2024 LitFest Schedule

Event Descriptions

1:00-1:45pm

2:00-2:45pm

3:00-3:45pm

4:00-4:45pm

5:00-6:45pm

Break to enjoy dinner at your favorite Downtown Merced restaurant.

7:00-8:30pm

Special thanks to Bookish, our favorite Central Valley Independent Bookstore, for partnering with us and offering an opportunity for attendees to purchase Dorothy Allison's books and some of your favorite writing and Central Valley swag!

Reader Bios

A.D. Hoyt has been writing poetry since childhood. Deeply inspired by California’s beauty and the struggle of wyldlife to survive amid the expanding concrete urban landscape of the 21st century, their poems focus on themes of resilience and resistance in nature, communities, and the inner self.

Angela Chaidez Vincent has a background of livelihoods in engineering, mathematics, and programming. Her debut poetry collection ARENA GLOW (Tourane Press) features poems about women with a daredevil oblique. Appearing in Oxford Review of Books, North American Review, and 32 Poems, among others, Angela lives and writes in Fresno, California.

Byron Webb: Born and raised on a ranch in the Central Valley, Byron Webb went on to study poetry, literature, and song writing. He has served as a poetry editor for and has published poetry in literary journals. He teaches at UC Merced, is a vocalist and drummer, and composes original work.By

Cecilia Madueña-Young: STEM teacher by day, author by night. Mother of three amazing kids. Passionate about inspiring young minds in the classroom and through the pages of my books. Balancing the worlds of education and storytelling with love, creativity, and dedication. Crafting a bright future for my students and family alike.

Christa Fraser is a lecturer with the Merritt Writing Program at UC Merced. She is currently working on a novel and a speculative fiction short story collection. She calls the San Joaquin Valley and adjacent foothills, where she has deep roots and many connections, her home.

Christina Lux’s book of poetry, War Bonds, was recently published. Her poetry has appeared on National Public Radio, in the Houston Chronicle, and in journals such as Women's Studies Quarterly. Originally from Planada, she is now Managing Director of the Center for the Humanities at the University of California, Merced.

Chuck Brown, a bass player and singer/songwriter, has recorded three albums and is grateful to have learned song writing from Cindy Lee Berryhill, Christopher Hoffee, Prof. Marc McAneny and the late Jeff Buckley. He teaches English, guitar and bass guitar at an alternative school.

Cueponcaxochitl D. Moreno Sandoval (Xicana Izkalohteka of Zacateco/Caxcan ancestry) (she/they) is an Associate Professor of Native American and Mexican Indigenous Studies in the Ethnic Studies Department at Stanislaus State in Turlock, California. They examine how the revitalization of ancestral knowledge systems can nurture positive academic and personal identities.

David Toh Kusi (PhD) is Associate Professor of British Literature and Contemporary Literary Studies at ENS Yaoundé and the University of Bamenda, Cameroon. He is an expert in journal establishment and maintenance, an educational technologist, and creative writer with a poetry collection titled The Cradle of My Passion.

Dawn Trook is a storyteller. She tells stories using different creative forms: performance, dance, clowning, writing, stand up comedy acting, mud, and pies. Dawn teaches writing and community-engaged art at UC Merced, and is the area coordinator and a poet-teacher for California Poets in the Schools. She is studying to be a clown therapist.

Demitra E. Borrero is a Central Coast native living and learning in the Central Valley. In her time at UC Merced (Class of 2010), she explored a love of poetry and writing under the mentorship of Jared Stanley, Jan Goggans, Jeremy R. Resnick and Gregg Camfield, among other founding faculty laureates. She continues to be inspired by post-colonial resistance in the everyday and good prose. Her works explore liminal social experiences, un/love, where I meets thou, where coast meets valley, hate and poverty in the neoliberal era.

Derek S. Merrill: A Fresno native and a graduate of Roosevelt High School, Derek lived in exile outside California for over ten years. A resolutely amateur creative writer, Derek likes to explore concepts through fiction. He is a continuing lecturer in the Merritt Writing Program at UC Merced.

Elizabeth McMunn-Tetangco has published several chapbooks and many individual poems and co-edits One Sentence Poems and First Frost. She is a librarian at UC Merced.

Evaristo Rivera is a first generation writer. His work has been published in Boston Review. A Southern California native, he laid roots in Merced and returns frequently to tend to them.

Grace Wiseman is one of the youngest Loud Mouth Slam champions in our venues history and is a member of the 2024 Team as the official Youth Representative

Gregorio Rocha-Tabera (he/him) was born in Salinas and currently resides in Merced. He obtained a Bachelor's in Psychology and Ethnic Studies from California State University, Stanislaus in 2020. He currently sits on the Arts and Culture Advisory Commission and works as a Behavior Technician for Learning Arts.

Hannah Williamson is an author and artist based in California. Her works are mainly fantasy, though she has been known to dabble in a variety of genres. Her primary work is the ongoing Heart of the Empire series.

Helen Sandoval is a Continuing Lecturer in the Merritt Writing Program at the University of California, Merced, a mother, and a Chicana Feminist. She has presented her research at both regional and national conferences, including the UC Writing Conference, Young Rhetorician’s Conference, CCCC, and RSA.

Ileisha Sanders: Hailing from California's Central Valley, iLeisha brings forth stories of the human condition through poignant poetry, captivating short stories, and thought-provoking stage plays. Since she discovered the magic of storytelling, she has not been able to stop and hopes her musings invoke inspiration to make the world a better place.

Jennifer Campos Lopez (she, her, ella) was born in Nogales, Sonora. Jennifer obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Ethnic Studies from California State University, Stanislaus in 2023. She is currently enrolled as a Master’s student in Chicanx Studies at San Jose State University. Her research focuses on nurturing undocumented students.

Jessica Gillis was born and raised in Merced, CA and has a passion for writing and working with children on the autism spectrum.

Joyce Dale is known as Merced’s Poet Laureate. She writes and performs poetry for all occasions, happy and sad. Sheis currently the Office Manager and District Representative for a California State Senator where she is able to fulfill her passion of helping people and being an advocate for the underserved.

Juan Luzuriaga was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and immigrated to the U.S. in 2000. He studied Neuroscience at Rutgers University and English at UC Merced. His interest lies in exploring the connection with his ancestors through poetry. He teaches poetry in prisons, Cuesta College, and California Poets in the Schools. He has been published in Cholla Needles, The Merced County Times, The Vernal Pool, Matchbox Magazine, Poetry Breakfast, and more.

Julissa Ruiz Ramirez is a community organizer from P'urhépecha and Guamares territory in occupied Guanajuato, Mexico. She earned her Bachelor's in Ethnic Studies and Political Science in 2020 from California State University, Stanislaus. Julissa has been involved in grassroots organizing in the Central Valley since 2017.

Katelynn Bishop (she/hers) is a writer and a sociology professor at Merced College. Her poetry has been published in Streetcake, Literary Mama, and Rappahannock Review.

Kwamise Fletcher: Lady K is a spoken word artist based out of Fresno. She represented the Loud Mouth community at the Womxn of the World Poetry Slam in Baltimore.

Marcy Poe, whose real name is Maricela Martinez, is a native of Merced, CA. She has led several poetry workshops in her community of Merced and is a teacher for Merced Community College, helping folks attain their GED. Marcy Poe encourages the act of writing as a means of guidance.

Michael Biddison: A Merced resident for 17 years, Biddison is a former Broadcast News Director, Announcer, and Copywriter for a number of California AM and FM outlets. He is married, with three grown children and the Author of five novels in the Red Mist Girl series, as well as a stand-alone Historic Time-Travel Adventure, called PLUMB OUT OF TIME. He is currently working on a sequel to that novel.

Michael Jasso: Poet, Coordinator, Coach, Emcee, and Central Valley Grand Slam Champion; Michael Jasso has worn many hats within his 15+ years in the spoken word community. He is the founder of Visalia's Monthly Loud Mouth Poetry Jam

Michelle Morgante is a California native who grew up in Tulare County. She is currently pursuing an MFA in creative writing from the University of Texas, El Paso; she earned her B.A. in political science/international relations from UC Santa Barbara. Michelle built a long career in journalism, including years as a U.S. reporter and foreign correspondent for The Associated Press. She has lived in Merced with her three boys since 2016.

Patricipa Zamora: I am a Visual Installation Artist/Circle Keeper. As part of my creative practice in the Central Valley, I honor tradition, culture, family, and community. I founded 7GEN ArtHouse, a healing space for the community. I host artistic/cultural events/art residencies that connect the community through art/culture.

Paul Gibbons is a Full Teaching Professor in the Global Arts, Media and Writing Studies Program at University of California, Merced, where he has taught since 2007. He is the author of Bray and has won the Pablo Neruda Prize for Poetry from Nimrod International Journal.

Paula Treick DeBoard is an educator, novelist and bookstore owner living in Modesto, CA with her husband and two unruly pups. www.bookishmodesto.com

Rachel Wohlander is a writer and interdisciplinary artist who explores the role of creativity in cultivating alternative futures. She teaches theatre to incarcerated students as part-time faculty at Merced College.

Randi Beck

Rebeca Antoine is a New Englander who currently calls Central California home. Her fiction has appeared in a number of anthologies and journals including Upstreet and Gulf Stream. She teaches in the Merritt Writing Program at UC Merced.

Ruben Dozal is a farmworker from Merced.

Salvatore Salerno has an M.FA. .from U.N.C. at Greensboro and taught high school English in Modesto. Sal is the poet laureate of Modesto (2020-2024) and longtime president of Stanislaus Audubon, and he has published several books of poetry and prose.

Samantha Tetangco is a Filipino-American lesbian writer. Her poetry, short stories, and creative nonfiction have appeared in dozens of literary magazines including a forthcoming collection published by Broadstone Books. She has an MFA from the University of New Mexico and is a Teaching Professor at UC Merced.

Shabnam Piryaei: Described by the San Francisco Book Review as “a force to be reckoned with in literary circles,” Shabnam Piryaei is an award-winning poet, playwright, media artist, and filmmaker. Her films have screened at film festivals and galleries around the world. She holds a PhD in Comparative Literature and teaches at SFSU. She’s the founder and curator of the online art and interview journal MUSEUM.

Sherre Vernon (she/her/hers) is the award-winning author of Green Ink Wings, The Name is Perilous, and Flame Nebula, Bright Nova. Sherre has been nominated for Best of the Net and Pushcart prizes and anthologized in Fat & Queer and Best Small Fictions. She teaches creative writing and composition.

Shiraz Noorani is a third-year Interdisciplinary Humanities graduate student at UC Merced focusing on documentary filmmaking of refugee communities. His work aims to illuminate the experiences and resilience of refugees, blending academic research with powerful storytelling to raise awareness and foster empathy.

Susan Varnot’s poetry has appeared in numerous journals and has been anthologized. She teaches at UC Merced where she founded its Creative Writing Conference and Collaboratoium to celebrate diverse communities by engaging instructors, students, and writers for workshops and readings.

Tina Curiel is a poet, organizer, & artivist living in the Central Valley of Califas. Her poetry explores generational incarceration, addiction, healing, and possibility. Her favorite subject is memories, both real & imagined, her favorite smell is cedar.

Tom Myers is a retired elementary teacher who has spent the vast majority of his life in the Central Valley. He is a founding board member of Modesto-Stanislaus Poetry Center and has 4 chapbooks. His love of nature frames much of his poetry.

Tomi Simmons is a poet based in Huntington Beach who earned a spot on the Loud Mouth Slam Team. She's been a member of Slam communities in Las Vegas, Phoenix, and is the founding organizer for the OC Poetry Slam.