Announcements

At the beginning of this update, I would like to take a moment to thank my colleague Dr. Daniel Lanza Rivers for four years of steady, thoughtful leadership as Director of the Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies at SJSU. Under Daniel, the Center recovered from the dislocation and disruption of the COVID lockdown, resuming all of its former operations plus several important new programs, including the Steinbeck Letters digitization project. I am especially grateful to Daniel for their work with the International Society of Steinbeck Scholars (ISSS), the Steinbeck author society, which now has steady leadership and will be hosting the first non–San José State conference in more than twenty years. Thank you, Daniel, for all you have done for the Center. The 2026 Conference, 'Steinbeck in Times of Crisis, ' was held March 11–13, 2026 at Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ. This conference was sponsored by the International Society of Steinbeck Scholars. A report of proceeds will appear in the 23. 2 issue of the journal. Thanks to a generous donation from Mrs. C. Suzette Ditsky, emerging Steinbeck scholars can apply to utilize the outstanding resources in the Ball State University Libraries. The Steinbeck Research Fund has established in honor of Mrs. Ditsky’s late husband, John, who passed away in 2006. Dr. Tetsumaro Hayashi, a longtime friend, said, “He was first and foremost a passionate and dedicated scholar, teacher, and mentor. ” Hayashi commented that the Research Fund was “established to honor Ditsky’s long-established legacy of extending a helping hand to emerging Steinbeck Scholars. ”Recipients will spend a minimum of five days doing intensive research using the Steinbeck collections or other materials at the Ball State University Libraries. The resulting research must be submitted for publication in a professional, scholarly, Steinbeck-related journal, and/or presented at a Steinbeck Conference, convention, or lecture at a university. Applicants should submit a Steinbeck-related research proposal (minimum of two pages), a curriculum vitae, a completed-application form (available at https: //bsu. libguides. com/ld. php? contentᵢd=48465493), and two letters of recommendation from colleagues, faculty members, or others who can speak to your academic qualifications. More details, including guidance for drafting your application, can be found on the application document itself. Completed applications can be emailed directly to libarchives@bsu. edu. In memory of Louis Owens, The Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies established this award to honor undergraduate and graduate student work on Steinbeck and related subjects. Undergraduate and graduate students may submit, or faculty may submit on their behalf. Deadline: Postmark of August 31, 2026Length: 12–40 pagesFormat Style: MLAAward: 250. 00 and consideration for publication in Steinbeck Review. Send as attachment to steinbeck@sjsu. edu, or by regular mail to: Louis Owens Essay PrizeMartha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies San Jose State UniversitySan Jose, California 95192–0202The Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies at San José State University continues to coordinate with the Steinbeck Letters Project, which aims to create a searchable database listing of John Steinbeck’s letters starting with the letters in the Center’s possession. Anyone interested in more information or contributing to this project, please contact us at steinbeck@sjsu. edu. Does your university or organization have an announcement to share with the Steinbeck Studies community? Email your entries to steinbeck@sjsu. edu by August 10 (for the Fall issue) or January 10 (for the Spring issue), using the subject line: “Announcement for Steinbeck Review. ”