Our Story
New Literary Project invests in students & teachers, readers & authors, and it inspires and equips writers across the generations to write their hearts out. New Literary Project offers writing workshops free of charge for underserved younger writers; celebrates storytellers and storytelling through a major national award to a mid-career author of fiction (the Joyce Carol Oates Prize); supports creative writers teaching high school to make time to work on their own projects; and makes possible readings, events, and publication in our annual anthology of Project-connected authors, Simpsonistas. (In fact, and please don’t take this in the wrong way, our literary events make for great parties.)
The Project came together in 2015 in partnership with the University of California, Berkeley, English Department, the world’s foremost English Department, in the world’s leading public university, and the Lafayette Library and Learning Center Foundation. Until April 2021 we called ourselves the Simpson Literary Project, to honor the example set by Sharon Simpson and the late Barclay Simpson, legendary pillars of soulful support for education, the arts, and social justice. Our dear friend Sharon actively continues to engage and inspire us.
We acknowledge and fight systemic racism and inequity.
We drive social change by unleashing artistic power in neglected, overlooked, and undervalued communities. Our writers write their hearts out across generations, divisions, differences. Our workshop leaders celebrate the visible and invisible qualities making students who they are. In all these ways, New Literary Project is organically, programmatically, institutionally committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
We welcome every person’s unique perspective and experience.
NewLit community members, donors, volunteers, advocates, and employees are valued and respected—whatever their gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, age, sexual orientation or identity, economic status, education, or disability.
We center diversity, equity, and inclusion practices in our work.
We urge all who value reading, writing, teaching, literature, and literacy to join us and be committed to diversity, equity and inclusion.
Project Board
Diane Del Signore
Executive Director,
New Literary Project
Joseph Di Prisco
Chair, Author & Educator
Shanti Ariker
Chief Legal Officer, JFrog
James Bell
Founder & Chairman, Bell Investment Advisors; Community Leader
Uttara C. Chaudhuri
PhD Candidate, UC Berkeley English. Creative Writing Teacher.
Laura Cogan
Editor and Consultant
Ian Duncan
Interim English Department Chair, UC Berkeley; Florence Green Bixby Professor of English
Eric Falci
English Department Chair & Professor, UC Berkeley
John Murray
Author and Associate Professor (Teaching), University of Southern California
Joyce Carol Oates
(Honorary) Author and Professor of Humanities, Princeton University
Mike Ross
Author, U.S. & International Law School & University Lecturer
Pat Scott
Public Radio and Nonprofit Executive
Frank Starn
Community Leader and Corporate Executive
David Wood
Community Leader and Public High School English Teacher, Northgate High School
Board Emeritus
Genaro Padilla
Chair Emeritus, English Department; Vice Chancellor Emeritus, UC Berkeley
Donald McQuade
English Professor Emeritus; Vice Chancellor Emeritus, UC Berkeley
Beth Needel
Executive Director, Lafayette Library and Learning Center Foundation
Project Team
-
Diane Del Signore
Executive Director
-
Tyson Cornell
Publicist & Publicity
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Josephine Courant
Digital Design
-
Hannah Onstad
Communication Director
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Abby Donahue
Project Manager
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Regan McMahon
Project Consultant
Jack Hazard Fellowship Team
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Ian Maloney
Jack Hazard Fellowship Program Director
-
William Archilla
2023 Jack Hazard Fellow
Los Angeles, CA -
Victoria María Castells
2023 Jack Hazard Fellow
Miami, FL -
Leticia Del Toro
2023 Jack Hazard Fellow
Moraga, CA -
Elizabeth DiNuzzo
2023 Jack Hazard Fellow
Albany, NY -
t'ai freedom ford
2023 Jack Hazard Fellow
Brooklyn, NY -
Emily Harnett
2023 Jack Hazard Fellow
Haverford, PA -
Jeff Kass
2023 Jack Hazard Fellow
Ann Arbor, MI -
Ariana Kelly
2023 Jack Hazard Fellow
Boston, MA -
Kate McQuade
2023 Jack Hazard Fellow
Andover, MA -
Tyson Morgan
2023 Jack Hazard Fellow
Hilsborough, CA -
Sharon K. Murayama
2023 Jack Hazard Fellow
Honolulu, HI -
Sahar Mustafa
2023 Jack Hazard Fellow
Flossmoor, IL -
Ky-Phong Tran
2023 Jack Hazard Fellow
Long Beach, CA -
Vernon Clifford Wilson
2023 Jack Hazard Fellows
Bronx, NY
Bonetti-Bell Fellowship Team
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Fiona McFarlane
Bonetti-Bell Fellowship Program Director
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Ariel Baker-Gibbs
2024 Bonetti-Bell Fellow
Girls Inc. of Alameda County -
Uttara Chaudhuri
2024 Bonetti-Bell Fellow
Girls Inc. of Alameda County
Previous years: 2020, 2021, 2023 -
Andrew David King
2024 Bonetti-Bell Fellow
Mt. McKinley High School; Contra Costa County Juvenile Hall Previous year: 2023 -
Eric Muscosky
2024 Bonetti-Bell Fellow
Northgate High School
-
Camille Santana Considine
2024 Bonetti-Bell Fellow
Albany High School
Starn Fellowship Team
-
Chris Feliciano Arnold
Starn Fellowship Program Director
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Camila Elizabet Aguirre Aguilar
2023-24 Starn Fellow
Emery High School
-
Courtney Pizan
2024 Starn Fellow
Concord High School
-
Allie Silvas
2024 Starn Fellow
Hayward High School
Our Friends & Partners
The Project came together in 2015 in partnership between the University of California, Berkeley, English Department, the world’s foremost English Department, in the world’s leading public university, and altruistic community leaders in the Bay Area. Our networks have since grown tremendously—below is a non-exhaustive list of our community.
Donors
DONORS 2017 - PRESENT
SURREAL
Patti James 📚 ⭐
Simpson PSB Fund:
Sharon Simpson 📚 ⭐
System Property Development Company 📚 ⭐
The Wood Family Foundation 📚 ⭐
EPIC
James Bell 📚 ⭐
Bell Investment Advisors Jen & Mario Di Prisco 📚 ⭐
Lafayette Library & Learning Center 📚
Literary Arts Emergency Fund 📚
Mellon Foundation 📚
Richard Morrison & Marie Seed Lichauco 📚
Lizzie & John Murray 📚 ⭐ Janet & Norman Pease 📚
Ginny & Mike Ross 📚 ⭐
Salesforce Foundation
Carey & Frank Starn 📚 ⭐
Kathy Garrison & David Wood 📚 ⭐
NOVEL
Miner Anderson Family Foundation
Karen & Tom Mulvaney
Joyce Carol Oates 📚 ⭐
Penguin Random House 📚
U.S. Small Business Administration 📚
LYRIC
Shanti & Matthew Ariker 📚 ⭐
Lela & Jim Barnes 📚 ⭐
Tracey Borst & Robert Menicucci 📚 ⭐
Ellen & Joffa Dale 📚 ⭐
Diane Del Signore & Scott Strait 📚 ⭐
Dodge & Cox 📚
Liz & Ralph Long 📚 ⭐
The McBurney Foundation 📚
Katherine & James Moule
Dr. David Nathanson
Piedmont East Bay Children’s Choir 📚 Simon & Schuster Virginia Shuler 📚 Jeannie Simpson 📚 ⭐
NOVELLA
Andrea Alfano & Charlie Freiberg 📚
Jim Baldocchi & Carolyn Tawasha 📚 ⭐ Michael Barbee & Lisa Morbidelli 📚 ⭐
Heidi & Josh Bersin 📚 ⭐
Erin Bydalek & Patrick Bengtsson California Shakespeare Theater Carolyn & Greg Call 📚
Peter Chastain 📚
Laura Cogan & Chris Svenson 📚 Natalie Compagni Portis 📚
Kevin Delucchi & Joanne Slaboch 📚 ⭐
Deb Edack 📚 Bob Egan 📚 ⭐
Roberta Emerson Daniel Forman Diane & David Goldsmith
Graywolf Press Janie & Jeff Green 📚 ⭐
Anne & Marshall Grodin
JT Hanley 📚
George Holmes 📚 ⭐
Cynthia James 📚
Doris & George Krevsky Kathy & Anthony Laglia 📚 ⭐
J. Lohr Vineyards Lawrence & Emily Lohr Morgan Stanley Wealth Management Sue & George Miller Carol Olson 📚 ⭐ Genaro & Maria Padilla 📚
Jacinta Pister & Richard Whitmore 📚 ⭐
Christina & Peter Reynolds 📚
Pat Rudebusch
Kate Stechschulte
Anna Strait 📚 ⭐ Donna Williams
📚: Multi-year Donors.
⭐: 5x or more Donors.
SHORT STORY
Altrinsic Global Advisors
Alice Benét
Benevity
Amy Berger 📚 ⭐
Kathy Bowles
Alice & Bob Breakstone 📚
Lorne Buchman & Rochelle Shapell 📚
Scott Busby
Patrick Cameron & Thomas Sun Bill & Susan Caplan 📚
Vicky Chong Jill Conner
Anne Cook & Chris Wornum 📚 ⭐
John Couch
Mary Ann Cropper 📚
Cathy Curtis Cindy & Brian Deans Leticia Del Toro & Michael Gasquy
Abby & Todd Donahue 📚
Ian Duncan 📚
Stephen & Cyndy Dustrude Philippa Kelly and Paul Dresher
Dave Egerter & Janna Tom 📚
Andrea Faber Sylvia Fernandez & Paul Ash
Debbie Goldberg 📚
Kara & Gary Gragg
John Gray 📚
Melinda Haldeman
Mary Ann Hoisington 📚
Martha & Eliot Hudson
Audrey Irwin
Blair Jackson & Regan McMahon 📚
Tyson Morgan Father John Kasper 📚
Judy Kelly
Susan LaMay Monya Lane Peter Laufenberg Jill Leukhardt 📚
Maryanne Lonsdale
Sheila & Michael Madary Carla Malden
Rob Malenfant Ian Maloney & Lauren Grandante 📚
Yoni & David Mayeri
Linda Bacon McBurney 📚
Charlotte McCaffrey 📚
Christine McQuade Hsu
Paul Morris
Katharine Ogden Michaels 📚
Frank Munzinger
National Book Foundation
Ethan Nosowsky
Karen Plessinger Peter Sackman
Pat & Sonny Scott 📚
Dagmar Serota
Christina Shih 📚
Kay Simon
Deborah & Michael Sosebee 📚
St. Perpetua Church
A. R. Taylor 📚
Robert Tembeckjian
Maria & Mark Triska Janet & Dave Van Etten 📚 Maureen Vavra Julayne & Clay Virgil
Sarah Williams Hertha Dawn Sweet Wong
Sponsors
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