That’s a Wrap — Thanks to our 2026 Bonetti-Bell and Iris Starn Fellows

On May 8th, we gathered to celebrate our 2026 teaching fellows. This year, NewLit had five Bonetti-Bell fellows from the Department of English at UC Berkeley and six Iris Starn Fellows from the MFA in Creative Writing Department at Saint Mary’s College of California.

We gathered for a happy hour at the home of NewLIt board member James Bell with our fellows along with partners and friends. The fellows reflected on their experience teaching creative writing in classrooms around the Bay Area to students who otherwise might not have had exposure to writing poetry, fiction, and non-fiction before.

Below you’ll find some fun photos and video from the event.