Please join us as UC Merced’s School of Social Science, Humanities and Arts and the UC Merced Library co-host inaugural writer-in-residence Mark Arax for the 2025-2026 academic year. Arax’s opening lecture will address how the Golden State tried to be a world leader in the fight against climate change but pursued the very policies of growth, extraction and AI that endanger the environment and humanity.
Mark Arax has been called a “21st Century John Steinbeck” for his books that pry open the soul of California. A writer of essays, history, biography and journalism, he is a two-time winner of the California Book Award and a recipient of Stanford University's William Saroyan International Prize for Writing. His most recent work, The Dreamt Land: Chasing Water and Dust Across California, a national bestseller, has been hailed by critics as one of the most important books ever written about the West. The New York Times has named The Dreamt Land and one of Mark’s previous books, The King of California, to a short list of California’s best literature over the past 150 years.
Event time: 3:30-5:30 PM
Event Date: Tuesday, September 9, 2025
Event Location: Classroom and Office Building 2, Room 110
Register in advance. Reception to follow the interactive lecture and Q&A. We will have a giveaway of a few copies of The Dreamt Land at the event.
Director, Strategic Initiatives, Archives & Special Collections
UC Merced Library
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