In this episode, Er Tai Gao and Robert Dorsett read from Gao's memoir: _In Search of My Homeland: A Memoir of a Chinese Labor Camp_. Dorsett translated the memoir into English, and Gao is an author, painter, critic, and Chinese dissident. He was the City of Asylum Las Vegas writer from 2003 to 2006 and continues to live in Las Vegas. This event was presented in partnership with the UNLV Department of English and the College of Liberal Arts. It took place December 2, 2009 in the Barrick Museum Auditorium on the campus of UNLV in Las Vegas, NV.

In this episode, novelist E.L. Doctorow -- author of _Billy Bathgate_, _Ragtime_, and _The March_ -- reads from his latest novel, _Homer and Langley_. Doctorow serves as the 2009 Elias Ghanem Chair in Creative writing at UNLV. This event was presented in partnership with the UNLV Department of English and with a generous gift from Jody Ghanem-Zapcal. It took place November 10, 2009 in the UNLV Student Union Ballroom in Las Vegas, NV.

In this episode, pre-eminent novelist E.L. Doctorow discusses his new book, _Homer and Langley_, and the notion of remaking history to create fiction. This interview took place on the November 3, 2009 edition of KNPR's "State of Nevada" and is used with the gracious permission of KNPR's "State of Nevada" which podcasts many segments of its programs. See knpr.org/son/feeds for more information.

In this episode, Kay Ryan -- the 2009 U.S. Poet Laureate -- gives the opening reading at the 2009 Vegas Valley Book Festival. Ryan's poetry collections include _The Niagara River_, _Say Uncle_, and _Elephant Rocks_. She has received fellowships from the NEA and the Guggenheim Foundation and was awarded the 2004 Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize. This event was co-sponsored by the City of Las Vegas Office of Cultural Affairs and Nevada Humanities and took place November 5, 2009 in the Fifth Street School auditorium in Las Vegas, NV.

In this episode, U.S. Poet Laureate Kay Ryan explains how she writes, how her life has shaped her poetry, and her role as Poet-in-Chief. This interview took place on the November 4, 2009 edition of KNPR's "State of Nevada" and is used with the gracious permission of KNPR's "State of Nevada" which podcasts many segments of its programs. See knpr.org/son/feeds for more information.

In this episode, Raj Patel, a noted food scholar, discusses his life and career on the October 13, 2009 edition of KNPR's "State of Nevada." Patel appeared later that night as part of BMI's panel discussion "Food and Hunger: Eating in America." This audio segment is used with the gracious permission of KNPR's "State of Nevada" which podcasts many segments of its programs. See knpr.org/son/feeds for more information.

In this episode, Alice Waters, the celebrated chef and author; Raj Patel, a noted food scholar; and David Mas Masumoto, a writer and organic farmer, discuss the topic "Food and Hunger: Eating in America." This event was presented in partnership with Three Square and took place October 13, 2009 in the UNLV Student Union Theatre in Las Vegas, NV.

In this episode, novelist Christina Garcia reads from her latest novel, _A Handbook to Luck_, on the October 6, 2009 edition of KNPR's "State of Nevada." Part of the novel is set in Las Vegas and tells the story of an exiled Cuban magician and his act on the Strip. Garcia currently serves as BMI's 2009-10 Teaching Fellow in Creative Writing. This audio segment is used with the gracious permission of KNPR's "State of Nevada" which podcasts many segments of its programs. See knpr.org/son/feeds for more information.

In this episode, novelist Christina Garcia reads from new and recent work. The author of _Dreaming in Cuban_ and BMI's 2009-10 Teaching Fellow in Creative Writing, Garcia's other novels include _Monkey Hunting_ and _A Handbook to Luck_. This event was presented In partnership with the UNLV Department of English and took place October 6, 2009 in the UNLV Student Union Theatre in Las Vegas, NV.

In this episode, 2008-09 Bennett Fellows Luljeta Lleshanaku, Mary Palevsky, and Robert Rosenberg discuss their lives, work, projects undertaken while serving at UNLV, and the challenges of their craft. BMI associate director and novelist Richard Wiley moderates. Lleshanaku, an acclaimed Albanian poet, has two collections in English: _Fresco_ and the forthcoming _Child of Nature_. Palevsky, former director of the Nevada Test Site Oral History Project, wrote the noted personal history _Atomic Fragments: A Daughter's Questions_. Rosenberg's novel, _This is Not Civilization_, was a Borders Original Voices pick and won the 2005 Maria Thomas Fiction Award. This event took place April 27, 2009 in the Barrick Museum Auditorium at UNLV in Las Vegas, NV.