Once a Young Writers’ Conference attendee, creative writing major now part of editorial board

April 25, 2023.Reading time 9 minutes.

Isabella De La Torre, by Jefferson Beavers

For high school students like De La Torre, the English Department’s biggest annual event marks a series of firsts: the first time stepping onto a college campus, the first time attending a writing conference and for some, the first time seeing their writing published.

Alumni novelist headlines 2023 Young Writers’ Conference

April 18, 2023.Reading time 7 minutes.

Fresno State’s English Department will host its 43rd annual Young Writers’ Conference, welcoming alumni author Ethan Chatagnier back to campus for the keynote address.

Mialise Carney and Lucca Lorenzi named Arts and Humanities 2023 Dean’s Medalist

April 15, 2023.Reading time 1 minute.

2023 Dean's Medalist Mialise Carney and Lucca Lorenzi

Mialise Carney and Lucca Lorenzi were named the 2023 Dean’s Medalist for the College of Arts and Humanities during the Arts in Motion ceremony on Saturday, April 15, in the Concert Hall.

Student of Distinction: Mia De La Cerda

April 14, 2023.Reading time 4 minutes.

“At Fresno State, I, for the first time in my life, felt accepted and found a sense of belonging. I was encouraged to write poetry about the experience of farm laborers, tell the story of my grandparents and delve into topics that have been underrepresented.”

Graduate Dean’s Medalist: Mialise Carney

April 14, 2023.Reading time 3 minutes.

“I grew up silenced and sheltered from society, but through education, community and art, I’ve discovered a place in a world I didn’t believe had space for me.”

Student of Distinction: Lindsay Norton

April 13, 2023.Reading time 4 minutes.

“My ultimate goal is to earn a Ph.D., eventually teaching at a university while contributing to the emerging field of Indigenous-focused environmental humanities.”

Three creative writing alumni publish debut books in 2022

January 13, 2023.Reading time 4 minutes.

Aaliyah Green, Pilar Christiana Graham and Navdeep Singh Dhillon

Three alumni authors from Fresno State’s Master of Fine Arts program in creative writing published their debut books in 2022.

In Memoriam: Professor Emerita Toni Wein, Ph.D.

December 19, 2022.Reading time 2 minutes.

Dr. Toni Wein is shown on the right wearing red and black. On the left is a yellow background with white text "In Memoriam" in dark green text "Toni Wein, Ph.D., Professor Emerita.

Toni Wein, Ph.D., Professor Emerita, English Department (2002-2018) was born on April 20, 1952, in Detroit, MI and, after a bout with brain cancer, passed away on December 17, 2022, in Portland, OR.

New Faces: Sean A. Gordon

August 24, 2022.Reading time 11 minutes.

The College of Arts and Humanities welcomes new faculty Dr. Sean A. Gordon to the Department of English. He earned a Ph.D. in English and American Studies from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he recently defended his dissertation, “On Being Dispersed: The Poetics of Dehiscence from ‘We the People’ to Abolition.”

English professor Mai Der Vang named finalist for Pulitzer Prize in Poetry

May 11, 2022.Reading time 2 minutes.

Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry Mai Der Vang stands in front of a green field and a setting sun.

Author and Fresno State professor Mai Der Vang was honored May 9 as a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry, for her groundbreaking book of documentary poetry, “Yellow Rain.”