stories” form, or contact staff Jefferson Beavers by email or at 559.278.1569.
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