08/25/2026
CSUSB Libraries invites you to a special Hispanic Heritage Month event featuring award-winning poet and novelist Jennifer Casas Givhan, author of Salt Bones; River Woman, River Demon; Trinity Sight; and several acclaimed poetry collections. Her new novel, The Sleeping Sisters, was just released on August 18.
The program will take place on Tuesday, September 15, from noon to 1 p.m. in the Faculty Center for Excellence (PL-4005), located on the Fourth Floor of the Pfau Library. Givhan will discuss Salt Bones, the experiences and landscapes that shaped the novel, and the themes at the heart of her work, followed by questions from the audience.
Before the talk, 100 free copies of Jennifer Givhan's books, including Salt Bones, will be given away to students from 11:00 to 11:45 a.m. on the first floor of the Pfau Library, near the Presidential portraits, while supplies last.
Set in California’s Imperial Valley, where Givhan grew up, Salt Bones blends magical realism, mystery, horror, and suspense in a powerful exploration of motherhood, environmental injustice, and the disappearances of Indigenous and Latina women.
The Los Angeles Times called Salt Bones “a triumph,” and Publishers Weekly named it one of the Best Books of 2025.
A Mexican American and Indigenous writer, Givhan is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, a PEN/Rosenthal Emerging Voices Fellowship, and a Southwest Book Award. Her work has appeared in The New Republic, The Nation, POETRY, Ploughshares, and The Kenyon Review.
Come for the book. Stay for the conversation. Meet an acclaimed writer whose work transforms the landscapes, histories, and communities of the Southwest into stories that are compelling, urgent, and ultimately hopeful.
The program is free and open to the public. Zoom option: https://tinyurl.com/SaltBones.
For questions or more information, contact Rob Madrigal, Pfau Library, at [email protected].
Co-sponsored by the Hispanic Heritage Month Planning Committee, Acto Latino, Department of English, and the Honors College.
