Palm Desert Center

MFA Faculty & Student Publishing News

Tod Goldberg, Administrative Director for the MFA program offered at UCR Palm Desert, was a finalist for the Scribe Award for his book, “Burn Notice: The Fix,” and his work “Mitzvah,” is a distinguished story of 2008 in the “Best American Mysteries” book.

MFA program professor Mary Yukari Waters’ new novel, “The Favorites,” (Scribner) was released in June to high praise. Newsday called it “beautifully restrained” while the Los Angeles Times said the novel illuminates that the “force of life is greater than any obstacle in its path.”

Low Residency MFA professor William Rabkin’s latest novel, “Psych: Mind Over Magic,” was released in July.

Low Residency MFA professor Mark Haskell Smith’s essay, “Finding Inspiration Across the Room,” appeared in the Los Angeles Times.

"The Coachella Review," the literary journal of UCR Palm Desert, is now online at TheCoachellaReview.com, featuring fiction, nonfiction, poetry, short films and interviews (see story below).

"The Whistling Fire," a literary journal founded by members of the inaugural low residency MFA class is now accepting work at whistlingfire.com

Fiction major and poet Travis Hedge Coke was a special guest reader at Naropa University’s Summer Writer’s Program.

MFA student Heather Riccio’s short story, “Threading,” has been posted online at http://www.womenwriters.net/june09/riccio.htm.

Executive MBA Program Launches in September

The inaugural class of the new Executive MBA (EMBA) program will converge on UCR Palm Desert Center on Saturday, September 12 for a full week of activities during the program’s kick-off.

The UCR A. Gary Anderson Graduate School of Management (AGSM) created the EMBA program after business and community leaders asked UCR to develop a new program to prepare leaders for the next decade of global competitiveness and to help position Inland Southern California for the coming economic rebound, said Dean Dave Stewart.

The EMBA was designed for experienced managers, professionals, entrepreneurs, and senior leaders who want to advance their careers and take their organizations to the next level.

The EMBA’s first cohort of mid- to senior-level professionals consists of approximately two dozen students, of which half are female and half are male. Students range in age from high 20s to mid 40s and travel from as far away as Santa Monica and northern San Diego County. Each has an impressive resume, including professionals from the high tech, health care, finance, transportation, manufacturing, retail, and the public sectors.

The program begins with a one-week residential retreat, bringing the students together to build an interdependent close-knit community that will stay together for the duration of the program, said Jack Gregg, AGSM’s Assistant Dean for Corporate Relations. After the initial residential period, the cohort will meet at UCR Palm Desert on alternative weekends (mid-day Friday through and Saturday afternoon) over a 21 month period. This unique accelerated design allows EMBA students to earn their degree without interrupting their career, Gregg said.

The program includes an international class conducted in Shanghai and personalized coaching that helps students define their next career step. In addition to specially selected top faculty from AGSM and other visiting faculty members, students will also hear from several guest speakers including CEOs and other top business leaders, allowing them the opportunity to hear from some of the best minds in modern businesses, Gregg said.

To learn more about UC Riverside’s EMBA program for working professionals, visit http://agsm.ucr.edu/emba/ or contact Dr. Jack Gregg at (951) 827-4749.

UCR Palm Desert MFA Launches New Literary Journal

"The Coachella Review," the inaugural issue of the online literary journal produced and administered by the MFA students and faculty at UCR Desert Graduate Center, is now available at www.thecoachellareview.com.

"The Coachella Review" is grant-funded and publishes online in the fall, winter and spring, with hard copies projected to appear sometime in 2010.

“We’ve just built an outstanding journal that gives the valley a literary voice, with work by nationally recognized authors as well as newcomers,” said the Review’s Managing Editor and MFA student, Kimbel Westerson. “The distinctive home page banner with wind-blown palm fronds set against a desert sky illustrates the matchless educational and natural environment of the valley.”

The journal provides a unique twist to the standard online journal in that it is one of the only online journals to feature short films as well as traditional prose and poetry. The inaugural issue includes two films: “4960” by Wing-Yee (Vinyé) and “Things I Realized in 2002,” an animated short by Chioke Nassor. Heather Hubbard, the journal’s Film Editor said they intentionally wanted to show off the cross-genre program at UCR Palm Desert. “It’s what makes our program different from others and we want to give filmmakers another venue to show their work,” Hubbard said.

The inaugural issue also features:

• Short fiction by the award-winning Dan Olivas, nationally known Andrea Siegel and newcomer Robert Repino.
• An excerpt from “The Favorites,” what Simon & Schuster calls "an elegant first novel" by O’Henry award winner and UCR PDGC faculty member Mary Yukari Waters.
• Nonfiction by Steve Almond and Antonia Crane, this issue's Discovery writer.
• Poetry by C.L. Grellas, Jana Russ and Amy J. Kitchell-Leighty.
• Conversations with former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins and memoirist Lynne Sharon Schwartz.

The submission deadline for the next issue of "The Coachella Review" is October 31, 2009.

To read the inaugural issue or submit your story, short film scripts or poetry for an upcoming issue, visit http://www.thecoachellareview.com/.

UCR PDGC Joins Facebook

Get connected with UCR Palm Desert and become a fan on our Facebook page. Stay informed about our events, view our photos and network with fellow UCR PD fans. Find us on Facebook.com by searching “UCR Palm Desert” or visit palmdeset.ucr.edu and click “UCR Palm Desert on Facebook,” on the bottom right side of the page.

First Year for MFA Low Residency Program Comes to a Close

The first academic year of the low residency MFA program offered at UCR Palm Desert concluded in June with the second 10-day residency at the Parker Resort in Palm Springs. Alongside the intensive workshops and literature seminars led by award-winning faculty of writers, the students heard from some of the top professionals in fiction, nonfiction, poetry and screenwriting. Each day the students were introduced to a new perspective not only on writing, but also the business of being a professional writer.

Speakers included David Vogel, former president of Buena Vista Motion Pictures Group and Walt Disney Pictures, who led three spirited sessions on the art of pitching screenplays; film agent Ross Fineman talked about the process of getting the work from the computer into the hands of the people who can open the gates; and publicist Peter Handel spoke about how writing is only one part of the job and how you must also turn yourself into a brand that publishing houses, bookstores and fans can turn to time and time again.

Additionally, poet Jill Alexander Essbaum introduced her take on formalism to the students and essayist Gustavo Arellano talked about the process of going from an aspiring writer to one of the nation’s most well-known syndicated columnists, said Tod Goldberg, the MFA program’s Administrative Director. The students also heard from nationally recognized author and MFA faculty member, Mary Yukari Waters, as she explicated that well-worn trope about showing and telling in writing.

In total, 30 students participated in the low residency MFA program this past academic year and approximately 50 students are expected for the 2009-2010 academic year. For more information about earning an MFA at UCR Palm Desert, contact Michelle Harding at 760-834-0926.

Making the World a Better Place, One Discovery at a Time

Learn all about faculty research projects during UCR Palm Desert’s 2009-10 “Imagining the Future” lecture series, which showcases the rich expertise of UCR faculty on a wide variety of important, contemporary scientific topics. The free lectures are held from 4:00-5:30 p.m. at the UCR PDGC Auditorium (Room B100).

The schedule for the 2009-10 series is:

Wednesday, December 9
Pharmaceuticals in Drinking Water: Are we at Risk?
David Cwiertny, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Chemical/Environmental Engineering

Wednesday, January 13
Cars that Drive Themselves: Aided Navigation, GIS, and Intelligent Roadways
Jay Farrell, Ph.D., Professor Electrical Engineering, UCR

Wednesday, February 10
Vehicles of the Future in a Sustainable World
Joe Norbeck, Ph.D., Professor of Environmental Engineering, Director of the Environmental Research Institute, UCR

Wednesday, March 10
What Ford has Learned about Traffic Safety in China
Weijian Han, Ph.D., Director of Research, Ford Asia Pacific

Wednesday, April 14
Biosensors: What They Are and What They Do?
Ashok Mulchandani, Ph.D., Professor, Editor-in-Chief, Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology, UCR

For more information and to RSVP, please call 760-834-0956 or visit palmdesert.ucr.edu.

UCR Extension and Osher Lifelong Learning Institute Catalogs Available

Fall 2009 course catalogs for both UCR Extension and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute are available for pick-up at the UCR Palm Desert Center.

UCR Extension is the continuing education branch of the University of California, Riverside. For more than 50 years UCR Extension has provided educational opportunities to people of all ages - with or without a college degree - seeking professional advancement, personal fulfillment or a new career.

The Osher program provides a stimulating noncredit learning experience that enriches the intellectual, social, and cultural lives of people over the age of 50. Members of the program learn in a peer environment and there are no tests, grades and no entrance exams or minimum educational background requirements to participate.

For more information on these programs, or to request a catalog, call 760-834-0997 or visit extension.ucr.edu.

Consider PDGC as the Location for your Next Meeting or Event

Is your event or meeting budget tight this year? The UCR Palm Desert Center provides a full range of meeting and event services for groups of up to 300 people. Whether you are planning a meeting, conference, retreat, workshop, film screening, press conference, or other special event, our professional staff can assist with all the details. We also offer video conferencing services.

With some of the lowest rental rates in the valley, UCR Palm Desert provides quality and professional service at an affordable price. To learn more about UCR Palm Desert Center Conference and Event services, or to reserve a room, visit palmdesert.ucr.edu or call Ron Willison, Senior Events Manager, at 760-834-0585.