Welcome to Books of the Month, where once a month, College of Letters and Science staff select works from our Bookshelf of entirely UC Davis authors. Start the quarter off strong by adding these staff picks to your reading list in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month.

Students and recent graduates of the College of Letters and Science discuss the 2024 Film Festival at UC Davis, sharing the inspiration behind their films and the films themselves. The festival is produced by students in “CDM 189: Where Do Films Go: Film Festivals and Distribution,” which is taught by Associate Professor of Cinema and Digital Media Julie Wyman.

UC Davis Granada Artist-in-Residence and "Who’s There?" director Sinéad Rushe and a crew of six student actors are turning William Shakespeare’s "Hamlet" inside out. The production, which debuts May 16 at the Wyatt Pavilion Theatre in Davis, seeks to explore human psychology through Hamlet’s shifting roles, thoughts and desires. 

UC Davis Alumna Lauren Godla is a dance artist, director and educator based out of Gasquet, Calif. Her work aims to inspire connections, honor the body as part of our living planet, and explore our inner and outer wilderness. Godla will spend one month creating artworks surrounded and inspired by the incredible landscapes of Redwood National and State Parks.

Professor Emerita Halifu Osumare returns to campus this month to read from and celebrate her new memoir, Dancing the Afrofuture: Hula, Hip-Hop and the Dunham Legacy, with the Department of African American and African Studies.

UC Davis Granada Artist-in-Residence Scott Ebersold discusses "The Laramie Project," the production about the 1998 killing of Matthew Shepard, a gay college student at the University of Wyoming. The riveting contemporary play will be presented by the UC Davis Department of Theatre and Dance from Feb. 22 to March 2.