January 26, 2010 - Alex Espinoza, an up-and-coming novelist, will be reading excerpts of his work as part of the California Writers Series at California State University, Bakersfield on Wednesday, Feb. 10 at 7 p.m., in the Dezember Room of the Walter Stiern Library.

Born in Tijuana, Mexico, Espinoza is the youngest of 11 children. At the age of two, he migrated to southern California with his family and grew up in suburban Los Angeles. He earned his bachelor's degree from the University of California, Riverside, and a master's in creative writing from University of California, Irvine, where he was the editor of the university's literary magazine. He now teaches fiction at CSU Fresno.

Espinoza published his first novel, "Still Water Saints," in 2007. The book was named a "Discover Great New Writers" selection at Barnes and Noble Booksellers. Sandra Cisneros, author of "The House on Mango Street," praised his book, saying it was "as perfect as the beads of a rosary." Author Lisa See hailed the novel as "fresh, magical, beautiful, evocative."

The event is free and open to the public. Russo's Books will sponsor a discussion with the author, book sale and signing.

The California Writers Series is sponsored by the Walter Stiern Library, Associated Students, Inc., CSUB departments of modern languages and English, and Sigma Tau Delta, the English honors society.