Jonathan Franzen, National Book Award-winning author, acquaintance of Pres. Barack Obama and face of the August 2010 cover of Time magazine next to the caption “Great American Author,” proved to the audience at the UC Davis Mondavi Center Saturday night that he is human. Franzen stepped up to the podium and pulled several sheets of paper out of his briefcase. After rearranging some of these sheets, pausing to find a water bottle, and finally beginning to read from the sheets word for word, it became clear that the critically and commercially successful author was nervous to speak in front of a live audience. “This would be a lot easier if I was doing a reading,” Franzen said. The talk

National Book Award-winning author Jonathan Franzen will give a talk on the process of fiction writing on Saturday, Oct. 8 at the UC Davis Mondavi Center. Since 1988, Franzen has published four novels and two works of nonfiction. His first novel, “The Twenty-Seventh City,” has been described by critics and Franzen himself as a work along the lines of the postmodernists of the 1960s and ‘70s. Although not receiving the acclaim his twenty-first century novels have garnered, it cemented him as someone to look out for in the literary world. His next novel, “Strong Motion,” which came out in 1992, is a social critique framed by a family’s struggles to get along and understand one another. A

UC Davis law professor Anupam Chander spoke to a large crowd at the California Museum on Tuesday, April 19th about the role social media has played in the recent uprisings around the globe, and how it could be a key player in making the world better. Just prior to the professor taking the stage, a wonderful meet-and-greet was held in the lobby of the museum. Politicos, business leaders, media experts, teachers and others chatted over mouth-watering hors’doeuvres provided by Blue Prynt and wine provided by Grace Patriot Wines. Professor Chander was there to discuss a new paper that he had recently published called Googling Freedom. His presentation came in three parts: (1) is social media

It may sound cliche, but I love America. Not for what she is, or the thing she’s done, but for what she represents: the idea that we are born free, that every citizen is free to pursue their own path to happiness, and that in this land one is free to speak their mind, whether or not that opinion is popular. America is more than the earth between its borders. It is hope. Hope that shines like a beacon into the darkest corners of this world, calling to those who want more for their destiny than their homelands can give them. The best and the most determined to succeed from all over the planet come here to learn, to raise their children, and to hope for a better future. When the brave are c

The beautiful mind set of the program Was a wonderful thing to me A God-given program for My state of mind Loftiness and homeless I was Until TLCS came by I was welcomed to a community Of warmth and support Trying to live on my own I could not afford But TLCS gave me the support To get back on my feet And they reached Out to welcome me with open arms TLCS is a great place to be Always having holiday parties and inviting me I love the gatherings that we always have Joining and pitching in and making everybody laugh I've been through rough times And I've been through bad times Everytime TLCS was behind me all the way Boy do they know how to make me have a great day Three years ago, I almost

DEAR CALIFORNIA: BREAKING NEWS - PROP 8 HAS PASSED!!   On November 4th I spent another full day protesting on the corners of Greenback and Sunrise. Screaming, honking, neon signs, carpol tunnel, and all that good stuff. Though as the polls closed at 8pm, I had to find something else to do with my evening. I heard an announcement on the radio about a Prop 8 party being held at the Hyatt Hotel on L street. Obviously - I was inclined to visit it. The event had a very classy set up, with exotic cheeses and camera crews. The people who attended were overwhelmingly enthusiatic, while watching one of the four giant TVs they had set up in the corners of the room which read the suspenseful poll