Literatures and Cultures

UC Merced Arts Opens Season with LitFest, Musical Tribute to Railroads

September 11, 2024

UC Merced arts season silkroad train station trios

A celebration of stories and a concert highlighting the history of San Joaquin Valley’s railroads are the opening acts of the 2024-25 UC Merced Arts season . Merced LitFest and Train Station Trios reflect the season’s varied offerings. Gallery exhibitions, concerts, theater...

UC Merced student Sofia Andom is seen in a film poster image.

Shakespeare in Yosemite Film "Imogen in the Wild" Addresses Environmental Justice

After a monthslong collaboration between dozens of UC Merced students, professional artists, National Park Service staff and Merced community members, Shakespeare in Yosemite's first feature-...

Spendlove Prize recipient Nadia Murad is seen in a photo.

Nobel Laureate and Human Rights Activist Nadia Murad Celebrated as 14th Recipient of Spendlove Prize

2018 Nobel Peace Prize winner and human rights activist Nadia Murad was honored with the Alice and Clifford Spendlove Prize in Social Justice, Diplomacy and Tolerance during a virtual ceremony...

Human rights activist Nadia Murad is seen in a photo.

Spendlove Prize to Be Presented to Human Rights Activist and 2018 Nobel Peace Prize Recipient Nadia Murad

Human rights activist Nadia Murad has been selected as the 14th recipient of the Alice and Clifford Spendlove Prize in Social Justice, Diplomacy and Tolerance. The 2018 Nobel Peace Prize...

Juneteenth: Celebrating Freedom and Hope for the Future

Every American knows we celebrate freedom on the Fourth of July, but very few people know what Juneteenth celebrates, or even recognize the date. A Harris Poll conducted last June found 22% of...

Alicia Garza speaks during a virtual event to honor her with the Spendlove Prize.

Alicia Garza, Civil Rights Activist and BLM Co-Founder, Honored with Spendlove Prize

While this year's ceremony looked quite different from years past due to the coronavirus pandemic, the presentation of the Alice and Clifford Spendlove Prize in Social Justice, Diplomacy and...

UC Merced Teams Up with Globe Theatre for Shakespeare and Climate Emergency Conference

A major international conference looking at the relationships between William Shakespeare's works and the current climate crisis will soon get underway. UC Merced is co-hosting the virtual event...

Alicia Garza is a co-founder of the Black Lives Matter Global Network.

Black Lives Matter Co-Founder Alicia Garza is 13th Recipient of Spendlove Prize

Alicia Garza, civil rights activist and co-founder of #BlackLivesMatter and the Black Lives Matter Global Network, will be honored as the 13th recipient of the Alice and Clifford Spendlove Prize in...

Professor’s Documentary Film about Refugee Family Honored at Vienna International Festival

“Songs that Never End,” Professor Yehuda Sharim’s intimate film about a family transitioning from Iran to life in Texas, is a finalist contender in the International Documentary...

UC Merced Professor Arias Wins Guggenheim Fellowship

Arturo Arias, a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation professor in the Humanities at UC Merced, has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship for his ground-breaking study of contemporary...