This open-hearted book is the gorgeous collection of a visionary Hmong poet whose radiant language and natural eloquence has offered us the dark and light of his soul. Karst Mountains Will Bloom is a landmark achievement: ascendant, transcendent, visionary. This poet is a treasure and a light. What an important collection for Asian American literature.
The imaginative life of 15th century artist, inventor, scientist and engineer Leonardo da Vinci takes center stage in Ken Burns' latest documentary. The two-part documentary titled Leonardo da Vinci premiered Nov. 18 and 19 on PBS stations. UC Davis Associate Professor of Design James Housefield and art studio alumna Julia Couzens (M.F.A. ‘90) led a discussion on da Vinci at an advanced partial-screening of the documentary at PBS KVIE in Sacramento on Nov. 14.
Telling women’s stories is what excites writer Iris Jamahl Dunkle. Since 2019, the biographer, poet and creative writing instructor has been shedding light on these previously underappreciated women in two books as well as a weekly online newsletter. Her latest book, "Riding Like the Wind: The Life of Sanora Babb," is about a female writer who, while living among Dust Bowl refugees in California.
Scholars in the Medieval and Early Modern Studies (MEMS) program are working to dispel the caricatures of this era by de-centering European history from the discourse and showing how, in fact, much of the world was experiencing acculturalization, or borrowing, adapting and mixing traits from various cultures.
Engineering researchers at the University of California, Davis, have developed a novel method enabling high-resolution optical patterning of semiconducting polymers. Using existing photolithography technology, the technique paves the way for new applications in flexible electronics without requiring expensive new infrastructure.
While pursuing a Master of Science degree in mechanical engineering at the University of California, Davis, Erik Contreras, whoalso received a Master of Fine Arts degree from UC Davis' Department of Design felt a need to reconnect with the "why" behind their engineering efforts. In this Q&A, Contreras talks about their venture into the world of design and centering humanity in their engineering research.
In "Riding Like the Wind," renowned biographer Iris Jamahl Dunkle revives the groundbreaking voice of Sanora Babb. Dunkle follows Babb from her impoverished childhood in eastern Colorado to California. There, she befriended the era's literati, including Ray Bradbury and Ralph Ellison; entered into an illegal marriage; and was blacklisted by the House Un-American Activities Committee. It was Babb's field notes and oral histories of migrant farmworkers that Steinbeck relied on to write his novel. "Riding Like the Wind" reminds us with fresh awareness that the stories we know—and who tells them—can change the way we remember history.
For Professor Fiamma Montezemolo, as for Fred Murdock, this rite of passage is a break and a crossing: a break from anthropology’s traditional forms of expression and a crossing into the realm of visual art. Hidden in Plain Sight is an auto-anthology carefully curated to reveal the rich tapestry of Montezemolo’s diverse work.
Pam Houston illuminates the interconnected histories of abortion in the United States and in her own life during the decades when Roe v. Wade was the law of the land. Houston guides us through the shifting landscapes of politics, the law, and self-determination in a country where access to medical care and the power to determine your own destiny are increasingly—and once again—dependent on geography and circumstance.
Michael Dylan Foster, a professor in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, has been researching yōkai, the mythical creatures of Japan, for years. Now he's hosting a mini-series about them.
