Welcome to the soon-to-be-updated-regularly news blast where we get to shout about all of the incredible things our students, alumni, and faculty have been up to! At the UCR Palm Desert Low-Residency MFA, we're proud to champion some of the most incredible writers and producers in the industry. We've always known they're amazing, but we're really going to holler about it now! To get caught up, we've got some of the hottest news from the past two months!
KAIRA ROUDA - Book Launch
Kaira Rouda’s new book, “Jill is Not Happy” was released in June.
An ill-fated road trip resurrects a married couple’s darkest secrets in this new thriller from the USA Today bestselling author of “Best Day Ever” and “The Next Wife.”
"Jill is Not Happy" | Author Website
IVY POCHODA - Book Award, NYT Interview, UCR Article
Ivy Pochoda’s “Jackrabbit Skin” won the International Thriller Writers Award for Best Short Story.
Secrets and rage can get under the skin in an unsettling short story by Ivy Pochoda, award-winning author of “Sing Her Down,” “These Women,” & “Ecstasy.”
She was also interviewed by the NYT and covered by UCR News for her new novel, “Ecstasy.”
Ivy Pochoda, Crime Writer and Squash Champ, Adds Horror to Her Résumé: The award-winning mystery novelist’s new book, “Ecstasy,” is a supernatural feminist take on Euripides’ play “The Bacchae.” - NYT
In 'Ecstasy', having everything isn't everything: Low-Residency MFA professor and author Ivy Pochoda employs horror genre to explore gender inequality - UCR
International Thriller Writers Award | "Jackrabbit Skin" | NYT Interview | UCR Article | "Ecstasy" | Author Website
EMILY ST. MARTIN - Journalism Award, OC Register Article
HuffPost Contributor Emily St. Martin won the 2025 LA Press Club Journalism Editorial Award.
Hundreds Of Journalists Just Lost Their Jobs. I’m One Of Them — And I’m Begging You To Pay Attention: This isn’t just about me or the others who now find themselves out of work. This is much bigger than any of us.
The Orange Country Register also published her article on romance bookstores.
Romance bookstores are giving Southern California readers a reason to swoon: Brick-and-mortar romance bookstores are popping up all over, representing the popularity of the billion-dollar genre.
LA Press Club Award | OC Register Article | Author Website
NICHOLAS BELARDES - Book Launch
Nicholas Belardes’ second novel, “Ten Sleep,” hit shelves in June.
Jordan Peele's Nope meets True Grit in Nicholas Belardes’s Ten Sleep, a supernatural modern-day western about a trio of young people on a 10-day cattle drive that leads them through a canyon haunted by ancient mysteries and savage beasts who existed long before humankind.
ARLON JAY STAGGS - NYT Interview, Book Pre-Orders
Arlon Jay Staggs was interviewed by the NY Times Modern Love Podcast about his Modern Love essay.
Every Move I Make, She’ll Be Watching Me: At 50, am I too old to be sharing my location with my mother? “‘I guess it felt easier to just keep going through the process of turning it off than having a conversation about it. It felt more efficient to press a button than to sit down and say, ‘Mom, let’s talk about boundaries.’”
His debut novel, “Leta Pearl’s Love Biscuits,” is available for pre-order.
A laugh-out-loud romp with a smidge of Southern magic, Leta Pearl’s Love Biscuits confirms that true love—like the best biscuits—takes some heat to rise.
NYT Interview | NYT Modern Love Article | Pre-Order "Leta Pearl’s Love Biscuits" | Author Website
IVO RAZA & FRAN DIMEO - Cast Announcement
“The Subscriber,” with script by Ivo Raza and Fran DiMeo announced cast.
Ivo Raza’s upcoming crime thriller “The Subscriber” has added cast members Scottie Thompson (“Skyline”), Eddie McClintock (“Warehouse 13”), Billy Morrison (“American Horror Story”), Naomi Grossman (“American Horror Story”) and Spencer Garrett (“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”).
Variety - Cast Announcement | Ivo Raza Website | Fran DiMeo Website
JESSICA RIBERA - Award Shortlist
Jessica Ribera’s short story “The Cataract” was shortlisted for the Masters Review Debut Fiction Prize.
It was tough work, but we’ve narrowed submissions down to the final twelve! These stories are now in the hands of Julie Iromuanya, who has the unenviable task of declaring a winner.
Masters Review | Author Website
LARRY HANDY - Poems Published
The African American Folklorist published six poems from Larry Handy’s protest memoir, “Tour of Duty.”
We are honored to present a powerful new collection of poems by Larry Handy—work that blends lyrical precision with lived memory, cultural critique, and a deep understanding of Black folklife.
The African American Folklorist | Author Website
ARON CLEARY - NYT Tiny Love Story
The NY Times Modern Love column published Aron Cleary’s Tiny Love Story, “A Label That Works for Us.”
“This is my boyfriend,” Cate said when she introduced me to a mother at her son’s bouncy castle birthday party in her ex-wife’s backyard. The woman’s eyebrows rose involuntarily. She knows Cate as a lesbian — if she has a boyfriend, what does that make her now?
NYT Tiny Love Story | Author Website
TOPH WHITMORE - Script Awards
Toph Whitmore’s new play, “Banana Palm,” won the Script Awards Los Angeles Best Stage Play and was made an official selection for the Oxford Script Awards.
“Banana Palm” is a single-set, two-act comedy for the stage about modern love, family dynamics, and one very old cat.
Script Awards Los Angeles | Oxford Script Awards | "Banana Palm" | Author Website
ANNEMARIE HAUSER - Emmy Award
Annemarie Hauser, as producer, and her team won the Los Angeles Area Emmy Award for Entertainment, making it her second Emmy.
Los Angeles Times Actress Roundtable: Cynthia Erivo, Zoe Saldaña, Demi Moore, Kate Winslet & More
KEVIN T. MORALES - Film Festival Finalist
Kevil T. Morales’ film “Slump Buster” was made a Finalist for the Mystic Film Festival.
Mystic Film Festival is an annual event that showcases independent feature-length and short-form narrative films and documentaries from around the world.
Mystic Film Festival | Filmmaker Website
MAG GABBERT - Poet Laureate Fellowship
The Academy of American Poets Awards Mag Gabbert $50k as the Poet Laureate Fellow of Dallas, Texas.
Mag Gabbert will launch the Dallas “Sidewalk Poetry Project,” a poetry-centered public art installation that commemorates the historical significance of twenty-eight locations throughout the city of Dallas and provides opportunities for all Dallas residents to participate.
The Academy of American Poets | Author Website
Are you a student or alum with amazing news we should be shouting about? Email heather.scheeler@ucr.edu with all of your new awards, publications, articles, and anything else incredible that deserves a shout out!