The UC Merced Library and the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts (SSHA) are pleased to announce that award-winning author and journalist Mark Arax will serve as UC Merced’s inaugural Writer in Residence for the 2025–2026 academic year.
Arax, often described as a “21st Century John Steinbeck,” has spent decades chronicling California through essays, history, biography, and investigative journalism. His national bestseller, The Dreamt Land: Chasing Water and Dust Across California, has been recognized as one of the most important works ever written about the West. Both The Dreamt Land and his earlier book, The King of California, have been named by The New York Times to its list of the best California literature of the past 150 years.
Arax will deliver an opening lecture on Tuesday, September 9, 2025, from 3:30–5:30 p.m. in Classroom and Office Building 2, Room 110. His talk will explore the paradox of California’s ambitions -- striving to be a global leader in sustainability while simultaneously pursuing policies of growth, resource extraction, and artificial intelligence that put both the environment and humanity at risk.
The event will feature an interactive Q&A session and a reception. Attendees will also have the chance to receive a free copy of The Dreamt Land.
Advance registration is appreciated.
The Writer-in-Residence program reflects UC Merced's commitment to engaging students and the community in conversations about literature, culture, and the pressing issues of our time.
