UC Davis welcomed poet and author Javier Zamora to the Mondavi Center for an evening of reflection, storytelling and dialogue centered on his critically acclaimed memoir Solito: A Memoir, this year’s selection for the Campus Community Book Project.

UC Davis faculty experts are helping advance campuswide dialogue on global migration through the 2025–2026 Campus Community Book Project, which centers on Solito by Javier Zamora. As part of the initiative, scholars affiliated with the UC Davis Global Migration Center convened for a public panel that explored the social, economic, legal and human dimensions of migration, connecting academic research with the lived experiences reflected in the book.

In a quiet corner of International House Davis on a Tuesday evening, a group of about a dozen Davis community members and UC Davis faculty, staff and students gathered for conversation that was anything but small. They came together to discuss Solito — Javier Zamora’s powerful memoir of migration from El Salvador to the United States — and in doing so, they found connection, courage and belonging.