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


VOLCANISTAS de CHIAPAS SE DISTINGUEN
La periodista Karla María Gutiérrez (San Cristóbal) y la poeta Enriqueta Lúnez (Chamula), ambas participantes en nuestra temporada de 2019, salieron al podio en Mujeres en el Arte y Cultura,


Prince Shakur (UTV 2021, Writing of Witness) Launches Debut Memoir
Prince Shakur (UTV 2021, Writing of Witness with Elizabeth Rosner) announces his debut memoir, ‘When They Tell You To Be Good’


Óscar Molina V. (UTV 2021, Escritura y testimonio) Wins 2023 Emerging Writer Fellowship from the Miami Book Fair
Congratulations to Óscar Molina V. (UTV 2021, Escritura y testimonio con Sandra Lorenzano) for winning the Emerging Writer Fellowship from the Miami Book Fair.


Rebecca George (UTV2022) on False Conservation in the DRC
Rebecca George (UTV 2022, Journalism) writes about how terms like “protected land” and “conservation concessions” can be Orwellian doublespeak today
“I got my first Mexico dateline! I couldn’t have done this reporting if not for the help and encouragement of my colleagues at UTV. It doesn’t get much better than that.”
Gabriel Sandoval
“En tiempos oscuros para el mundo, Under the Volcano fue oasis y refugio para mí y mis letras. Ahora me siento parte de una verdadera comunidad de escritura con integrantes de todo el mundo.”
Karla María Gutiérrez
“As an independent journalist working on a labyrinthine project, I received invaluable guidance from Alfredo and Angela when I was unsure about the roads that lay ahead.”