USC Dornsife News

Postcards From Memory Lane

Fri, 9 Nov 2012 09:25:00 -0500

Five USC Dornsife authors from various disciplines ponder the connection between creativity and memory.

USC Dornsife's Brighde Mullins Named Guggenheim Fellow

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 14:42:00 -0500

The Bourgeois Pig, a story about a photojournalist in the Vietnam War who becomes a paparazzo in Hollywood." title="Brighde Mullins has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship for her work as a playwright. Her latest play is titled The Bourgeois Pig, a story about a photojournalist in the Vietnam War who becomes a paparazzo in Hollywood." /> The playwright and director of USC Dornsife’s Master of Professional Writing program will use the fellowship to work on a new play about poet Phillis Wheatley, the first African American woman to publish her writing.

The Business and Craft of Storytelling

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:11:00 -0500

The inaugural USC Writers Conference takes place Friday and features USC Dornsife faculty. The all-day event is the kick-off to the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at USC April 21 and 22.

USC Dornsife Alumna Wins Prize for Debut Novel

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 14:31:00 -0500

Lamb. At left, Nadzam, who graduated with a Ph.D. in creative writing from USC Dornsife in 2011, stands with The Center for Fiction’s Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Prize Award. Photo by Beowulf Sheehan." title="USC Dornsife alumna Bonnie Nadzam has been awarded The Center for Fiction’s Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Prize for her debut book, Lamb. At left, Nadzam, who graduated with a Ph.D. in creative writing from USC Dornsife in 2011, stands with The Center for Fiction’s Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Prize Award. Photo by Beowulf Sheehan." /> Bonnie Nadzam, who graduated from the Literature and Creative Writing Ph.D. program in 2011, has been awarded the Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Prize for her book, Lamb.

USC Dornsife Communication Wins Three CASE Awards

Thu, 8 Mar 2012 15:32:00 -0500

The USC Dornsife Office of Communication, led by executive director Emily Cavalcanti, won three regional 2012 Awards of Excellence from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). The office’s writing staff,...

Kaya Press Moves from New York to USC Dornsife

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 16:22:00 -0500

The non-profit publisher of Asian and Pacific Islander diasporic literature, housed in USC Dornsife’s Department of American Studies and Ethnicity, brings innovative fiction, poetry and critical essays to the public.

Life on the Rez

Wed, 8 Feb 2012 13:34:00 -0500

Rez Life to give a detailed history of Indian reservations in the U.S. Photo courtesy of the Minnesota Historical Center." title="Ojibwe indians in Minnesota use a birch bark canoe for transport circa 1910. USC Dornsife's David Treuer fuses historical facts, reportage and memoir in his new book Rez Life to give a detailed history of Indian reservations in the U.S. Photo courtesy of the Minnesota Historical Center." /> Combining journalism, history and memoir, David Treuer of English writes about Native American reservations from conception to the modern day in his new book Rez Life: An Indian's Journey Through Reservation Life.

Behind Those Violet Eyes

Fri, 3 Feb 2012 10:43:00 -0500

Cleopatra was a critical flop, but starred Elizabeth Taylor as the most powerful woman in the ancient world. USC Dornsife's M. G. Lord discusses Cleopatra in her new book, The Accidental Feminist: How Elizabeth Taylor Raised Our Consciousness and We Were Too Distracted by Her Beauty to Notice out Feb. 7." title="Cleopatra was a critical flop, but starred Elizabeth Taylor as the most powerful woman in the ancient world. USC Dornsife's M. G. Lord discusses Cleopatra in her new book, The Accidental Feminist: How Elizabeth Taylor Raised Our Consciousness and We Were Too Distracted by Her Beauty to Notice out Feb. 7." /> Thinking of Elizabeth Taylor what comes to mind? Those eyes? Diamonds? The eight marriages? A new book by cultural critic M. G. Lord of USC Dornsife describes how the late actress’ feminist impact has been hidden in plain sight.

Tears of Joy

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 11:41:00 -0500

Los Angeles high school students celebrate their success at meeting the application deadline to USC during an emotional ceremony. Their USC Dornsife mentors in the JEP-NAI freshman seminar cheer them on.

Music Man

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 09:28:00 -0500

Watch the video >" title="Warner Bros. Records Chairman Rob Cavallo received his first guitar at age 7 from Zal Yanovsky, former lead guitarist of The Lovin’ Spoonful. His Hidden Hills, Calif., home now boasts a whole wall of guitars waiting to be used in his in-house recording studio. Cavallo has produced hundreds of records in the last two decades for artists from Green Day to Fleetwood Mac. Photo by Max Gerber. Watch the video >" /> William Wordsworth. Eric Clapton. Jane Austen. Bob Dylan. Grammy Award-winning music producer Rob Cavallo ’85 credits his knack for recognizing greatness to studying the literary classics.

An Inspirational Look at Poetry

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:44:00 -0500

LEARNing Landscapes." title="An article written by Mary Helen Immordino-Yang titled “Musings on the Neurobiological and Evolutionary Origins of Creativity” will appear this month in LEARNing Landscapes." /> Like it or not, most people take work home with them. Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, a neuroscientist and educational psychologist at USC, takes inspiration from home to work. Dissecting four poems written by her daughter Nora...

California Poet Laureate Muske-Dukes at the National Mall

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 16:00:00 -0500

Carol Muske-Dukes, USC Dornsife professor of English and creative writing, will read from Twin Cities and Crossing State Lines: An American Renga during the National Book Festival in Washington, D.C.

An Unforgettable Year

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 09:58:00 -0500

The Tiger's Wife. Portrait photo by Beowulf Sheehan." title="Téa Obreht, who graduated from USC Dornsife in 2006 with degrees in creative writing and art history, is the youngest winner of the Orange Prize for fiction for her first novel The Tiger's Wife. Portrait photo by Beowulf Sheehan." /> USC Dornsife alumna Téa Obreht has won Britain’s Orange Prize for fiction for her debut novel The Tiger's Wife.

Tough Crowd

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 11:10:00 -0500

USC Dornsife’s Master of Professional Writing (MPW) program students perform comic monologues in front of the man who blazed the trail: Shelley Berman.

Three USC Dornsife Professors Named Finalists for 2011 SCIBA Book Awards

Fri, 5 Aug 2011 15:55:00 -0500

The Book Awards presented by the Southern California Independent Booksellers Association recognize "incredible literary talent" from the region.

The Magic of Paris

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 11:29:00 -0500

During Maymester, poets from USC Dornsife immersed themselves in the culture of the City of Light and emerged stronger writers.

On Writing and Redemption

Thu, 7 Jul 2011 10:00:00 -0500

House of Prayer No. 2: A Writer’s Journey Home. Born a “special child” with deformed hips in rural Virginia, Richard chronicles his struggle with faith and the life that made him a writer. Photo by Jeff Vespa." title="Mark Richard, a lecturer in the Master of Professional Writing program, has won a 2012 Pushcart Prize for his memoir and first book of nonfiction House of Prayer No. 2: A Writer’s Journey Home. Born a “special child” with deformed hips in rural Virginia, Richard chronicles his struggle with faith and the life that made him a writer. Photo by Jeff Vespa." /> Mark Richard’s new book and memoir House of Prayer No. 2: A Writer’s Journey Home is the winner of a 2012 Pushcart Prize for nonfiction.

The Road Much Traveled

Sun, 24 Apr 2011 13:38:00 -0500

As The Associated Press' news editor for Georgia, Christina Almeida '01 has seen it all.

Alumni Bookplate

Sun, 24 Apr 2011 08:37:00 -0500

Institute for Advanced StudyImages of America Series Arcadia / Linda Arntzenius (MPW, ’98) examines photo collections at the Institute for Advanced Study and those of Princeton residents to disclose the scholarly community...

Discovering Their Voices

Fri, 4 Mar 2011 15:44:00 -0500

Master of Professional Writing Program students take on residencies with the PEN in the Classroom program to help provide teens with an outlet for self-expression.

Speaking for the Unrepresented

Thu, 17 Feb 2011 09:58:00 -0500

Piano Glass/Glass Piano. Portrait photo credit Jie Gu." title="Marjorie Becker, associate professor of history in USC College, creates the stories of individuals often overlooked by the general population in her new book, Piano Glass/Glass Piano. Portrait photo credit Jie Gu." /> In her new book Piano Glass/Glass Piano, USC College’s Marjorie Becker scripts the stories of the voiceless.

A Chance to be a Summer Trojan

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 09:31:00 -0500

High school students can explore some of USC College's majors in Summer@USC.

There Will be Poetry

Fri, 21 Jan 2011 09:56:00 -0500

USC College hosts four poetry events, beginning Jan. 31 with California Poet Laureate Carol Muske-Dukes of the College reading poetry while dancers perform in a Visions and Voices extravaganza.

Honoring the Artist

Tue, 4 Jan 2011 15:37:00 -0500

MPW Program Director Brighde Mullins awarded a 2010 USA Fellowship for literature.

Cliff Falls, Then Picks Himself Up

Thu, 23 Dec 2010 12:33:00 -0500

Cliff Falls, USC College alumnus Cliff Shiepe arranged everything including his book cover, a montage of photographs taken in Woodside, Calif., which represents the mystical town of Cliff Falls in his novel." title="Self-publishing Cliff Falls, USC College alumnus Cliff Shiepe arranged everything including his book cover, a montage of photographs taken in Woodside, Calif., which represents the mystical town of Cliff Falls in his novel." /> One writer's journey to getting his first novel published. USC College alumnus Cliff "C.B." Shiepe's Cliff Falls has been a bestseller at Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena since it was self-published in June.