January 15, 2020 from 6 – 8 p.m.
2636 Latham Drive, Sacramento, CA 95864

On January 15, English teacher and author Jason Hinojosa will moderate a panel discussion on the art of fiction. Adults and high school students fascinated by literature and the writing process can come together to learn from professional writers as they discuss aspects of both craft and career. Authors will discuss their work with the moderator and then answer questions from the audience. A reception will follow. 

About the Panel

Moderator Jason Hinojosa

Jason Hinojosa is the author of numerous award-winning short stories and two
novels, The Last Lawsons and The Conception of Zachary Muse. In the last decade, Jason has lived and worked in Hong Kong, India, Rwanda, and the United States. He recently completed his MFA in fiction at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, studying with Marilynne Robinson, Ethan Canin, Ayana Mathis, and Paul Harding. His fiction focuses primarily on themes of family, time, sexuality, place, and perspective.  Jason has taught literature and creative writing courses at various levels including university, continuing education, high school, and middle school programs. He currently teaches at Sacramento Country Day School and serves as the High School English Department Chair.

Panelist Miquel Bota

Miquel Bota is a scholar, professor and writer. As a native of Barcelona, Spain, he writes fiction both in Spanish and Catalan, and uses English for his scholarly work.
He received his Ph.D. from Stanford University in Iberian and Latin American Cultures, and holds a M.A. from Queen’s University (Canada) in Spanish Literatures and Cultures.

Prior to his academic career, he studied Communication and Advertising at Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, and took his MBA at ESADE Business School (Barcelona). He worked in International Relations and in Advertising. Miquel has lived in Australia, Colombia, United States and Canada. His interests as a researcher cover a range of topics in Modern and Contemporary Iberian and Latin American cultures, particularly involving literary theory, philosophy and gender studies, with an emphasis on the effects of patriarchy on contemporary societies through
novels and movies.

His publications include articles on misunderstood, misrepresented or forgotten pieces to frame the dimension of literature. Miquel is the author of several short stories and novels. He has published the novel Muerte en Mitra, and the short story “Macho 1” in a collective volume. His second novel Susúrramelo tú will be in bookstores in March 2020. He moved to Sacramento with his family in 2017 to join the department of World Languages and Literatures at Sac State as an Assistant Professor of Spanish.

Panelist Joseph Cassara

Joseph Cassara was born and raised in New Jersey. He holds degrees from Columbia University and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. He is the author of The House of Impossible Beauties (Ecco, 2018) which is a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award in Gay Fiction, the Edmund White Award for Best Debut Novel, and was the winner of the National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Award for Best Fiction Book of 2018. He has been the recipient of fellowships from the MacDowell Colony and the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown. He is currently an assistant professor of creative writing at the California State University, Fresno.

Panelist Monica West

Monica was born in Cleveland, Ohio and currently resides in Oakland, California. She received her B.A. in English from Duke University and her M.A. in English Literature from New York University. She received her M.F.A. from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop in 2017 where she was a Rona Jaffe Graduate Fellow. She has also attended the Squaw Valley Community of Writers and the Napa Valley Writers’ Conference. Monica was also selected as a 2014 Southern Methodist University Kimbilio Fellow.

Monica’s debut novel, Revival Season, is forthcoming from Simon & Schuster in Spring 2021. Revival Season tells the story of Miriam Horton, the oldest daughter of an itinerant Southern Baptist preacher and faith healer, who suffers a crisis of faith when she realizes that her father might not have the healing powers he claims to—but that Miriam herself might, a fact that she must keep secret from her family.

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