Olivia Clare Friedman publishes her debut novel Here Lies. Olivia Clare Friedman, Djerassi alum ('10), releases her debut novel Here Lies, a visceral and portentous look at mourning, memory, and motherhood in an alternate Louisiana ravaged by climate change. Read more.

Margaret Wilkerson Sexton publishes her new novel On the Rooftop. 2016 Djerassi writer-in-residence, Margaret Wilkerson Sexton, published a new novel, On the Rooftop. A stunning novel about a mother whose dream of musical stardom for her three daughters collides with the daughters’ ambitions for their own lives—set against the backdrop of gentrifying 1950s San Francisco. Read more.

Mary Gilliland’s The Devil’s Fools available on November 9th. Mary Gilliland, Djerassi alumna ('11), is the author of two award-winning poetry collections: The Ruined Walled Castle Garden (2020) and The Devil’s Fools (2022). Celebrate her newest collection, The Devil's Fools with a free online event on November 9th at 7PM. Subverting received traditions, embellishing mythic figures, the lyrics of The Devil’s Fools speak to and for those wanting heaven: modern pilgrims, medieval masons; seafarer, axe murderer, alcoholic; daughter, spouse, sibling, mother; a woman on pause, a monarch of the underworld, Eve stepping out past Eden. The poems represent wild and delicious creaturely delusion, deception, vigor and joy. Read more.

The Perfect Sound: A Memoir in Stereo by Garrett Hongo. Former Djerassi writer-in-residence, Garrett Hongo's new book The Perfect Sound: A Memoir in Stereo is now available. Discover Hongo's audio obsession, from collecting his earliest vinyl to his quest for the ideal vacuum tubes in this captivating book that mixes personal memoir with cultural history. Read more

Katie Moulton debuts her audio memoir, Dead Dad Club: On Grief & Tom Petty, n. Katie Moulton, Djerassi alumn ('18), releases her debut audio memoir, Dead Dad Club: On Grief & Tom Petty, a quintessentially American tale about family, grief, identity, and dependency, set in the Midwest now available on Audible as an Audible Original. Dead Dad Club is the lucid, prismatic memoir of Katie Moulton, a millennial music critic who grew up in a die-hard rock-and-roll family, about her father’s unexpected death from addiction shortly before her 17th birthday, and the music obsession she inherited from him that shaped her early adulthood. Listen on Audible here.

Viet Thanh Nguyen featured in The New York Times Viet Thanh Nguyen ('08, '18) was featured in a New York Times article! Hear him talk about the process of writing his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “The Sympathizer,” and the sequel “The Committed,” which as published March 2, 2021. Read the article

Melissa Gould writes about her residency Melissa Gould ('02) tells the story behind her site-inspired work pictured here. She calls it a "Landscape Wink," and it's a wonderful testament to the power of the land at Djerassi to spark creativity in artists. Read the article

Djerassi Program Recognized as a Top Writers Retreat Poets & Writers named Djerassi in the top twenty-two most inspiring writers retreats in the nation. Leni Zumas (‘05) reminisces on her experience at Djerassi, saying “[to] be immersed in mountain beauty, given good meals and a cozy room, free to sleep and read and walk and write as I chose—it was heaven.” Read the article here.