University of California, Riverside
BOOKS
PAGE TURNERS
A look at recently published works by UCR faculty, staff, and alumni
“Brutal Companion”
By Ruben Quesada ’04, MFA ’07
Barrow Street
October 2024, 94 pages
Winner of the Barrow Street Editors’ Prize, “Brutal Companion” is a haunting and visceral collection of poems that explores themes of identity, sexuality, loss, and personal transformation. Drawing from his own experiences as a gay man, Quesada delves into memories of desire, trauma, and self-discovery.
Quesada earned a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and an MFA in creative writing and writing for the performing arts.
“Good Dogs”
By Brian Asman, MFA ’20
Blackstone Publishing
October 2024, 302 pages
Asman’s debut novel follows Delia, a werewolf who has spent much of her life fighting against her own nature, plagued by nightmares of childhood trauma, and trying to find her place in the world. “Good Dogs” is a heartfelt and harrowing story of survival, belonging, found family, and the lengths people will go to protect it.
Asman earned an MFA in creative writing and writing for the performing arts.
“Learning to Lead”
By Jennifer R. Nájera
Duke University Press
October 2024, 192 pages
“Learning to Lead” explores the intersections of education and activism among undocumented students at UC Riverside. Taking an expansive view of education, Nájera shows how students’ experiences in college — both in and out of the classroom — can affect their activism and advocacy work.
Nájera is an associate professor of ethnic studies.
“What the Nanny Saw”
By Kaira Rouda
Bookouture
November 2024, 311 pages
A gripping psychological thriller, “What the Nanny Saw” follows Celia, a recently single mother restarting her life with her new baby in Malibu. To help her raise her daughter, she hires a woman named Lizzie, but the unassuming new nanny may not be all that she seems.
Rouda is a student in the UCR Palm Desert Low-Residency MFA program.
“Nahua Horizons”
By Ezekiel G. Stear ’01
University of Arizona Press
February 2025, 284 pages
In “Nahua Horizons,” Stear examines how Nahua writers in Central Mexico and other Mesoamerican voices in colonial Spanish America played an active role in shaping culture, using writing to persuade their communities to mold their own destinies, even amid colonial upheaval.
Stear earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and religious studies.
“Cafe Stories: Riverside’s Zacatecas”
By William Medina ’91, M.A. ’04, Ph.D. ’07
Coyote Hill Press
July 2023, 166 pages
In “Cafe Stories,” Medina offers a glimpse into his family’s well-known Eastside eatery, Zacatecas, a Riverside staple since 1963. Through fictionalized stories based on decades of interactions with countless guests, “Cafe Stories” provides insight into Zacatecas’ place as an integral part of Riverside history.
Medina earned bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in history.
