UH Distinguished Professor and IUCRC BRAIN Faculty Cristina Rivera Garza has been awarded Berlin Prize Fellowship for Spring 2023

University of Houston creative writing professor and award-winning author Cristina Rivera Garza is one of only 10 recipients of the Berlin Prize for spring 2023. The semester-long fellowship is awarded annually to top-tier scholars, writers, composers and artists who are from or live in the United States.

“This is such a prestigious award, one that will allow me to build conversations across disciplines with top American scholars and authors in a city burgeoning with cultural and social activity,” said Rivera Garza, M.D. Anderson Distinguished Professor and director of the UH doctoral program in creative writing in Spanish. “I am sincerely grateful and elated about this opportunity.”

The American Academy in Berlin recently granted a total of 20 Berlin Prizes — 10 for fall 2022 and 10 for spring 2023. According to the academy, the fellows, who are selected by an independent committee, “will pursue a wide array of scholarly and artistic projects.”

“Professor Rivera Garza is a leader in her field and this honor is well deserved,” said Paula Myrick Short, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. “She continues to write thought-provoking works on urgent topics, stimulating international conversations. Her talents as a teacher, researcher and writer have a lasting impact on our creative writing students.”