Journalism | Periodismo
Journalism is an integral part of Under the Volcano’s three-week January residency. With inaugural leadership from Ginger Thompson, the program views investigative journalism as a crucial way to expose injustice and misinformation on both sides of the border.
We welcome working reporters committed to telling stories that matter, including applicants writing from or about areas of conflict or crisis. By bringing journalists together across borders in a community that also includes poetry and novelists, Under the Volcano offers solidarity, community, professional guidance and ongoing connection to accomplished peers.
Taken as a whole, our journalism program and masterclasses in literary non-fiction embody our commitment to what we call Writing of Witness and our core belief in freedom of expression.
Who's Who
in Journalism @UTV
Tyrone Beason, senior reporter at the Los Angeles Times;
Alicia Quiñones, coordinator for Latin America and the Caribbean of PEN International;
Alfredo Corchado, Mexico City Bureau Chief of the Dallas Morning News;
Angela Kocherga, news director and a correspondent for public radio station KTEP and professor of journalism at the University of Texas at el Paso.
What makes our journalism program unique
The passion behind the headlines…
Faculty member David Barstow and Breen Fellow Karla María Gutiérrez on why journalism matters.
Journalism Fellowships
We currently offer three full fellowships to our journalism master class—two for Mexican reporters in honor of Robert L. Breen, and the Truthteller fellowship for an English-language reporter. Our Black Writers Matter Fund offers sliding scale support to qualified Black applicants (talent + need). In addition, the International Women’s Media Foundation may provide support for women or non-binary reporters through their Howard G Buffett Fund for Women Journalists.
The Robert L. Breen Distinguished Journalist Speakers Series
Established with a generous gift from Mark and Sue Real, this series brings seasoned reporters from Mexico and the United States to Under the Volcano to share their expertise with the journalism master class, the general public and other interested program participants.
Recent Work by Our Journalism Alumni
¡Doble Orgullo! Dos Volcanistas, Dos FONCA
¡Doble Orgullo! Dos Volcanistas, Enrique Urbina (UTV 2020) y Montserrat Rodríguez Ruelas (UTV 2019), son ganadores de la prestigiosa beca FONCA 2023/24.
And Thereby Hangs a Tale
Congratulations to the multi-talented Anna Maconochie (UTV 2019, 2020 & 2021, fiction) on her gently surreal story of a marriage that takes the reader on a tour of the improbable.
Montserrat Rodríguez Ruelas Makes Waves with her First Novel
Tijuana-based writer Montserrat Rodríguez Ruelas, (UTV 2019, Beca La Güera Trigos), is touring Mexico with her first novel, Aunque es de noche, winner of the 2021 Amado Nervo National Short Novel Prize. A unique blend of reality and fantasy, the novel builds on short stories Montserrat brought to her master class in Tepoztlán with Alberto Chimal.
When Deed Becomes Word
Simone Scriven (UTV 2019, journalism) has written a stunning, magisterial piece that traces the evolution of the word ecocide as a term analogous to genocide, a concept that is gradually moving into the world of international law.