Literary Conversation with Oscar Villalon

Part of the Creative Writing Visiting Writers Series

Join SMC's Creative Writing Department in Hagerty Lounge for a Literary Conversation with visiting writer Oscar Villalon, Editor in Chief of Zyzzyva.

Oscar Villalon is the Editor in Chief of the renowned literary magazine Zyzzyva, a Bay Area staple for 40 years, and winner of a Whiting Award. In conversation with Pulitzer Prize finalist Ingrid Rojas Contreras, the two will discuss what literature can do in a time of crisis, what is the voice rising out of the West Coast, and what is the future looking like for literary publishing.

ZYZZYVA has been a shepherd to a large community of West Coast writers, and this year it is celebrating 40 years. The Whiting Foundation called this treasure of the Bay, a “masterfully edited and sharply cerebral” journal that “dazzles readers with formal innovation and an appetite for adventure, diving deeply into its regionality while ushering the world onto its pages.”

They will also discuss how to edit a work, and get the best tips and tricks from an editor who has been at it for a long, long time. 

Visiting Writer events at Saint Mary's are free, open to the public, and ADA Accessible. Visitor parking is available on campus and light refreshments will be served. All attendees are eligible for a fee waiver for the MFA in Creative Writing application—please reach out to Collin Skeen, Assistant Director of Admissions, at cas38@stmarys-ca.edu for more information.