Category: Author news

Poet Richard Blanco Receives National Humanities Medal

Posted on March 22, 2023 by maryreynolds

On March 21, 2023, President Joe Biden awarded the National Humanities Medal to Richard Blanco. Blanco, who delivered his poem “One Today” at President Barack Obama’s second inauguration, is one of 12 people from across the nation chosen to receive the award.

In 2005, University of Arizona Press published Blanco’s Directions to The Beach of the Dead, for which the author received the Beyond Margins Award from the PEN American Center. His latest poetry collection is How to Love a Country.

This week, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Chair Shelly C. Lowe (Navajo) said of the National Humanities Medal: “The recipients have enriched our world through writing that moves and inspires us; scholarship that enlarges our understanding of the past; and through their dedication to educating, informing, and giving voice to communities and histories often overlooked.” She continued, “I am proud to join President Biden in recognizing these distinguished leaders for their outstanding contributions to our nation’s cultural life.”

The NEH described Richard Blanco: “An award-winning poet and author, professor and public speaker, and son of Cuban immigrants, Richard Blanco’s powerful storytelling challenges the boundaries of culture, gender, and class while celebrating the promise of our Nation’s highest ideals.”

Congratulations Richard Blanco!

Tom Zoellner Makes News in Arizona

Posted on March 20, 2023 by maryreynolds

Tom Zoellner made the news in Phoenix over the weekend, in this interview in The Arizona Republic (note: link is for subscribers only). The author of Rim to River: Looking into the Heart of Arizona described his home state as “a marvelous jumble” in the article.

Zoellner said his relationship with Arizona is complicated: “I’ve had a long argument with Arizona. Understanding the beauty of it and the intriguing people that live there, but also lamenting the reckless way that the cities have grown, a kind of thoughtless sense of what really makes a community and of course the dysfunctional politics and the way that we hand the keys over to anyone who comes in with a pile of money and an idea.”

In Southern Arizona, the author shared tales inspired by the Arizona Trail at two events last Friday. He spoke at La Posada in Green Valley at a special outdoor event for La Posada residents and Friends of the Tucson Festival of Books.

In the evening, Zoellner celebrated St. Patrick’s Day at the Triangle L Art Ranch in Oracle, Arizona. After a delicious Irish dinner of corn beef and cabbage, carrots and potatoes, he told stories that didn’t quite make it into the book. He answered readers’ questions and signed books, too.

Zoellner will be speaking at more events this week across Arizona:

Tuesday, March 21, 5:30 p.m at Bright Side Bookshop in Flagstaff

Wednesday, March 22, 6 p.m. at Changing Hands Bookstore in Phoenix

Thursday, March 23, 11 a.m. at The Madaras Gallery in Tucson

Thursday, March 23, 3 p.m. at Joyner-Green Valley Library in Green Valley

Saturday, March 25, 11:30 a.m. at Arizona Historical Society in Tucson

Cynthia Guardado Featured in L.A. Times

Posted on March 20, 2023March 20, 2023 by maryreynolds

The Los Angeles Times journalist interviewed Salvadoran writers living in Los Angeles. But their photographer had to travel to the Tucson Festival of Books to photograph three authors who were panelists at the annual spring literary gathering. Poet Cynthia Guardado, author of Cenizas, was one of the poets interviewed for March 16, 2023, article, and photographed in Tucson. (In L.A. Times photo above from left to right: Alejandro Varela, Cynthia Guardado, Raquel Gutiérrez.)

Journalist Christopher Soto wrote: “For too long, the American literary industry has discussed El Salvador and its people through the gaze of cultural outsiders. But that has started to change, with an explosion of writing by Salvadorans in the United States — especially those with ties to California.” He chronicles the recent history of literary journals that published Central American Writers in exile.

The war in El Salvador is often present in Guardado’s poems. As Soto wrote, “Her verse mixes family and personal histories, bounces between nations and covers the U.S.-funded civil war in El Salvador, which lasted from 1979 through 1992. At its core is an essential question: How should the generation after a war relate to the violence that has preceded us, and where do we go next?”

In the article, Felix Cruz, a publicist for Random House, referred to the “Salvadoran Renaissance in literature” in the United States. However, in El Salvador today, governmental and societal persecution of writers continues.

Kudos to Cynthia Guardado and other Salvadoran writers for this California media spotlight!

Extended Stay Surges into Spring

Posted on March 17, 2023 by maryreynolds

Juan Martinez rides the horror winds into spring with another top ten list and revealing interviews.

First on the east coast, The New York Public Library just put Extended Stay, by Juan Martinez, on its list of “10 New Horror Novels That Are Scarier than Scream VI.” NYPL’s Carrie McBride writes, “Whether you’re a Scream completist and already took in the most recent film of the franchise and are looking to keep the frights going, or you’re always looking for the adrenaline rush of a scary, disturbing tale, these ten novels, all published in the last few months, are sure to give you chills and thrills.”

Staying in the city for a moment, Vol 1 Brooklyn’s Tobias Carroll interviewed Martinez about his novel. The author revealed his writing process, changing plots, moving scenes around, and how living in Las Vegas inspired him: “I’m pretty sure we all have some version of Vegas in our heads. That’s all to say, I don’t think I was drawn to Vegas as a setting or a subject, but I couldn’t quite write about anything else after I stopped living there. I wanted to write a little about the weird mix of opportunity and exploitation that’s there if you work the service industry — how you really can make a whole life there, or start up a new one.”

Martinez also liked that his interviewer figured out Extended Stay‘s connection to his previous book, Best Worst American, will you be able to work it out?

In Lit Reactor’s “Exposing Power as Ridiculous: A Conversation between Juan Martinez and Eden Robins,” the Chicago authors find common ground between funny and scary fiction. Asked if writing horror is cathartic, Martinez replied: “Writing a genuinely horrific moment—one that comes out of nowhere and is sick and gross and out there—all of that is super clinical and detached for me. I’m not scaring myself. I’m just trying to set up stuff to scare a reader who shares a lot of my own readerly interests but is (1) imaginary, (2) not me, but (3) also may be a lot like me.” Find out what else he said about resistance and rebellion, navigating trauma in a life that is fundamentally uncontrolled, and what he’s reading right now.

Brandy Nālani McDougall Shares Her Vision for Being Hawai’I Poet Laureate

Posted on March 9, 2023March 9, 2023 by maryreynolds

Stephanie Han of Hawai’i Public Radio interviewed Brandy Nālani McDougal about her vision for the next two years as Hawai’i State Poet Laureate. McDougall–scholar, mother, and aloha ‘āina from Maui–is the first woman selected. She says her daughters inspired her forthcoming book of poetry: ʻĀina Hānau, Birth Land.

In the interview, McDougall reflected on her high school education in “honors English” and the western canon: “Even if the western canon is intended to be more inclusive these days, you really lose out on the chance of teaching the literature of your community and of your students.” She continued, “Students can be exposed to literature that is most relevant to them, then they can see themselves as literary people. Then we can grow an amazing canon of our own in Hawai’i.”

Asked about her plans as poet laureate, McDougall explained that she wants poetry to be a place of healing, and working through trauma. She sees poetry as “reconnecting with ʻĀina, with land, and water, alongside connecting with our own stories.”

Listen to the full interview here.

Photos from University of Arizona Libraries Spring Author Talk with John P. Schaefer

Posted on March 9, 2023March 9, 2023 by maryreynolds

University of Arizona President Emeritus John P. Schaefer celebrated his new book, Desert Jewels, at the University of Arizona Libraries Spring Author Talk on March 6. The UA Libraries hosted the event at the Tucson Botanical Gardens with introductions from University President Robert Robbins, University Dean of Libraries Shan Sutton, and The University of Arizona Press Director Kathryn Conrad.

Cactus flowers are jewels of the desert—they add brilliant pops of color to our arid surroundings. In Desert Jewels, renowned Tucson photographer John P. Schaefer brings the exquisite and unexpected beauty of the cactus flower to the page. Hundreds of close-up photographs of cactus flowers native to the U.S. Southwest and Mexico offer a visual feast of color and texture, nuance and light.

Dean Sutton and President Robbins explain how President Emeritus John Schaefer brought international recognition to the University of Arizona.

President Emeritus and Author John Schaefer tells how his early life inspired his later creativity in photography.

University of Arizona Press Director Kathryn Conrad introduces John Schaefer.

Tucson Festival of Books Photos

Posted on March 8, 2023 by maryreynolds

Our authors enjoyed presenting at the Tucson Festival of Books, March 4-5, 2023, and signing books at our booth! Readers filled the tent each day and walked away with armfuls of books from our 2023 Spring Catalog, as well as best sellers and unique books from previous years.

Senior editor Allyson Carter and Author Tim Hunter

Authors Miguel Montiel and Yvonne de La Torre Montiel chat with readers.

On the right, author Tom Zoellner speaks at a panel sponsored by UA Press at UA Libraries Special Collections.

Author Devon Mihesuah, Publicity Manager Abby Mogollon, Author Gary Paul Nabhan, and UA Press Director Kathryn Conrad.

Author John P. Schaefer and Editorial Assistant Alana Enriquez.

Author Tom Zoellner signs and chats with readers.

A reader chats with a few *Mineralogy of Arizona* authors: Harvey Jong, Ron Gibbs, and Jan Rasmussen

Poet and Editor Allison Adelle Hedge Coke and Editor Elizabeth Wilder

Tom Zoellner Talks Dirty Deals on Podcasts

Posted on February 28, 2023February 27, 2023 by maryreynolds

Do you want to know the historic bars and restaurants in Arizona where Tom Zoellner says, “dirty deals have gone down”? Listen to the author in conversation with the podcast hosts on Voices of the West.

Tom’s family has lived in Arizona since 1908, and he spent years as a journalist for The Arizona Republic. He knows his way around his home state and tells tales in Rim to River: Looking into the Heart of Arizona.

On the podcast, he says Arizona is not a perfect state: “I have complicated feelings about Arizona . . . there’s so many fascinating aspects to it. I wanted to capture it in all its imperfections and all its grandeur.”

Zoellner mentions Ho’zho, a spiritual state of being translated from Diné as “balance, getting your insides in tune with the outside.” Zoellner says there isn’t really an adequate English translation of the word. But in conversation with two Diné marathon runners in his book’s first chapter, he comes to a deeper understanding.

Tom will also speak with Tucson radio legend Bill Buckmaster and Tucson Weekly editor Jim Nintzel on the Buckmaster Show, 12 – 1 p.m., March 3, on KVOI AM 1030, in Tucson. Listen online, live or after air date.

The Cowboy Up podcast drops on Saturday, March 11, at high noon. Dude rancher Russell True and cowboy Alan Day will chat with Tom about how the Arizona Trail inspired his essay collection.

Listen whenever and wherever you want and go on the trail with Tom!

Wendy Greyeyes wins Faculty Teaching Award

Posted on February 23, 2023February 23, 2023 by maryreynolds

University of New Mexico Alumni Association gave Wendy Greyeyes their 2023 Faculty Teaching Award. The award recognizes outstanding teaching and service to students.

Wendy S. Greyeyes (Diné) is an Assistant Professor of Native American Studies at The University of New Mexico. She recently published A History of Navajo Education: Disentangling our Sovereign Body (University of Arizona Press, 2022) with a forthcoming anthology, The Yazzie Case: Building a Public Education System for Our Indigenous Future, through the University of New Mexico Press. Greyeyes formerly served as the tribal liaison for the Arizona Governor, a statistician/demographer for the Department of Diné Education, a Chief Implementation Officer for the Bureau of Indian Education, and a research consultant for the Department of Diné Education.

A History of Navajo Nation Education: Disentangling Our Sovereign Body unravels the tangle of federal and state education programs that have been imposed on Navajo people and illuminates the ongoing efforts by tribal communities to transfer state authority over Diné education to the Navajo Nation.

Congratulations Wendy Greyeyes on this award!

Juan Felipe Herrera wins Frost Medal for lifetime achievement

Posted on February 15, 2023 by maryreynolds

The Poetry Society of America announced that Juan Felipe Herrera is the 2023 recipient of the Frost Medal for distinguished lifetime achievement in poetry. Named for Robert Frost, and first given in 1930, the Frost Medal is one of the oldest and most prestigious awards in American poetry.

Herrera served as poet laureate from 2015 to 2017.

Herrera says, “With the poem, I can design a little corner for my families that have passed to live on, and for those brutalized by society to continue and be honored—to generate kindness.” Drawing on disparate sources, from European Modernism to Mesoamerican traditions to popular culture, Herrera creates a poetic voice that is both deeply embedded and wholly original. “Poetry,” he writes, “has gills and spears, spells and corn offerings, saxophones, tambourines and dinner tables—the sky liquid of a Jimi Hendrix guitar.”

The Frost Medal is one of many awards given to Herrera. For example, his poetry collection Half the World in Light: New and Selected Poems, won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry and the PEN/Beyond Margins Award.

Congratulations Juan Felipe!

The University of Arizona Press