Writers (Audio)

Cristina Garcia is the author of five novels, a collection of poetry, and three works for young readers including her newest release “Dreams of Significant Girls” about three wealthy and adventurous ninth-grade girls from different worlds who converge upon a Swiss boarding school for a summer of discovery. Series: "Story Hour in the Library" [Humanities] [Show ID: 23646]

Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon was awarded the Cave Canem Poetry Prize for Black Swan, her debut collection of poems that mixes vernacular language with classical mythology, modern struggles with Biblical trials, and gives voice to women past and present. With her second, ]Open Interval[, nominated for the 2009 National Book Award, Van Clief-Stefanon “marries a wildness of vision with a lens-maker’s precision.” She is co-author, with Elizabeth Alexander, of the chapbook Poems in Conversation and a Conversation. She is currently working on a third collection of poetry, The Coal Tar Colors. She lives in Ithaca, New York and teaches at Cornell University. Series: "Lunch Poems Reading Series" [Humanities] [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 22616]

Clayton Eshleman, American poet, translator, and editor, reads from his recently released translation “Solar Throat Slashed,” by Aimé Césaire, co-translated with A. James Arnold. Césaire, a strong anticolonialist, was born in the Caribbean and wrote his poems and plays in French. Series: "Lunch Poems Reading Series" [Humanities] [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 22615]

Ben Bac Sierra’s story is one of transformation. Raised in San Francisco’s Mission District he lived a harsh existence until the United States Marine Corps set him on a path to becoming a Gulf War veteran, professor, and author of Barrio Bushido. After an honorable discharge, he received a BA at UC Berkeley, a teaching credential and an MA. at San Francisco State University, and a JD at UC Hastings College of the Law. He is a professor at City College of San Francisco and he regularly presents at high schools, colleges, conferences, and writing workshops throughout the country. Series: "Story Hour in the Library" [Humanities] [Show ID: 23311]

Carol Edgarian is an author, editor, and publisher. Her novels include the New York Times bestseller “Three Stages of Amazement” and the international bestseller “Rise the Euphrates.” Edgarian and her husband, editor and writer Tom Jenks, founded the non-profit magazine Narrative which publishes more than three hundred artists each year. She speaks to an audience at UC Berkeley. Series: "Story Hour in the Library" [Humanities] [Show ID: 23310]

Are America’s civil rights laws a failure? Stanford Law professor and “Rights Gone Wrong” author Richard Thompson Ford argues that while they have been successful in fighting overt discrimination, they’ve fallen short in addressing other social injustices and in some cases, have been hijacked by political extremists for personal advantage. Ford is interviewed by Jennifer Burton, a visiting scholar to UC San Diego. Series: "Revelle Forum" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 22625]

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes writer Glenn Greenwald for a discussion of his new book, “With Liberty and Justice for Some.” Greenwald traces his intellectual odyssey; analyzes the relationship between principle, power, and law; and describes the erosion of the rule of law in the United States. Highlighting the degree to which the legal system frees the powerful from accountability while harshly treating the powerless, Greenwald describes the origins of the current system, its repudiation of American ideals, and the mechanisms which sustain it. He then analyzes the media’s abdication of its role as watchdog role. He concludes with a survey of the the record of the Obama administration in fulfilling its mandate, argues for an alternative politics, and offers advice for students as they prepare for the future. Series: "Conversations with History" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 23138]

Writer and MacArthur Fellow Mark Danner talks about writing as reportage versus as a creative act, and examines how words are used for differing purposes. Series: "Conversations with History" [Humanities] [Show ID: 8042]

Born in San Francisco, Robert Haas is a California poet but his poetry, translations, and essays reveal an intimacy that transcends the borders of states and nations. With his direct clarity and promotion of literacy in “places where poets don’t go,” he served two years as U. S. Poet Laureate (1995-97). His numerous books include “Sun Under Wood,” “Time and Materials,” and “The Apple Trees at Olema: New and Selected Poems.” Hass’s numerous accolades include the MacArthur "Genius" Fellowship, two National Book Critics' Circle Awards, and the Pulitzer Prize. Hass has translated many of the works of Nobel Prize-winning Polish poet, Czeslaw Milosz. Series: "Lunch Poems Reading Series" [Humanities] [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 22614]

Readings from distinguished Berkeley faculty and staff, who will introduce us to their favorite books and stories. This year’s participants include: Dean Tony Cascardi, Dean Carla Hesse, Lecturer Fae Myenne Ng, Professor Ananya Roy and others.

Series: "Story Hour in the Library" [Humanities] [Show ID: 23024]