Kudos to Fresno Writers — Spring 2024

June 6, 2024.Reading time 28 minutes.

Fresno State alumna Olivia Muñoz, left, won the Latin-American Poetry Chapbook contest and will publish her debut book this fall; new alumna Hermelinda Hernandez Monjaras won the Arts and Humanities Graduate Dean’s Medal.

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 Creative Writing Program and Department of English.

Hmong American Ink and Stories marks fifth anniversary of literary journal

May 6, 2024.Reading time 20 minutes.

Hmong American Ink and Stories club co-founder Yia Lee, left, and current president Phoua Lee with copies of the first four issues of hais: a literary journal.

“Although creative expression within Hmong history and culture is evident in our oral stories, oral poetry, textile art and the playing of various bamboo instruments… one will quickly discover that, even in this category, there are no novels, plays, or collections of poems, essays or short stories.” ~ Burlee Vang

Kudos to Fresno Writers — Fall 2023

April 3, 2024.Reading time 21 minutes.

Two images of men cut together, part of the MFA students, faculty, and staff distinction for fall 2023

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.

Sandra Cisneros headlines English Department spring literary lineup

February 28, 2024.Reading time 13 minutes.

Fresno State’s Department of English welcomes seven accomplished authors and scholars this spring for campus visits, including the pathbreaking artist Sandra Cisneros, winner of the Poetry Foundation’s 2022 Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize.

Fresno State creative writing students perform at 2024 Rogue Festival

February 7, 2024.Reading time 3 minutes.

Fresno Writers Live will feature the latest poetry and prose from 24 emerging Fresno writers in five storytelling and spoken-word shows.

Professor Emeritus Stanley Poss passes away at 96

January 30, 2024.Reading time 10 minutes.

Dr. Stanley Poss in 2014. Photo credit: John Alden/JA Photography

Dr. Stanley Poss, a Fresno State professor emeritus of English, passed away on Dec. 14, 2023, in Fresno. He was 96.

Professor Emerita Judith Rosenthal passes away at 78

January 22, 2024.Reading time 15 minutes.

Dr. Judith A. Rosenthal, a feminist literary scholar and Fresno State professor emerita of English, passed away from pancreatic cancer on Dec. 25, 2023. She was 78.

New scholarship benefits English Department students

October 16, 2023.Reading time 18 minutes.

Two different photos of Alberto and Luis. On the left, he has a short beard, a flannel shirt, and is standing in front of a brick wall. On the right, he has a goatee, side part, blue hoodie, and is standing outside with trees behind him.

With $2,905 in initial gifts from 39 students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community friends — most of those coming during Fresno State’s annual Day of Giving campaign — the English Department successfully established the new English Department Scholarship fund in 2022.

Creative Writing Program hosts trio of October author readings

September 25, 2023.Reading time 5 minutes.

Three headshots of Meg Day, with their head turned to the left; Lars Horn and Brian Turner in black and white..

Fresno State’s Master of Fine Arts program in creative writing will host three author readings in the month of October — one featuring the program’s faculty authors, one a celebration of contemporary queer literature, and one welcoming back to campus an alumni author with three new poetry collections being published this fall.

New English alumni land new jobs months before graduation

June 12, 2023.Reading time 10 minutes.

Left: Nayeli Guerrero | Right: Beth Contreras

By Jefferson Beavers, communication specialist, Department of English Two brand-new Fresno State alumni have begun their summers with full-time jobs that were secured and started months before finishing their undergraduate studies in the English Department. Literature major Beth Contreras started working as a legal assistant for the Fresno County Public Defender’s office in April, and […]