Words of Welcome: A Conversation with Roxane Gay

Moderated by Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Dr. Becky Petitt

Join us for an engaging conversation and evening with renowned author, cultural critic and thought leader, Roxane Gay. As part of the Words of Welcome Common Read of American Like Me, this discussion will explore themes of identity, belonging and resilience. Roxane Gay, known for her powerful voice on issues of race, gender and social justice, will share her unique perspectives, making this a compelling and inspiring event for our campus community. Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of an important conversation on what it means to navigate identity and belonging in today’s world.

Breathe With Me: A Celebratory Conversation with Laura Linney and Jeppe Hein

As the grand finale of the multi-day Breathe With Me event, join us for an inspiring evening with award-winning actress Laura Linney and world-renowned artist Jeppe Hein. Together, they will explore the powerful intersection of art, mental health, mindfulness, and community, discussing how creativity can foster well-being and connection. This special conversation highlights the transformative role that art plays in nurturing the wellness of individuals and communities alike. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to engage with two visionary artists as they share their insights on the healing potential of art.

Following the conversation, please join Church of Music’s musicians and DJ Alina for community celebration and closing party.

About ArtPower

ArtPower at UC San Diego is dedicated to igniting curiosity, sparking creativity, and fostering cultural engagement through the power of the performing arts. By presenting innovative, diverse, and adventurous programming, ArtPower connects the campus and community with world-class artists from around the globe. Our mission is to inspire audiences, nurture emerging talent, and create opportunities for artistic exploration that enrich the lives of students and the greater San Diego community. Through vibrant performances, educational initiatives, and collaborative experiences, ArtPower fosters a dynamic, inclusive cultural dialogue that empowers individuals to experience the transformative power of the arts.

About Stuart Collection

Distinguished from a traditional sculpture garden by its site-specific nature, many of the artworks are fused seamlessly to campus buildings or integrated into the landscape itself. Great care is taken to incorporate the university’s long- and short-range plans while maintaining the integrity of the art and providing provocative, thoughtful and carefully considered additions to the fabric of campus life.

The Stuart Collection matches and reflects the level of excellence exhibited by UC San Diego’s distinction as a science and technology powerhouse. There is a uniquely elevating alliance between the ongoing pursuits of a major research university and the expression of contemporary art. Both address the most important questions of our time and do so with ambition and intellectual courage.

Many of the artists who have designed works for the collection are associated with movements or attitudes that are seldom represented in public sculpture collections. They have been honored with every major award in the art world, ranging from the Pulitzer Prize to the Venice Biennale’s Golden Lion Lifetime Achievement Award and the National Medal of Arts awarded by President Barack Obama. In addition, the collection includes four recipients of the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship “Genius Grant” which celebrates intellect, accomplishment and creative potential.

An Evening with Ocean Vuong

Moderated by UC San Diego Literature Professor Lily Hoàng

Join the author of Time is a Mother for a reading and conversation about his writing process, his influences, and the themes behind his New York Times-bestselling, deeply intimate second poetry collection.

About Ocean Vuong

Ocean Vuong is the author of the New York Times bestselling poetry collection, Time is a Mother (Penguin Press 2022), and the New York Times bestselling novel, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous (Penguin Press 2019), which has been translated into 37 languages.  A recipient of a 2019 MacArthur “Genius” Grant, he is also the author of the critically acclaimed poetry collection, Night Sky with Exit Wounds, a New York Times Top 10 Book of 2016, winner of the T.S. Eliot Prize, the Whiting Award, the Thom Gunn Award, and the Forward Prize for Best First Collection. A Ruth Lilly fellow from the Poetry Foundation, his honors include fellowships from the Lannan Foundation, the Civitella Ranieri Foundation, The Elizabeth George Foundation, The Academy of American Poets, and the Pushcart Prize.

Born in Saigon, Vietnam and raised in Hartford, Connecticut in a working class family of nail salon and factory laborers, he was educated at nearby Manchester Community College before transferring to Pace University to study International Marketing. Without completing his first term, he dropped out of Business school and enrolled at Brooklyn College, where he graduated with a B.A. in Nineteenth Century American Literature. He subsequently received his M.F.A. in Poetry from New York University. 

He currently lives in Northampton, Massachusetts and serves as a tenured Professor in the Creative Writing M.F.A. Program at New York University.

Ira Glass: Seven Things I’ve Learned

“It’s hard to make something that’s interesting. It’s really, really hard. It’s like a law of nature, a law of aerodynamics, that anything that’s written or anything that’s created wants to be medio-cre. The natural state of all writing is mediocrity… So what it takes to make anything more than mediocre is such an act of will…”―Ira Glass

Ira Glass is the creator, producer & host of This American Life, the iconic weekly public radio program with millions of listeners around the world. Using audio clips, music, and video, Ira Glass delivers a unique talk; sharing lessons from his life and career in storytelling: What in-spires him to create? What drives his passion? How have failures and successes informed his decisions? During his presentation, Ira Glass will mix stories live onstage and help his audience better follow the creative process of one of our foremost storytellers.

An Evening with Fran Lebowitz

“Fran Lebowitz’s trademark is the sneer; she disapproves of virtually everything except sleep, cigarette smoking, and good furniture. Her essays and topical interviews on subjects ranging from the difficulty of finding an acceptable apartment to the art of freeloading at weekend houses have come to be regarded as classics of literary humor and social observation.”—The Paris Review

Author, Journalist & Social Observer

In a cultural landscape filled with endless pundits and talking heads, Fran Lebowitz stands out as one of our most insightful social commentators.

Her essays and interviews offer her acerbic views on current events and the media – as well as pet peeves including tourists, baggage-claim areas, after-shave lotion, adults who roller skate, children who speak French, or anyone who is unduly tan. The New York Times Book Review calls Lebowitz an “important humorist in the classic tradition.” Purveyor of urban cool, Lebowitz is a cultural satirist whom many call the heir to Dorothy Parker.

Lebowitz on frankness: “Spilling your guts is exactly as charming as it sounds.”

Lebowitz on herself: “Success didn’t spoil me, I’ve always been insufferable.”

This is Lebowitz off the cuff. Her writing—pointed, taut and economical—is equally forthright, irascible, and unapologetically opinionated.

Lebowitz was named to Vanity Fair’s International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 2008. She remains a style icon. Lebowitz lives in New York City, as she does not believe that she would be allowed to live anywhere else.

An Evening with David Sedaris

Master of satire and one of today’s most observant writers addressing the human condition, best-selling author David Sedaris returns once again with his acerbic humor, social commentary, and outlandish stories. Slashing through cultural euphemisms and political correctness, he will delight the audience with twists of humor and intelligence as he shares both published stories and works-in-progress.

Come early or stick around post-performance for Sedaris’s legendary book-signing sessions.

COMFORT: An Evening with Yotam Ottolenghi

Hosted by San Diego-based Celebrity Chef/Entrepreneur  Claudette Zepeda

Spend a delicious evening with Yotam Ottolenghi as he talks about his new book, COMFORT, in this fun and participatory event. Live on stage, Yotam will take the audience through COMFORT, (from eggs, to noodles, to roast chicken, to a wide array of cultural and culinary themes) in conversation with his local host, and will invite the audience to participate in a second half as he prepares one of his dishes. Just as food brings people together, this event combines the culinary innovation of Ottolenghi with suggestions and questions from the audience (that’s you!) to create a one-off live experience.  Yotam will undoubtedly share some childhood stories, his passion for layered dishes with bold flavors and colorful ingredients, and his influences from across the world.

About

Yotam Ottolenghi is a celebrated chef and bestselling cookbook author. He is the restauranteur and chef-patron of six London-based Ottolenghi delis, as well as the NOPI and ROVI restaurants. He is the author of ten bestselling and multi-award-winning cookbooks. Yotam has been a weekly columnist for the Guardian (UK) for over sixteen years and is a regular contributor to the New York Times. His commitment to the championing of vegetables, as well as ingredients once seen as ‘exotic’, has led to what some call ‘The Ottolenghi effect’. This is shorthand for the creation of a meal which is full of color, flavor, bounty, and surprise.

In Fall 2024 Yotam Ottolenghi will publish his latest cookbook, COMFORT (published by Ebury in the UK and by Ten Speed Press in the US and Canada). Ottolenghi COMFORT is a celebration of food and home; of the connections we make and pass on as we cook, from place to place and from generation to generation.

Learn more about his tour >