Sacramento State’s One Book selection for 2015-16 is Weed Land: Inside America's Marijuana Epicenter and How Pot Went Legit by award-winning Sacramento Bee reporter Peter Hecht, who earned his master’s degree at Sac State.
“I've spent my years in journalism enthralled by the California story,” Hecht says, “and I'm thrilled that Weed Land was chosen as the One Book selection. I'm excited about returning to Sacramento State to share the book and to engage with students and the community on this story about the marijuana phenomenon and an epoch of social change that couldn't have begun anywhere else but in California.”
He will lecture twice – at noon and 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8, in the University Union Ballroom – during Sac State’s annual One Book Author Day. Both talks are free and open to the public. He will also participate in a panel discussion for the campus community at 10 a.m. in the Ballroom. After each presentation, Hecht will sign copies of Weed Land (University of California Press, 264 pages, $19.95 plus tax with the Hornet Bookstore discount.)
Hecht began covering marijuana issues for the Bee in 2009, starting with Oakland’s medical marijuana taxation vote. He launched the newspaper’s “Weed Wars” blog in 2010, just as California voters considered an initiative to legalize marijuana. His coverage won a second place for explanatory journalism in the 2011 "Best of the West" awards, and the Northern California chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists awarded him an Excellence in Journalism prize.
Hecht, who was “Made at Sac State,” earned a special master’s degree in Latin American and International Studies in 2004. As his culminating project, he trained journalists in Peru. He also earned a graduate certificate in international journalism from the University of Southern California, and his undergraduate degree in communication is from Cal State Fullerton.
The One Book Author Day is hosted by Sacramento State’s One Book Program and is co-sponsored by Hornet Bookstore, UNIQUE Programs, Academic Affairs and University Enterprises Inc. – Dixie Reid