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
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Diane Del Signore
Executive Director,
New Literary Project -
Joe Di Prisco
Chair, Author & Educator
-
Shanti Ariker
Chief Legal Officer, JFrog; Writer
-
James Bell
Founder & Chairman, Bell Investment Advisors; Community Leader
-
Uttara C. Chaudhuri
PhD Candidate, University of California, Berkeley, English Department; Creative Writing Teacher
-
Laura Cogan
Editor and Consultant
-
Ian Duncan
Distinguished Professor and Florence Green Bixby Chair, Department of English, University of California, Berkeley
-
Ben Fountain
Author
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John Murray
Author and Associate Professor (Teaching), University of Southern California
-
Joyce Carol Oates
(Honorary) Author and Professor of Humanities, Princeton University
-
Pat Scott
Public Radio and Nonprofit Executive
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Frank Starn
Community Leader and Corporate Executive
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Elisa Tamarkin
English Department Chair & Professor, University of California, Berkeley
-
David Wood
Community Leader and Public High School English Teacher, Northgate High School
Board Emeritus
Eric Falci
English Department Chair & Professor, UC Berkeley
Donald McQuade
English Professor Emeritus; Vice Chancellor Emeritus, UC Berkeley
Beth Needel
Executive Director, Lafayette Library and Learning Center Foundation
Genaro Padilla
Chair Emeritus, English Department; Vice Chancellor Emeritus, UC Berkeley
Mike Ross
Author, U.S. & International Law School & University Lecturer
Project Team
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Diane Del Signore
Executive Director
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Camila Aguirre Aguilar
Project Developer and Coordinator
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Tyson Cornell
Publicist & Publicity
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Josephine Courant
Digital Design
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Abby Donahue
Project Manager
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Ian Maloney
Jack Hazard Fellowship Program Director
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Regan McMahon
Project Consultant
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Hannah Onstad
Communications Director
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Kristina Sepetys
Chief Evangelist
Jack Hazard Fellowship Team
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Kristin Collier
2025 Jack Hazard Fellow
St. Paul Academy and Summit School
St. Paul, MN -
Dallas Crow
2025 Jack Hazard Fellow
Woodward Academy
College Park, GA -
Will Ejzak
2025 Jack Hazard Fellow
Gwendolyn Brooks College Prep Academy
Chicago, IL -
Molly Olguin
2025 Jack Hazard Fellow
The Bush School
Seattle, WA -
Anjoli Roy
2025 Jack Hazard Fellow
Punahou School
Honolulu, HI -
Ian Maloney
Jack Hazard Fellowship Program Director
Bonetti-Bell Fellowship Team
-
Fiona McFarlane
Bonetti-Bell Fellowship Program Director
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Camille Santana Considine
2024 & 2025 Bonetti-Bell Fellow
Girls Inc, Alameda (2025); Albany High School (2024)
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Edil Hassan
2025 Bonetti-Bell Fellow
Girls Inc. of Alameda County -
Drew V. Kiser
2025 Bonetti-Bell Fellow
Mt McKinley High School -
Ryan Lackey
2025 Bonetti-Bell Fellow
Northgate High School
-
Laura Ritland
2025 Bonetti-Bell Fellow
Albany High School
Starn Fellowship Team
-
Chris Feliciano Arnold
Starn Fellowship Program Director
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Isa Maloof
2025 Starn Fellow
LPS, Hayward
-
Genay Markham
2025 Starn Fellow
East Bay School of Performing Arts
-
Courtney Pizan
2024 & 2025 Starn Fellow
Concord High School
-
Rayjon Briscoe Young
2025 Starn Fellow
Emery 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
James Bell 📚 ⭐
Bell Investment Advisors 📚 ⭐ Patti James 📚 ⭐
Simpson PSB Fund:
Sharon Simpson 📚 ⭐
System Property Development Company 📚 ⭐
The Wood Family Foundation 📚 ⭐
EPIC
Jen & Mario Di Prisco 📚 ⭐
Lafayette Library & Learning Center 📚
Literary Arts Emergency Fund 📚
Mellon Foundation 📚
Richard Morrison & Marie Seed Lichauco 📚 ⭐
Lizzie & John Murray 📚 ⭐ Berniece Patterson 📚 Janet & Norman Pease 📚
Ginny & Mike Ross 📚 ⭐
Saint Mary’s College of California Salesforce Foundation
Carey & Frank Starn 📚 ⭐
UC Berkeley Foundation Kathy Garrison & David Wood 📚 ⭐
NOVEL
Miner Anderson Family Foundation
Shanti & Matthew Ariker 📚 ⭐ Tracey Borst & Robert Menicucci 📚 ⭐ Ellen & Joffa Dale 📚 ⭐ Diane Del Signore & Scott Strait 📚 ⭐ Liz & Ralph Long 📚 ⭐ Karen & Tom Mulvaney
Joyce Carol Oates 📚 ⭐
Penguin Random House 📚
Jeannie Simpson 📚 ⭐ U.S. Small Business Administration 📚
LYRIC
Diane Ariker, in memory of Walter Ariker
Lela & Jim Barnes 📚 ⭐
Hiroko & Peter Chastain 📚 Laura Cogan & Chris Svenson 📚 Dodge & Cox 📚
Bob Egan 📚 ⭐ The McBurney Foundation 📚
Katherine & James Moule
Dr. David Nathanson
Piedmont East Bay Children’s Choir 📚 Simon & Schuster Virginia Shuler 📚
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 📚 ⭐
Natalie Compagni Portis 📚 ⭐
Anne Cook & Chris Wornum 📚 ⭐ Cindy & Brian Deans Kevin Delucchi & Joanne Slaboch 📚 ⭐
Ian Duncan 📚 ⭐ Deb & John Edack 📚 ⭐
Roberta & Mark Emerson Lauren & Daniel Forman Diane & David Goldsmith
Graywolf Press Janie & Jeff Green 📚 ⭐
Anne & Marshall Grodin
Melinda Haldeman 📚 Deborah and Lawrence Hamilton JT Hanley & Rosemary Casey 📚
Harper Collins Publishers George Holmes 📚 ⭐
Cynthia James 📚
Doris & George Krevsky Kathy & Anthony Laglia 📚 ⭐
Monya Lane & Bob Bryant J. Lohr Vineyards 📚 Lawrence & Emily Lohr 📚 Ian Maloney & Lauren Grandante 📚 ⭐. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management Sue & George Miller Carol Olson 📚 ⭐ Genaro & Maria Padilla 📚
Jacinta Pister & Richard Whitmore 📚 ⭐
Christina & Peter Reynolds 📚 ⭐
Pat Rudebusch
Pat Scott 📚 ⭐ Kate Stechschulte & David Cost
Anna & Steve Strait 📚 ⭐ Donna Williams
📚: Multi-year Donors.
⭐: 5x or more Donors.
SHORT STORY
Rose Lynn Abesamis-Bell & Forrest Bell Altrinsic Global Advisors
Alice Benét
Benevity
Amy Berger 📚 ⭐
Monique Bonjour Kathy & Rick Bowles
Roland Brandel Alice & Bob Breakstone 📚
Karalee Brune Lorne Buchman & Rochelle Shapell 📚
Scott Busby
Patrick Cameron & Thomas Sun Susan & Bill Caplan 📚
Vicky Chong Jill Conner
John Couch
Mary Ann Cropper 📚
Cathy & Rob Curtis 📚 ⭐ Lucy Day Leticia Del Toro & Michael Gasquy
Abby & Todd Donahue 📚
Stephen & Cyndy Dustrude Philippa Kelly and Paul Dresher
Susan Driscoll LaMay Dave Egerter & Janna Tom 📚
Noriko Enderle Andrea Faber Silvia Fernandez & Paul Ash
Bridget Flanagan Debbie Goldberg 📚
Kara & Gary Gragg
Charlene Grandfield John Gray 📚
Todd Hallowell Barbara Hardacre Cindy Heer Mary Ann Hoisington 📚
Martha & Eliot Hudson
Audrey Irwin
Blair Jackson & Regan McMahon 📚
Lisa Kaplan Father John Kasper 📚
Judy Kelly & Robert Marshak
Jonathan Kleid Jennifer Lampimaki Reuben and Stefanie Leder
Maria Lloyd Peter Laufenberg Jill Leukhardt 📚
Marianne & Michael Lonsdale 📚
Victoria Lorrekovich-Miller & Martin Miller
Sheila & Michael Madary Carla Malden
Rob Malenfant Yoni & David Mayeri
Linda Bacon McBurney 📚
Charlotte McCaffrey 📚
Pat McHenry Christine McQuade Hsu
Molly Metherd Molly Montgomery & Adam White Tyson Morgan & Selena Anderson 📚 Paul Morris
Katharine Ogden Michaels 📚
Frank Munzinger 📚
Toby and John Nady National Book Foundation
Richard Newman Janine Noel Ethan Nosowsky
Hannah Onstad Karen Plessinger Pat and Craig Pratt Elizabeth Ragain Orta Anne & Michael Ray Peter Sackman 📚
Sara and Tom Schiff Francine Schulberg
Dagmar Serota
Christina Shih & Tony Wolcott 📚 ⭐
Kay Simon
Octavio Solis Estee Solomon-Gray Deborah & Michael Sosebee 📚
St. Perpetua Church
Stanford Book Club Teri Stevens Suzanne Stuart A. R. Taylor 📚
Robert Tembeckjian
Larry Townsend Yen Trac 📚 Maria & Mark Triska Janet & Dave Van Etten 📚 Maureen Vavra Julayne & Clay Virgil
Joanne Whitt and David Buechner Sarah Williams Jamie Woolf and David Green Hertha Dawn Sweet Wong 📚
Sponsors
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