This post was updated Feb. 23 at 7:58 p.m. Alyssa Murray is applying her studies in English and psychology to write and self-publish a book. Murray, a third-year English and psychology student, began writing her debut novel as a freshman at UCLA and later published it in January. Read more...

Photo: Pictured is author and student Alyssa Murray posing in front of book stacks with a copy of her novel “The A Word.” The book discusses the difficulties and stigmas behind mental health through the character Iris Amare. (Selin Filiz/Daily Bruin)

Armen Davoudian combined Persian and Armenian culture with English to reflect on life abroad and in the United States during a poetry reading Wednesday. Davoudian, a doctoral student studying English at Stanford, read poems about his mother, father, grandfather and others in his life at the Hammer Museum. Read more...

Photo: Pictured is Armen Davoudian poses for his headshot (left) beside the cover of his poetry book “The Palace of Forty Pillars” (right). Davoudian read poems from the book Wednesday at an event hosted by the Hammer Museum. (Courtesy of Matthew Lansburgh and Tin House Books)

This post was updated Feb. 17 at 7:41 p.m. Michelle Liu Carriger, who has a doctorate in theater arts and performance studies, is encouraging others to embrace the complexity of their clothing. Read more...

Photo: Pictured is Professor Michelle Liu Carriger sporting a green knit sweater. The professor was recently awarded the Barnard Hewitt award for her book most recent book, “Theatricality of the Closet: Fashion, Performance, and Subjectivity Between Victorian Britain and Meiji Japan.” (Courtesy of UCLA School of Theater, Film & Television)