Fresno Professor, Pub Singled Out for Achievements

Today, a couple of local folks have received recognition for two very different achievements. Both are worthwhile, so we thought we’d shine a light on each.

Associate Professor and Author Randa Jarrar

First, congratulations are in order to Randa Jarrar, author and associate professor at Fresno State.

Jarrar, who grew up in Kuwait and Egypt before moving to the U.S., won the 2017 Story Prize Spotlight Award for her short story collection, Him, Me, Muhammad Ali.

From Sarabande Books:

Jarrar’s stories grapple with love, loss, displacement, and survival in a collection that moves seamlessly between realism and fable, history and the present. With humor, irony, and boundless imagination, Jarrar brings to life a memorable cast of characters, many of them ‘accidental transients’—a term for migratory birds who have gone astray—seeking their circuitous routes back home.”

You can order Jarrar’s collection of stories here.

Spokeasy Public House

And congrats also to Spokeasy Public House in the Tower District, who has been singled out by Yazda app as one of the highest-rated bicycle-friendly bars in the country.

In their list of “50 of the Most Bike-Friendly Hangouts,” Spokeasy was the pick for California—all of California. Says Yazda:

If you like bike decor (like handlebars supporting a bookshelf), craft beer, and vintage arcade games, you MUST visit Spokeasy Public House while you’re in California. Most reviews rave about the laid back atmosphere, the awesome beer selection, and the friendly bartenders. Oh, and PAC-MAN.”

Visit Spokeasy’s website to find out more about what they serve and where to find them.

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Jason Farris

Head YES man at FresYes.com

I grew up in Fresno. Relaxed in its calm breezes, listened with my dad to the crack of the bat at little league baseball games when I was a kid and now take my son to do the same at minor league games. I broadened my mind at its schools (I went to high school right here at San Joaquin Memorial, and to college at Fresno State!) I love that if I drive for two hours in one direction, I can be in the mountains. For two hours in another, luxuriating on a California beach. I can enjoy the cosmopolitan atmosphere of San Francisco or Los Angeles, but still be able to come home to relaxation, calm, and quiet.

I love where I live, and I also love what I do. I'm lucky to be able to work in a profession in which I get to build relationships; one that has me meeting new people each and every day and helping them to build new lives in my beloved city. I'm lucky enough to work in a profession in which I can marry cutting-edge technologies and marketing techniques to good, old-fashioned, nose-to-the-grindstone work. I am lucky enough to work in a profession that allows me to work as an advocate for my clients; to use every tool at my disposal to get a job done well for them, and with as little stress and expense as possible.

I love my city. I love my job. One inspires my excellence for the other.

Fresno? I say FresYES

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