[FAC] Poets & Writers Magazine Article on Fresno's Literary Arts Scene

[Cindy Wathen]

A huge thank you to CHERYL KLEIN and POETS & WRITERS MAGAZINE for their 
article on Fresno’s literary arts scene in their September/October 2008 
issue (page 168)!

It certainly puts Fresno and the Valley on the literary map. I can’t 
help but feel this is just the beginning of more success and recognition 
to come for the Valley’s next wave of literary talent. Thank you!

Here’s the online link to the print article:

< http://www.pw.org/content/coda>

Here’s the article in full:

CODA
THE PLACES BETWEEN

If you asked a group of people to describe the literary scene in 
California, most would likely respond by describing what's going on in 
the Bay Area and in Los Angeles. No doubt there is an abundance of 
literary activity in both areas, but there's also a lot happening in 
smaller cities such as Fresno. Cheryl Klein, who directs our California 
Programs office, recently traveled there to meet with writers and 
reading series coordinators. What follows is an excerpt from the journal 
she kept about her trip.

I'm driving north on Highway 99, the freeway that connects California's 
Great Central Valley. I pass green rows of crops, workers with bandannas 
covering their faces, and signs encouraging me to buy chocolate-covered 
raisins at the Sun-Maid store. The region John Steinbeck made famous in 
The Grapes of Wrath still grows much of the nation's food supply and is 
still the site of intense poverty, but it has changed in many ways. It's 
now home to a much more diverse population that has swelled to 6.5 million.

My destination today is Fresno, where I meet writers Steven Church and 
Alex Espinoza at Revue, a coffee shop in the arty Tower District. Steve 
and Alex are relatively new faculty members in the MFA writing program 
at Fresno State. We talk about their desire to bring more visiting 
writers to campus and about their new literary magazine, the Normal School.

Later in the afternoon, I lead a roundtable meeting at Arte Américas, 
Fresno's Latino arts and cultural center. I've convened the meeting to 
spread the word about P&W's Readings/Workshops program. I've also asked 
creative nonfiction writer and editor Cindy Wathen to speak about 
building a literary community within a challenging publishing 
environment, and she sets the stage for a lively group discussion.

"It's valuable to devote a little bit of your time to supporting the 
literary community," she advises the group of about twenty-five writers, 
poets, teachers, open-mike hosts, and reading series coordinators. "If 
you venture out of your ‘writing hut,' you might meet a mentor or an agent."

Friday morning I'm back at Revue, this time to meet with poet Tim 
Hernandez, a Central Valley native who has recently returned to Fresno 
after several years in Colorado. He tells me about his new job at the 
San Joaquin River Valley Parkway, a thirty-three-mile greenway and 
visitors center along the San Joaquin River.

"A lot of people in Fresno don't even know there is a river here," says 
Tim, who wants to bring in visitors who don't necessarily consider 
themselves environmentalists. He's especially enthusiastic about 
inviting a wide variety of writers to read in the center's Respite by 
the River series.

My last meeting of the day is with Burlee Vang and Mai Der Vang, members 
of the Hmong American Writers' Circle. Over fried rice at Thai House, 
Burlee and Mai Der describe the four-year-old organization's origins.

"I thought I was the only Hmong writer in the Valley," says Burlee.

"So did I," says Mai Der.

But they found each other, and about ten other core members who now meet 
monthly and are planning their first reading. In the near future they 
hope to create a chapbook or anthology as well.

People in large cities sometimes express surprise that there is 
significant cultural activity in the vast area that lies between Los 
Angeles and San Francisco. But the truth is there's a lot going on in 
California's smaller cities, and they are some of my favorite to visit. 
Writers in places like Fresno are anxious to tell their stories and 
excited when a national literary organization shows interest in their 
work. The rewarding trip makes my drive back to L.A. pass quickly.

********
Poets & Writers has been supporting writers taking part in literary 
events in California since 1989. Last year, we provided over sixty 
thousand dollars in fees to 413 writers giving readings and workshops 
throughout the state. While we support a large number of events in the 
Bay Area and Los Angeles, the bulk of our funding supports events 
happening in the places "between." In all of the states and cities in 
which our Readings/Workshops program operates, we're committed to 
supporting events in areas humming with literary events and in places 
where there might be little or no activity without our support.

To learn more about this and other programs, please visit www.pw.org.
Wishing you all the best with your writing,

Elliot Figman
Executive Director