MHC Center for Steinbeck Studies

Kiyoshi Yamauchi is both a professor at Niimi University and the Editor in Chief of the John Steinbeck Society of Japan.

As an exchange student in San Jose, California, Kiyoshi was originally interested in Mark Twain and was going to write an undergraduate thesis on him. But on a trip to Monterey with his host family, Kiyoshi discovered a local author who had left a profound impact on the area–John Steinbeck. This experience sparked the inspiration for his graduate thesis and led him on a trajectory to become the 10th president of the John Steinbeck Society 30 years later.

As a member of the English Speaking Society at his university, Kiyoshi first read 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭. His favorite Steinbeck work now is 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘦𝘥 𝘗𝘰𝘯𝘺 because of his memories of teaching it to students majoring in animal science. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘦𝘥 𝘗𝘰𝘯𝘺 became a space for these students to reflect on their love for animals and their studies, and Kiyoshi was even invited to visit some of his students’ farms to meet their horses.

Kiyoshi is currently researching the parallels between Steinbeck’s 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘦𝘺 and Matsuo Basho’s travel log, 𝘖𝘬𝘶 𝘯𝘰 𝘏𝘰𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘪. Matsuo Basho was a 17th century haiku poet who travelled across Japan and wrote about his journey. People today continue to recreate the path that Basho took in 𝘖𝘬𝘶 𝘯𝘰 𝘏𝘰𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘪 and write about their own experiences, similar to the legacy of 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘦𝘺. Kiyoshi recently explored this comparison by presenting at the 2026 International Steinbeck Conference, and he will be expanding on the particular viewpoint of the "pilgrimage" at a study meeting of the Japan Association for Media English Studies in July.

Kiyoshi explains that he is “afraid that we are losing Steinbeck's relevance in Japan as the number of members of the John Steinbeck Society of Japan is decreasing.” It is for this reason that Kiyoshi remains a vital figure for the preservation of Steinbeck studies in Japan. These questions and more are explored further in the 2019 book 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘓𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘤𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘑𝘰𝘩𝘯 𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘉𝘦𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘥: 𝘐𝘯 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 50𝘵𝘩 𝘈𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 which Kiyoshi co-edited.

Kiyoshi has recently obtained an elusive copy of the manuscript for “The Wizard of Maine” and is excited for the opportunity to work on it. He is also looking forward to building connections between the archives of the John Steinbeck Society of Japan and the Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies.

Happy June first! Make sure to stop by the National Steinbeck Center for some summer!

Here at the Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies, we are eagerly awaiting the release of 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘢 𝘍𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴: 𝘏𝘢𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘌𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘋𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘙𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 (Duke UP, August 18, 2026).

Written by our former Director, Dr. Daniel Lanza Rivers (they/them), 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘢 𝘍𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴: 𝘏𝘢𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘌𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘋𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘙𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 takes an in-depth look into the complex and interconnected history of environmental colonialism, decolonial land return movements, and the art and activism centered on environmental justice and climate adaptation in California. One particular chapter narrows in on Steinbeck’s 𝘛𝘰 𝘢 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘜𝘯𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯 by situating it both within a historical context and in reference to contemporary challenges around water management, drought adaptation, and consolidated agriculture.

Interested readers are welcome to pre-order the book before release, and a 30% discount is available when using code “E26CAFTR” at checkout on the Duke UP website: https://dukeupress.edu/california-futures.

Our next Steinbeck scholar, Yasuhiro Sakai, recently journeyed across the globe to attend our 2026 International Steinbeck Conference. Yasuhiro last attended the conference over 20 years ago, when it was hosted in New York in 2002 and Kyoto, Japan in 2005.

Yasuhiro says that his appreciation for Steinbeck began even 30 years before that with his introduction to 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯. The existence of the gnome in the chapter “Tularecito” and the story’s general Celtic atmosphere captured his attention the most, leading to a lifelong interest in Steinbeck’s literature.

When asked about the longevity of Steinbeck’s work, Yasuhiro noted that the “kindness and love” of his writing is sorely needed “under this convenient atmosphere of digital situations.” Yasuhiro urges contemporary audiences to revisit the humanity of Steinbeck in order to combat the isolation that is now embedded in our current world.

Yasuhiro’s research today continues to explore the connection between Steinbeck’s philosophy and the Celtic symbolism that first drew him in. Tracing back to Steinbeck’s mother and her Irish heritage, Yasuhiro takes a fascinating deep-dive into the overlapping ideologies of “is” thinking, Phalanx theory, Group-Man theory, and holism with Celtic tradition in his recently released book 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘑𝘰𝘩𝘯 𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘬: 𝘐𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘓𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 “𝘊𝘦𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘛𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵”: https://www.osaka-kyoiku-tosho.net/books/1254/.

On May 21, 2026 the National Steinbeck Center will be hosting a Luncheon where we will enjoy a delicious lunch and hear from speaker Louie Brown of Kahn of Soares & Conway LLP as he gives us an informed look at the Governor's race and the policy battles ahead, translating Capitol dynamics into practical insight for anyone with a stake in California's future. To sign up, please visit our website or the link in our bio.

Penguin Random House sent a letter to Congress last month opposing H.R. 7661 — a federal bill that would tie school funding to a narrow set of approved reading lists. Among the titles deemed unworthy of consideration under those lists: Of Mice and Men.

That's not a technicality. It means that Lennie and George, the bunkhouse, the dream of a little place with rabbits — the story that has helped generations of American students recognize the dignity of people the world tends to overlook — would be off the table. Not because educators decided it wasn't right for their students. Because three outside sources didn't put it on a list.

Steinbeck spent his career insisting that the lives of ordinary, struggling, imperfect people were worth writing about — and worth reading about. He believed that literature's job was to expand our understanding of what it means to be human, not to confirm what we already think we know.

The question H.R. 7661 forces us to ask is one Steinbeck would have recognized immediately: who gets to decide which lives are worth telling, and which stories are worth knowing?

We do believe in the people — educators, librarians, students — who are closest to the books and closest to the readers. That's a principle Steinbeck would have defended too.

Carter Johnson is a rising name in Steinbeck scholarship, with perhaps some exciting new publications coming in the future.

His recently completed dissertation, 𝘊𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘴: 𝘌𝘤𝘰-𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘑𝘰𝘩𝘯 𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘬, 𝘑𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘓𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘙𝘰𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘑𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘴, offers a chapter that examines the phenomenological basis of Steinbeck and Ricketts’ approach in the 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘦𝘢 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘻 with the goal to “try to straighten out some of the misleading readings of Steinbeck’s famous non-teleological ‘sermon’.”

Like many of us, Carter was first introduced to Steinbeck through 𝘖𝘧 𝘔𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘔𝘦𝘯 in high school, but it seemed to carry an aesthetic affect and significance for him that transcended words. Carter relates that feeling to T.S. Eliot’s description of Dante, in which great art can “communicate before it’s understood.” After that moment, Carter continued to gravitate towards Steinbeck’s library with a special appreciation for his creative nonfiction such as 𝘚𝘦𝘢 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘻 and 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘦𝘺.

Carter’s exploration on the continued relevance of Steinbeck unearths to a fundamental core that encompasses the large breadth of his work:

“Steinbeck remains relevant for many reasons. I’d like to highlight just one: his lack of dogmatism. Throughout his life, he rejected the tidy, reductive ways of looking at the world. Instead, he maintained a humble openness toward experiences, places, and people. It reminds me of a Jim Harrison quote (who Steinbeck would have certainly liked): ‘Every day I wonder how many things I am dead wrong about.’”

Carter also offers excellent advice to any new readers who may be initially intimidated in starting their Steinbeck journey:

“To first-time readers of Steinbeck, don’t feel like you have to jump into the deep end with 𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘞𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘩 or 𝘌𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘌𝘥𝘦𝘯. Both novels are wonderful, but feel free to pick up something slimmer, such as 𝘊𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘙𝘰𝘸 or 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘦𝘺. They can be a lot less intimidating and still deliver a real punch.”

At our recent conference, Carter presented “Translating Crisis: A Reevaluation of Steinbeck’s 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘈𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘳.” With such a thoughtful and unique interpretation of an often misunderstood work, we hope that Carter will develop this into a book length project soon!

We had the extraordinary privilege of hearing Elanur William’s presentation “Cathy and Alice: Acts of Refusal and Radical Autonomy of Self-Definition in 𝘌𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘌𝘥𝘦𝘯” through our online sessions at the 2026 Steinbeck Conference.

In a recent interview, Elanur explains that she has “always been drawn to literature that interrogates the ‘why’ and ‘how’ behind our moral architectures, and specifically, who decides what is ‘right’ and who is cast out.”

Drawing on her favorite Steinbeck work, Elanur finds that Cathy Ames’ insistence on physical sovereignty makes Cathy one of the most provocative and compelling characters she’s encountered in the American canon.

Elanur's current research focuses predominantly on Children’s and Young Adult (YA) literature, with a specific interest in the graphic memoir. She is interested in how young protagonists use intertextuality, such as Cathy’s fixation on 𝘈𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘞𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥, to navigate their sense of self. She is set to begin her PhD at Trinity College Dublin this fall, where she will examine migration, memory, displacement, and identity in graphic memoirs depicting young adulthood from the 1980s to the 2010s.

When asked about why Steinbeck’s writing remains relevant today, Elanur had the following insightful observation:

“Steinbeck remains vital because his work grapples with power—who has it, and who is crushed by it. I believe there is still a missing dialogue regarding 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘭 (the concept that “thou mayest” choose) and how it applies to gender, race, class, and bodily autonomy. His relevance today lies in our ability to apply his philosophy of choice to those whose lives are limited or damaged by systemic power. We need to continue asking: who actually has the right to choose, and how do we support or advocate for those denied that agency?

From a reproductive justice lens, we rarely see depictions of abortion or the struggle for bodily autonomy in classic literature, despite these being common realities. However, Steinbeck still couches Cathy’s agency within a good/evil dialectic; these rigid binaries contribute to the persistent stigma surrounding reproductive healthcare in the United States today. While 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘭 suggests an inherent human agency, it often ignores how systemic racism and poverty constrain ‘choice.’ By analyzing characters like Cathy through a Reproductive Justice lens, we see how the literary canon often demonizes reproductive agency by framing it as a moral failing.

Drawing on the intellectual backbone provided by scholars such as Dorothy Roberts, Loretta Ross, and Angela Davis, I believe there is potential to move beyond individualistic ethics toward a community-based understanding of autonomy. To be “good” is not a solitary burden; it is a condition made possible only when we dismantle the systems that deny agency to the marginalized.”

Pictures courtesy of Elanur Williams and the Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies.

Three weeks ago today, we concluded the 2026 Steinbeck Conference.

Sparking lively discussions about ecology, non-teleological thinking, and the social commentary embedded in his work, scholars from a wide range of disciplines and backgrounds were brought together on this common ground.

In studying the values of unity, empathy, and respect for human dignity at the heart of these novels, we continue to build an everlasting community that values the same.

As our “Continuing the Conversation” series comes to a close, I want to highlight the program that allowed our students to create such engaging work into the writings of Steinbeck.

This past Fall 2025 semester, Arizona State University students enrolled in ENG 498: Steinbeck Studies with Dr. Kathleen Hicks as a part of the Online Undergraduate Research Scholars (OURS) program. Not only were students able to build connections to the Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies through our recent series, the OURS program also led four of our students to present at our most recent 2026 Steinbeck Conference!

Annalee Ith provided an in-depth analysis of cultural preservation through 𝘈 𝘙𝘶𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘑𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭 and contemporary Cambodian American poetry. Brianna Gray compared Steinbeck’s evolving concern over the state of empathy and moral responsibility in the United States through the lens of 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘦𝘺. Amy Lu examined how Steinbeck’s characters and their activist spirits respond to incarceration through his works. Ethan Francois identified the ways in which Steinbeck portrays masculinity in his characters and how it is inextricably tied to morality.

We greatly appreciate our students for going above and beyond in this program, with many traveling far and wide in order to present. We also want to give a big thanks to Dr. Kathleen Hicks and OURS Director Ara Austin for their dedication to creating this opportunity that has already opened many doors and started great conversations within Steinbeck studies.

𝘐𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘈𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘦 𝘐𝘵𝘩, 𝘋𝘳. 𝘒𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘏𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘴, 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢 𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘈𝘮𝘺 𝘓𝘶. 𝘌𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘍𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰.