Since the early 1980s, many SRJC English instructors have selected a common text, a work of literary merit (WOLM), for study in English 1A classes. The number of students who study the WOLM is actually much higher, however, because many instructors assign the selected WOLM in other classes, especially English 1B. In the early years, the program consisted of little more than this agreement on a common text, with instructors benefiting by sharing ideas about teaching the particular work. As the years passed, however, the program developed into an exciting and integral part of the 1A curriculum. A constellation of optional adjunct activities also began to revolve around the WOLM, such as the lecture program, library displays, bookmarks, public readings, and special classes for ESL students. In short, the WOLM has become an event. Note: there is no selected WOLM for summer semesters.
We are grateful to the collaborations with the Santa Rosa Intercultural Center, Middle Eastern and North African Association, Asian Pacific Islander Staff Association, Native American Center, and Native American Faculty and Staff Association.
With special thanks to the Robert C. Kelley Literary Works Endowment.
Funded by a grant from the Santa Rosa Junior College Foundation-Randolph Newman Cultural Enrichment Endowment.
FALL 2024 / SPRING 2025 WOLM
COLORS OF NATURE: CULTURE, IDENTITY, AND THE NATURAL WORLD,
EDITORS, ALISON H. DEMING & LAURET E. SAVOY
Spring 2025 Scheduled Events
Exploring Nature and Place with Kaneza Schaal 
Wednesday, March 12th - 12:00-2:00 PM, Santa Rosa Intercultural Center
Opera Director and Arts-in-Education activist, Kaneza Schaal, will lead discussion and activities to explore experiences of relationships with nature and place, in conversation with Colors of Nature: Culture, Identity, and the Natural World edited by Alison Deming and Lauret Savoy.
Belonging to the Land with David Mas Masumoto
Wednesday, April 9th - 12:00-1:30 PM, Santa Rosa Intercultural Center 
Along with speaking to his chapter in Colors of Nature, “Belonging to the Land,” David Masumoto will share about his work as an organic farmer, and his new projects, including co-authoring a children’s book with his daughter “Every Peach is a Story,” and partnering with Fresno Philharmonic to create a musical composition based on stories from his new book Shadow Music, Four Generations of Japanese American Farm Women.
Art & The Earth Under Occupation with Elmaz Abinader 
Wednesday, April 16th - 10:00-11:00 AM, Santa Rosa Intercultural Center
Elmaz Abinader will tell the story of meeting the Palestinian artists she writes about in "The Art Gallery" in Colors of Nature: Culture, Identity, and the Natural World edited by Alison Deming and Lauret Savoy. She will also speak about how all her work "is conversation with history which etches the collisions on every rock and road, riverbed and meadow; the earth holds the marks of migrations, escapes, exiles, alienations, aging and evolutions. In [her] poetry, in particular, the body and the earth exchange their positions and perspectives. The memories of war are on the skin as well as on the mesa, the exile is written in dust and cells."
The Fire Within Us with Dr. Ron W. Goode, Chairman of the North Fork Mono Tribe 
Monday, April 29th - 12:00-2:00 PM, Location TBD
The Honorable Ron W. Goode, Chairman of the North Fork Mono Tribe, will share about his extensive work training Native peoples and allies, on Turtle Island and internationally, about cultural burning. He will share story, and speak about the fire within us.
All Our Relations Reading Group
Join Dr. Mary Churchill and Dr. Erica Tom in continuing to learn together this semester as we explore "nature" writing by writers of color from diverse cultural backgrounds. We will read and discuss selections from this year's Work of Literary Merit Colors of Nature: Culture, Identity, and the Natural World edited by Alison Deming and Lauret Savoy. 
We will meet on Zoom the first Thursday evening of the month 5:00 - 6:30 pm to get to know each other, to share thoughts and questions about the readings, and share in community.
Joining in the celebration of heritage months, we've selected the following pieces from Colors of Nature, continuing to think about them in relationship to the readings from last semester from the same collection, such as "The Grammar of Animacy" by Robin Wall Kimmerer and "Becoming Métis" by Melissa Nelson.
Register here for the zoom meeting!
Thursday, February 6th - 5:00 - 6:30 PM, Register here for the zoom meeting!
"Earthbound: on Solid Ground" by bell hooks
"Confronting Environmental Racism in the Twenty-first Century" by Robert D. Bullard
"Hope and Feathers: A Crisis in Birder Identification" by J. Drew Lantham
Thursday, March 6th - 5:00 - 6:30 PM, Register here for the zoom meeting!
"The Weight of Small Bodies" by Kimberely Blaeser
"Tarsenna's Defiance Garden in which I Love to Spit" by Thylias Moss
"Tales from a Black Girl on Fire, or Why I Hate to Walk Outside and See Things Burning" by Camille T. Dungy
Thursday, April 3rd - 5:00 - 6:30 PM, Register here for the zoom meeting!
"Belonging to the Land" by David Mas Masumoto
"In the Valley of its Saying" by Debra Kang Dean
"Ke au Lono i Kaho'olawe, ho'i = The era of Lono at Kaho'olawe, returned" by Pualani Kanak'ole Kanahele
Fall 2024 Scheduled Events
Walk it Out Mondays with Joseph O. Hancock III, ASW
Mondays, 12:30-1:00 pm, Begins in front of the Sawubona Center 
Join us for Walk It Out Mondays, sponsored by Student Health Services and the Sawubona Center, where the SRJC community is invited to enjoy a refreshing 30-minute walk around campus. Arrive at 12:25 to begin at 12:30. Walk It Out Mondaysis a great opportunity to connect with fellow students and staff while promoting physical and mental well-being. Plus, a brief walk after meals can aid digestion and boost your energy levels. Before we begin walking, facilitator, Joseph Hancock, will hand out prompt cards to nurture conversation amongst students and staff during the walk around our beautiful campus.
Joseph O. Hancock III, ASW, born and raised in San Francisco, has supported diverse students from private and public colleges and universities, including Merritt Junior College, University of Virginia, San Francisco State University (where serves as a lecturer at the Graduate School of Social Work) and Middlebury College. As an Associate Clinical Social Worker, his training and experience inform his practice to address the unique social and emotional aspects of navigating the college journey. Joseph is well-versed in nurturing students to overcome obstacles, manage stress, and make well-informed decisions. He is committed to fostering an environment of curiosity, self-exploration and love, encouraging students to navigate their options and make informed decisions that align with their emotional well-being and aspirations.
Healing Circle with Brijit Alemán AMFT, APCC, Mental Health Therapist
Wednesday, September 25th, 9:00-11:00 am, Bertolini Student Center
Join us to share and listen and be supported in community with Santa Rosa Junior College Native American & Latina psychotherapist Brijit Alemán in the Bertolini Student Activities Center. Light refreshments provided by the Native American Center.
Brijida “Brijit” Alemán is an Alumni of SRJC with an AA in Psychology, AS in Administration of Justice, Corrections Certificate, and Children in the Justice System Certificate. She received her B.A. in Psychology from Sonoma State University, and her Master’s in Counseling Psychology from The Wright Institute in Berkeley, and is pursuing dual licensure as a Marriage and Family Therapist and Professional Clinical Counselor. Brijit was born and raised in Santa Rosa, CA and is a multicultural, first-generation college graduate. She is Native American from the Hopland Band of Pomo Indians, Mexican American, and the daughter of migrant farm laborers. Brijit has been at SRJC since 2009, working in College Skills, Financial Aid, Disability Resources, and now as a bilingual mental health clinician in our Student Psychological Services serving marginalized populations such as Spanish-speaking, Latinx, Native American, undocumented, and formerly incarcerated students.
"Art Journaling and Reflection with Colors of Nature: Culture, Identity, and the Natural World" by Amanda Ayala
Tuesday, October 8th, 9:30-11:00 am, Bertolini Student Center
Join Artist Amanda Ayala as we center our inherent creativity and brilliance to think together and reflect on themes in Colors of Nature: Culture, Identity, and the Natural World. Amanda will share high quality art materials with us to work with, all supplies included, you are welcome to bring your favorite art supplies if you like.
Amanda Ayala (she/ella) is an interdisciplinary Xicana Indigenous visual artist and maker who centers people targeted by oppression and acknowledges their brilliance. Amanda leads and facilitates workshops that combine artist liberation and social justice for people of all ages. She creates within community as a way to heal and transform society.
Image by Chica Camera Photography
Art & the Earth under Occupation with Elmaz Abinader
Wednesday, October 23rd, 9:00-11:00 am, Santa Rosa Intercultural Center
Elmaz will tell the story of meeting the Palestinian artists she writes about in "The Art Gallery." She will also speak about how all her work "is conversation with history which etches the collisions on every rock and road, riverbed and meadow; the earth holds the marks of migrations, escapes, exiles, alienations, aging and evolutions. In [her] poetry, in particular, the body and the earth exchange their positions and perspectives. The memories of war are on the skin as well as on the mesa, the exile is written in dust and cells."
Elmaz Abinader has a memoir: Children of the Roojme, A Family’s Journey from Lebanon, and two books of poetry, In the Country of My Dreams…winner of PEN Oakland and This House, my Bones. Find recent work at Terrain and Michigan Quarterly Review etc. Elmaz teaches at Mills College at Northeastern University and was a co-founder of VONA/Voices.
All Our Relations Reading Group
Thursday, October 24th, 5:00-6:30 pm | Zoom Registration
Dr. Churchill and Dr. Tom facilitate the All Our Relations Reading Group to provide opportunities for students, faculty, staff, and the public to read texts and join in conversations about issues in Native American Studies, Indigenous Studies, Environmental Studies, and all areas that allow us to explore our connectedness with all our relations. This semester, we are excited to feature the selected essays from Colors of Nature: Culture, Identity, and the Natural World.
- "Widening the Frame" by editors Lauret E. Savoy and Alison H. Deming
- "Mujeres de Maíz: women, Corn, and Free Trade in the Americas" by Maria Melendez
- "The Art Gallery" by Elmaz Abinader
- "In History" by Jamaica Kincaid
Healing Circle with Brijit Alemán
Wednesday, October 30th, 9:00-11:00 am, Bertolini Student Center 
Join us to share and listen and be supported in community with Santa Rosa Junior College Native American & Latina psychotherapist Brijit Alemán in the Bertolini Student Activities Center. Light refreshments provided by the Native American Center.
Brijida “Brijit” Alemán is an Alumni of SRJC with an AA in Psychology, AS in Administration of Justice, Corrections Certificate, and Children in the Justice System Certificate. She received her B.A. in Psychology from Sonoma State University, and her Master’s in Counseling Psychology from The Wright Institute in Berkeley, and is pursuing dual licensure as a Marriage and Family Therapist and Professional Clinical Counselor. Brijit was born and raised in Santa Rosa, CA and is a multicultural, first-generation college graduate. She is Native American from the Hopland Band of Pomo Indians, Mexican American, and the daughter of migrant farm laborers. Brijit has been at SRJC since 2009, working in College Skills, Financial Aid, Disability Resources, and now as a bilingual mental health clinician in our Student Psychological Services serving marginalized populations such as Spanish-speaking, Latinx, Native American, undocumented, and formerly incarcerated students.
All Our Relations Reading Group
Thursday, November 14th, 5:00-6:30 pm, Zoom Registration 
Dr. Churchill and Dr. Tom facilitate the All Our Relations Reading Group to provide opportunities for students, faculty, staff, and the public to read texts and join in conversations about issues in Native American Studies, Indigenous Studies, Environmental Studies, and all areas that allow us to explore our connectedness with all our relations. This semester, we are excited to feature the selected essays from Colors of Nature: Culture, Identity, and the Natural World.
- "Listening for the Ancient Tones, Watching for Sign, Tasting for the Mountain Thyme" by Gary Paul Nabhan
- "Learning the Grammar of Animacy" by Robin Wall Kimmerer
- "Becoming Métis" by Melissa Nelson
Work of Literary Merit Archive
The Marrow Thieves, Cherie Dimaline (2017), Fall 2023, Spring 2024
Man's Search for Meaning, Victor E. Frankl (1946), Fall 2022, Spring 2023
Interior Chinatown, Charles Yu, Fall 2021, Spring 2022
Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen, Jose Antonio Vargas, Fall 2020, Spring 2021
Walden, Henry David Thoreau, Fall 2019, Spring 2020
Kindred, Octavia Butler, Fall 2018, Spring 2019
1984, George Orwell, Fall 2017, Spring 2018
Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehesi Coates, Fall 2016, Spring 2017
100 Years of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Spring 2016
The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula LeGuin, Fall 2015
Collected Essays, James Baldwin, Spring 2015
A River Runs Through It, Norman Maclean, Fall 2014
The Brief, Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Diaz, Spring 2014
The Complete Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Fall 2013
Passing, Nella Larsen, Spring 2013
Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., Fall 2012
Great Expectations, Charles Dickens, Spring 2012
Reservation Blues, Sherman Alexie, Fall 2011
Into the Forest, Jean Hegland, Spring 2010/2011
Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston, Fall 2009/2010
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain, Spring 2008/2009
Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen, Fall 2007/Spring 2008
Ceremony, Leslie Marmon Silko, Fall 2006/Spring 2007
Ibsen's Selected Plays, Henrik Ibsen, Spring 2006
The Lathe of Heaven, Ursula K. Le Guin, Fall 2005
Middle Passage, Charles Johnson, Spring 2005
The Portable Walt Whitman, Walt Whitman, Fall 2004
Go Tell it on the Mountain, James Baldwin, Spring 2004
Howards End, E. M. Forster, Fall 2003
Tracks, Louise Erdrich, Spring 2003
The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck, Fall 2002
The Awakening, Kate Chopin, Spring 2002
The Turn of the Screw, Henry James, Fall 2001
The Things They Carried, Tim O'Brien, Spring 2001
Gimpel the Fool, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Fall 2000
Where I'm Calling From, Raymond Carver, Spring 2000
Hard Times, Charles Dickens, Fall 1999
Snow Falling on Cedars, David Guterson, Spring 1999
Teaching a Stone to Talk, Annie Dillard, Fall 1998
The Woman Warrior, Maxine Hong Kingston, Spring 1998
Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll, Fall 1997
As You Like It, William Shakespeare, Spring 1997
My Antonia, Willa Cather, Fall 1996
Grand Avenue, Greg Sarris, Spring 1996
Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison, Fall 1995
Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte, Spring 1995
Beloved, Toni Morrison, Fall 1994
Ceremony, Leslie Marmon Silko, Spring 1994
The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway, Fall 1993
The Portable Chekhov, Anton Chekhov, Spring 1993
Waiting for the Barbarians, J. M. Coetzee, Fall 1992
Frankenstein, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Spring 1992
Dubliners, James Joyce, Fall 1991
Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison, Spring 1991
Steppenwolf, Hermann Hesse, Fall 1990
One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Spring 1990
The Great Gatsby, Fall 1989
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain, Spring 1989
The Milagro Beanfield War, John Nichols, Fall 1988
The Day of the Locust, Nathanael West, Spring 1988
The Tempest, William Shakespeare, Fall 1987
A Passage to India, E. M. Forster, Spring 1987
To the Lighthouse, Virginia Woolf, Fall 1986
Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad, Spring 1986
Madame Bovary, Gustave Flaubert, Fall 1985
A Gathering of Old Men, Ernest J. Gaines Spring 1985
Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen, Fall 1984
1984, George Orwell, Spring 1984
The Horse's Mouth, Joyce Cary, Fall 1983
Henderson The Rain King, Saul Bellow, Spring 1983
As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner, Fall 1982
The Mayor of Casterbridge, Thomas Hardy, Spring 1982
Candide, Voltaire, Fall 1981