Aspiring City College writers will soon have the opportunity to be awarded financial prizes for their work through the newly announced Joan Didion Scholarship for Writers. 

On Nov. 10, the Sacramento Historical Society hosted the Golden Land Joan Didion Celebration Event at the Golden 1 Center, where they announced the scholarship and unveiled a bust of Joan Didion made by sculptor Lisa Reinertson, which will be displayed at the Sacramento Room in the Sacramento Public Library on I Street.

Joan Didion was a City College student in the 1950s who would later go on to become a famous author of narrative nonfiction, including with her first book, “Slouching Towards Bethlehem,” about the hippie counterculture, which was published in 1968. She received international acclaim and awards for her work during her lifetime. She died in December 2021. 

A proud Sacramento native, the love Didion had for her hometown was often reflected in the things she wrote. The event celebrated Didion’s legacy and the impact she left on society. Artists, and others came to honor her.

City College participated in honoring her legacy by partnering with the Sacramento Historical Society to create the scholarship. According to a summary of the scholarship on City College’s website, the scholarship will support writers attending City College with an emphasis on English or journalism majors. 

Those who wish to earn the scholarship will be able to submit their best piece of writing to the Los Rios Academic Works where it will be judged by the City College faculty. The first scholarship will be awarded in spring 2023. 

As of right now, the scholarship amount is not known, but according to Victoria Austin, City College’s regional director of philanthropy, the final amount will be known in early January when the scholarship application period starts. 

City College’s Interim President Albert Garcia, who announced the scholarship at the memorial event said, “I’m grateful for everyone at the Sacramento Historical Society who’s made this event possible and even more so, Sacramento City College has been made the beneficiary of this by virtue of a scholarship in Didion’s name.”

President Garcia said he hopes this scholarship will offer writers the reward they deserve for all they do. “Every year we had students who blew me away with the fascinating, meaningful and moving story they had to tell. … Having the talent is one thing, but having talent and then winning a Didion scholarship, can you imagine what an incredible boost this will give a student?”