Online Exclusives
You Don’t Have to Be a Rhodes Scholar to Study at Oxford
By Margie CullenPhebe Haugen was a “frustrated English teacher” when her friend first told her about the poetry class he had taken at Oxford.
What Happens to Women Who Are Denied Abortions?
By David Silverberg‘Genius’ grantee Diana Greene Foster has devoted her career to answering the question.
To Silicon Valley and Beyond!
By Glen MartinSince its founding in 1930, Moffett Field has had multiple incarnations. Now, it’s poised for another role: the Berkeley Space Center.
Barbara Chin
Class Secretary Barbara Chin received an activity report today on the Class of 1956 Humanities Preservation Endowment for the Library. She says, “It was terribly disappointing to see only $925.00 was received in gifts during 2023. Our class supports the salary of a conservator in the Preservation Department for the University. We will not be able to continue this […]
Jessica Huang
Jessica (Jex) Huang (B.S. ’08) is climbing the world’s highest volcano (elevation 22,615′) above sea level to raise funds and awareness for the non-profit Range of Motion Project, after receiving corrective surgery and regaining mobility from their own range of motion disability. All alumni are welcome to follow along as they try to enable more people in becoming more […]
Larry Sage
Sr. Judge Larry Sage received a ‘Making the World a More Just Place’ Award from the National Judicial College (NJC) at their 60th anniversary celebration in Reno, NV on 16 Oct 2023. He (and indirectly, his extraordinary Sparks Municipal Court staff), was recognized for initiating Nevada’s first misdemeanor ‘Alcohol & Other Drug Court’; multiple sessions of which were held […]
Devin
Devin Reese has always had a thing about turtles. Thanks to her Cal Berkeley training as a herpetologist (reptile and amphibian researcher), Devin has written the first scholarly book that’s entirely about tortoises. She drafted it with Dr. George R. Zug, Smithsonian Emeritus, to offer up everything you’d want to know, plus things you wouldn’t care to know, […]
Katlyn Carter
Katlyn Carter ’09 published her first book, Democracy in Darkness: Secrecy and Transparency in the Age of Revolutions with Yale University Press. The book asks a simple question: Does democracy die in darkness, as the saying suggests? It reveals that modern democracy was born in secrecy, despite the widespread conviction that transparency was its very essence. In the years […]
The Original Barbie Movie was Created by a Cal Alum
By Margie CullenLong before Margot Robbie entered the Barbie Dreamhouse, another Barbie movie had attempted to tackle the cultural phenomenon that is Mattel’s tip-toeing doll.
Good News Bear: Marcus Semien Wins it All in the World Series
By Scott BallOn November 1, in the ninth inning of Game Five of the World Series at Chase Field in Phoenix, former Cal standout Marcus Semien planted an Arizona fastball deep into the left field bleachers for a two-run homer, sealing a 5-0 win and a series clincher for the Texas Rangers.
Coming to Zellerbach: Individual, Community and the Performing Arts
By Emily WilsonIt’s a striking scene: Dozens of men and women, wearing simple dresses and pants, dance across a dirt-covered stage.
Mona Simpson’s Literary Commitment
By Mary FleglerThrough her writing, Simpson explores characters and locales both ordinary and extraordinary, her novels probing the nooks and crannies of family dynamics, lingering in the details of how we choose to give and receive love.
John Olsen’s Research Leads to Mongolia’s Highest Honor
University of Arizona Regents’ Professor Emeritus of Anthropology John W. Olsen (Ph.D. 1980, Anthropology) has received the Order of the Polar Star, the highest state award Mongolia can present to a foreign citizen. Created in 1936, the Order was bestowed upon Olsen in acknowledgment of his contributions to Mongolian science and society extending back over […]
John Garrison
John Garrison’s book, The Pleasures of Memory in Shakespeare’s Sonnets, has just been published by Oxford University Press. He enjoyed the opportunity to explore the nature of recollection – from the Renaissance “memory arts” to modern-day psychology – in this famous set of poems.
Jose Hernandez Diaz
Jose Hernandez Diaz, class of 2011, English Major, celebrates the publication of his new book “Bad Mexican, Bad American” (Acre Books, University of Cincinnati, February 2024). Order here at The University of Chicago Press (distributor): https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/distributed/B/bo214801989.html
Christine Ma-Kellams
In Christine Ma-Kellams‘ debut novel, THE BAND, Sang Duri is the eldest member and “visual” of a Korean boy band at the apex of global dominion. But when his latest solo single accidentally drudges up ancient rivalries between East Asia’s three superpowers (Korea, Japan, China), he suddenly finds himself cancelled by the group’s notorious fandom […]
From Kumbaya to Lord of the Flies
By Margie CullenThe Pac-12 fell apart slowly, then all at once.
The Working Poet: Catching Up with Matthew Zapruder on the Road in Portland
By Geoff KochSitting in the coffee shop at Portland’s famous Powell’s Books, his name on the marquee outside, Matthew Zapruder seems surprised when asked how it feels to be an emergent public figure in poetry.
Berkeley Will Burn Again
By Margie CullenWhen 24-year-old Hildegarde Flanner and her mother first noticed the scent of smoke coming down from the eucalyptus groves on the hills above their home in Berkeley on September 17, 1923, they watched it with curiosity, rather than fear. But less than an hour later, the darkening plume pushed them to vacate.