Alex Espinoza’s (’04, ’05) debut novel, Still Water Saints, was published to wide critical acclaim. His second novel, The Five Acts of Diego León, was the winner of a 2014 American Book Award. He is the author of the nonfiction book Cruising: An Intimate History of a Radical Pastime and has written for the New York Times Sunday Magazine, VQR, the Los Angeles Times, and NPR. His short story “Detainment” was selected for inclusion in the 2022 Best American Mystery and Suspense Stories. His latest novel is The Sons of El Rey (Simon and Schuster, June 2024). Alex lives in Los Angeles and is the Tomás Rivera Endowed Chair and Professor of Creative Writing at UC Riverside.
Community of Writers Recent Nonfiction / Memoir Teaching Staff
Anne Lamott is the author of seven novels, Hard Laughter, Rosie, Joe Jones, Blue Shoe, All New People, Crooked Little Heart, and Imperfect Birds. She has also written several bestselling books of nonfiction, including, Operating Instructions, an account of life as a single mother during her son’s first year; Some Assembly Required: A Journal of My Son’s First Son; and the classic book on writing; Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. She has also authored several collections of autobiographical essays on faith; Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith; Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith; and Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith. In addition, she has written, Help, Thanks, Wow: The Three Essential Prayers; Stitches; A Handbook on Meaning, Hope and Repair; Small Victories: Spotting Improbable Moments of Grace; and Hallelujah Anyway; Rediscovering Mercy. Her most recent book is Almost Everything: Notes on Hope (Riverhead Books). Lamott has been honored with a Guggenheim Fellowship, and has taught at UC Davis, as well as at writing conferences across the country. Academy Award-winning filmmaker Freida Mock has made a documentary on Lamott, entitled Bird by Bird with Annie (1999). Anne Lamott has also been inducted into the California Hall of Fame.
Photo Credit: Sam Lamott
Amy Tan is the international bestselling author of the novels The Joy Luck Club, The Kitchen God’s Wife, The Hundred Secret Senses, The Bonesetter’s Daughter, Saving Fish from Drowning, and Valley of Amazement. She is the author of two memoirs, The Opposite of Fate, and Where the Past Begins; and two children’s books, The Moon Lady and Sagwa, The Chinese Siamese Cat. Tan served as co-producer and co-screenwriter for the film adaptation of The Joy Luck Club and creative consultant for the PBS television series, Sagwa, The Chinese Siamese Cat. She wrote the libretto for the opera The Bonesetter’s Daughter and is the subject of the American Masters documentary Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir. Tan is an instructor of a MasterClass on Fiction, Memory, and Imagination. She is a recipient of the National Humanities Medal and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Her most recent book, #1 New York Times Best Seller, The Backyard Bird Chronicles (Knopf, 2024) marks her debut as a nature journalist and bird artist. In 2025, Amy Tan was elected as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
She first attended the Community of Writers as a participant in 1985 and has since returned as a staff member and special guest for many years. She now serves on the Board of Directors of the Community of Writers.
Photo Credit: Kim Newmoney
Al Young, a poet, novelist, memoirist, and screenwriter, who was a two-time recipient of the American Book Award among other honors, including Stegner, Guggenheim, and NEA fellowships, served as poet laureate of California from 2005 to 2008. Young authored more than thirteen books; most recently, Something about the Blues: An Unlikely Collection of Poetry. He taught at the Community of Writers poetry and writers workshops from the 1990s on, as well as serving as a board member. www.alyoung.org