Poets & Writers Magazine puts Fresno and the Valley on the literary map

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