Cal State Fresno Writing Program

Re “Fertile Ground for Poetry,” May 16:

Many a time I’ve passed

Through this place

Of dust and rusted metal

Contemptuous

(If I deigned to glance)

Never dreaming that

In this hardscrabble town

God’s gift of poetry

Could be found.

GEORGE E. MILLER

Los Osos

While I am grateful for the attention drawn to the Fresno writing scene, the article seems to give the impression that after the retirement of Philip Levine, the creative writing program at Cal State Fresno is close to moribund.

As a friend and long-time colleague of Levine, I’d be the last to argue that such a dynamo could be replaced. Our creative writing program, however, is alive and well. Along with a number of faculty who teach related courses, the program has a core faculty of two fiction writers, Steve Yarbrough and Liza Wieland, and two poets, Corrinne Hales and myself. We four writers have published a total of 15 books, four of which have appeared in the last year. Four NEA fellowships have been awarded to our staff, and we have more students enrolled now than during any previous year.

This spring, two of our student poets and one of our student fiction writers received Intro Awards from Associated Writing Programs, a nationwide organization of creative writing programs. Intro Award winners receive cash honorariums and publication of their manuscripts in participating literary journals. Although we were competing against much better financed programs, we were the only writing program in the country to claim three winners in the contest.

In short, the torch has been passed, but there is still a torch.

C. G. HANZLICEK, Director

Creative Writing Program

Cal State Fresno

Thanks for the reassuring piece about the healthy state of the Fresno poetry scene. I especially liked the selection from “Imbecile Lament,” by Luis Omar Salinas. Nice job, Maria L. La Ganga.

DOTTIE GROSSMAN

Los Angeles