The University of Arizona Press
September 4, 2024
We are happy to announce that five of our books have been named as finalists for the 2024 New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards!
The New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards are given annually by the New Mexico Book Co-op. Their mission is “to showcase local books, authors, presses, and related professionals; to promote literacy; and to raise public awareness of quality books produced [in New Mexico and Arizona].”
See the full list of finalists at this link.
About the books:
Anthropology/Archaeology Finalist
In Woven from the Center, Diane Dittemore presents breathtaking basketry from some of the greatest weavers in the Southwest. Each sandal and mat fragment, each bowl and jar, every water bottle and whimsy is infused with layers of aesthetic, cultural, and historical meanings. This book offers stunning photos and descriptions of woven works from Tohono O’odham, Akimel O’odham, Hopi, Western Apache, Yavapai, Navajo, Pai, Paiute, New Mexico Pueblo, Eastern Apache, Seri, Yaqui, Mayo, and Tarahumara communities.
Biography (Arizona Subject) Finalist
Editors Jesús Rosales and Vanessa Fonseca-Chávez celebrate more than forty years of creative writing by Chicana author Margarita Cota-Cárdenas in La Plonqui: The Literary Life and Work of Margarita Cota-Cárdenas. The book includes critical essays, reflections, interviews, and previously unpublished writing by the author herself to document the lifelong craft and legacy of a pioneering writer in the field.
Biography (Arizona Subject), Biography (Other), & History (Arizona) Finalist
World of Our Mothers highlights the largely forgotten stories of forty-five women immigrants in the early twentieth century. Through interviews in Arizona mining towns, Phoenix barrios, and selected areas of California, Texas, and the Midwest, authors Miguel Montiel and Yvonne de la Torre Montiel show us how these women negotiated their lives with their circumstances.
Nature/Environment Finalist
Restoring the Pitchfork Ranch tells the story of a decades-long habitat restoration project in southwestern New Mexico. Rancher-owner A. Thomas Cole explains what inspired him and his wife, Lucinda, to turn their retirement into years dedicated to hard work and renewal. The book shares the past and present history of a very special ranch south of Silver City, which is home to a rare type of regional wetland, a fragile desert grassland ecosystem, archaeological sites, and a critical wildlife corridor in a drought-stricken landscape.
Nonfiction (General) & Travel Finalist
A sharp examination of Arizona by a nationally acclaimed writer, Rim to River follows Tom Zoellner on a 790-mile walk across his home state as he explores key elements of Arizona culture, politics, and landscapes. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in learning more about a vibrant and baffling place.
Congratulations to all our authors!
