California Dreamin’

I am about three weeks away from the end of my Fulbright Fellowship in Morocco, and I’ve already received several emails from friends asking me, “What next?” I’m happy to report that I’ll be joining the Creative Writing department at the University of California, Riverside. I was hired at the same time as Reza Aslan, and we’ll both start in the fall. I’m very pleased about this for several reasons: UCR has the most diverse campus in the UC system. The creative writing department itself is particularly strong. And it offers the opportunity for me to try something new in class. I am going to miss Portland (particularly Powell’s, the greatest bookstore on earth!) but it feels right to be back in the Los Angeles area, where I’ve lived for more than 11 years, and where I have so many friends and family.

(art credit: Kerne Erickson)