Category: Event News

UA Press Authors at the 2019 Texas Book Festival

Posted on October 11, 2019October 11, 2019 by Savannah Hicks

October 11, 2019

We are excited to announce that several University of Arizona Press authors are participating in the upcoming Texas Book Festival in Austin! On October 26 and 27, over 50,000 book lovers will gather to attend author panels, book signings, cooking demonstrations, and other programs which support learning and literacy. The book festival features 300 authors of the best new books, and while the Texas Book Festival is an important showcase for Texas authors, it also hosts writers from all over the world.

Lara Medina will be participating in the festival and speaking about her new UA Press book, Voices from the Ancestors, which she co-edited with Martha R. Gonzales. This collection offers 85 voices addressing how to live as a spiritually conscious Latinx in these challenging times. The reflections and practices are a return to ancestral wisdoms before colonization and the displacement of Indigenous knowledge. Medina is a professor in Chicana/o Studies at California State University, Northridge.

Norma Elia Cantú will be presenting her new UA Press poetry collection, Meditación Fronteriza, as well as her new novel, Cabañuelas. Norma is co-founder of CantoMundo, a space for Latin@ poets, and belongs to the Macondo Writers workshop. She is also the editor of two book series, and is a Distinguished Professor of the Humanities at Trinity University. Meditación Fronteriza unveils unique images that provide nuance and depth to the narrative of the borderlands. The poems are a celebration of culture, tradition, and creativity that navigate themes of love, solidarity, and political transformation.

Odilia Galván Rodríguez, poet-activist, writer, editor, and publisher, is the author of six volumes of poetry. She will be presenting her latest book, The Color of Light, at the Texas Book Festival. Among her publications are the award-winning anthology from UA Press, Poetry of Resistance, co-edited with the late Francisco X. Alarcón.

Sergio Troncoso will be presenting on his latest book, A Peculiar Kind of Immigrant’s Son. Among his publications are two UA Press books, From This Wicked Patch of Dust and The Last Tortilla. Sergio has taught at the Yale Writers’ Workshop for many years, and is Vice President of the Texas Institute of Letters.

Jeremy Slack will be participating in the Texas Book Festival with his new book, Deported to Death. Jeremy is an Assistant Professor in the Sociology and Anthropology Department of the University of Texas at El Paso with over 15 years of research along the U.S. Mexico Border. He is co-editor of the UA Press book, The Shadow of the Wall.

The Texas Book Festival is open to the public on Saturday, October 26th from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and on Sunday, October 27th from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The festival is held in and around the grounds of the State Capitol Building in Austin. If you need more information about how to access the festival, visit here.

Tucson Shows Up to Celebrate Big Jim’s New Book

Posted on October 1, 2019October 2, 2019 by Mari Herreras

The Jarritos were on ice, the pan dulce piled high and not a cloud in the sky as more than 100 people filed into the San Xavier Mission del Bac plaza to celebrate the debut of James “Big Jim” Griffith‘s new book, Saints, Statues, and Stories on Saturday, September 28.

Griffith’s latest from the University of Arizona Press, is a collection of stories on Catholic community traditions from his 60 years of traveling through Sonora. Tradiciones, a local band that performs Andean and Mexican folk music, opened the event and moved many a Griffith fan and friend to dance.

UA Press Director Kathryn Conrad, who welcomed attendees, said the Press is proud to partner with the Southwest Center to publish Griffith’s latest book as part of the Southwest Center series. Thanks also went out to the San Xavier Mission for hosting the event at a location meaningful to Griffith and his wife, Loma Griffith.

Thomas Sheridan and Francisco “Paco” Manzo both spoke about Griffith’s new book and their collaborations with the folklorist. Sheridan, a UA Press author, is a research anthropologist with the Southwest Center. Manzo, whom Griffith acknowledges in the book, emotionally reflected on the trips through Sonora he’s taken with Griffith.

Missed this chance to get Griffith’s book? Griffith will be at the Tucson Meet Yourself store booth on Saturday, October 12, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Sunday, October 13, from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Books will be available for purchase, and Griffith will be there to sign your copy, and maybe, tell you a good saint story.

Photo credit: Mark Corneliussen

James “Big Jim” Griffith
Grupo Tradiciones
Jarritos and pan dulce
Saints, Statues, and Stories
Loma Griffth and Tom Sheridan
Glorious book buyers
Neto Portillo, Jr.,
with Big Jim
Tom Sheridan and Paco Manzo against wall

Discussing Brazil and the Landless Movement

Posted on September 5, 2019September 6, 2019 by Abby Mogollon

September 6, 2019

A satisfying part of our work as scholarly publishers is seeing our authors share their scholarship. Late last month, Anthony Pahnke spoke with the Democratic Socialists of America in Sacramento. He shared the following brief reflection with us. Thanks for sharing your work with us and with the community, Dr. Pahnke:

From Anthony Pahnke: Some years ago, it was the famous Brazilian singer, Tom Jobim, who said that “Brazil is not for beginners.” Today, his words ring true, as the Amazon burns, the country’s–perhaps the world’s–largest corruption scandal occupies the nation’s courts, and Brazil’s far-right President, Jair Bolsonaro, slams the left, and deconstructs the economy. With many of theses issues in mind, we had the opportunity to discuss contemporary Brazilian politics with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) in Sacramento, California. I was invited to this event to share what I wrote about in Brazil’s Long Revolution: The Radical Achievements of the Landless Workers Movement and to discuss international solidarity efforts.

The principle focus was the Landless Movement (O Movimiento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra). We had the opportunity to discuss the movement’s history, tactics, and trajectory, while also making the movement’s struggle for agrarian reform relevant in current discussions of political corruption, the rise of the right, and the destruction of the Amazon.

While the event in Sacramento was a time to talk about the book, it was also a space where a group of about thirty committed activists took the evening to imagine the future. At a time–in Brazil and the United States–many of us struggle to navigate our divisive political times. In Sacramento, we had the chance to think together on the things that Brazil and the U.S. share, and what the MST can contribute to this discussion.

Brazil’s Long Revolution shows how the Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra (the Brazilian Landless Workers Movement, or MST) positioned itself to take advantage of challenging economic times to improve its members’ lives. Pahnke analyzes the origins and development of the movement, one of the largest and most innovative social movements currently active. Over the last three decades, the MST has mobilized more than a million Brazilians through grassroots initiatives, addressing political and economic inequalities. To learn more about Anthony Pahnke’s work, see his website at: https://anthonypahnke.com/.

Anthony Pahnke at an event at the Arden-Dimick Library in Sacramento.

Botany Conference 2019 Roundup

Posted on August 2, 2019August 4, 2019 by Savannah Hicks

August 2, 2019

This week, we attended the 2019 Botany Conference in Tucson. We had a wonderful time meeting botanists and plant enthusiasts from far and wide, and sharing our books on the Sonoran desert and other regions. We were also thrilled that one of our authors, Stephen Pyne, was the plenary speaker for the conference and spent an evening signing his UA Press books, such as Between Two Fires. Thank you to all of the Botany 2019 attendees for visiting our beautiful desert home and stopping by the UA Press booth to look at our books!

It was great to see Mark E. Fishbein, an editor of Gentry’s Rio Mayo Plants.

Thanks to those of you who came by to get your books signed by Stephen Pyne!

LASA 2019 Recap

Posted on June 5, 2019June 6, 2019 by Savannah Hicks

June 6, 2019

Thank you to everyone who came by the University of Arizona Press booth to say hello and browse our books at the 2019 Latin American Studies Association in Boston. We loved having the opportunity to catch up with our authors and meet new scholars. To top it all off, the weather in Boston was beautiful all weekend, and there were many sights to see in the city.

UA Press author Emily Hind posing with her new book, *Dude Lit*.

Frederico Freitas with his UA Press book, *Big Water*, co-edited with Jacob Blanc.

Maria Teresa de la Piedra stopped by to say hello and pose with her book, *Educating Across Borders*.

Hannah Burdette came by with her daughter to say hello, and posed with her new book *Revealing Rebellion in Abiayala*.

Gloria Elizabeth Chacón with her new book, *Indigenous Interfaces*, co-edited with Jennifer Gómez Menjivar.

Anthony Pahnke visited our booth and posed with his UA Press book, *Brazil’s Long Revolution*.

It was so nice to see Aída Hernández Castillo at LASA. Here, she poses with her new book, *Transcontinental Dialogues*, as well as *Multiple Injustices*.

Many thanks to Ariel Zatarain Tumbaga for stopping by the booth and posing with his book, *Yaqui Indigeneity*.

It was so wonderful to see Paul M. Worley and Rita M. Palacios. Thanks for posing for a picture with your new book, *Unwriting Maya Literature*!

Latin American Studies 2019

Posted on May 22, 2019May 22, 2019 by Abby Mogollon

May 22, 2019

We’re looking forward to seeing our authors and friends later this week in Boston for LASA2019. Please stop by Booth No. BH5 in the book exhibit to browse our latest offerings and receive a 40 percent discount on orders. If you can’t make it to Boston this year, you can still receive that discount now through our shopping cart by using code AZLASA19!

Our newest offerings in Latin American Studies:

SAA 2019 Recap

Posted on April 23, 2019April 23, 2019 by Savannah Hicks

The 2019 Society for American Archaeology conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico was the highest attended meeting in 84 years. We loved talking with our authors, meeting archaeologists, and selling lots of books! Many, many thanks to everyone who stopped by the University of Arizona Press booth to say hello. Below, find some photos taken at the meeting.

Our Senior Editor, Allyson Carter, with The Life-Giving Stone author Michael T. Searcy.

Patricia A. Gilman with her two most recent UA Press books, New Perspectives on Mimbres Archaeology and Mimbres Life and Society.

It was great to see James M. Skibo, one of the editors of Archaeological Anthropology.

UA Press author Richard J. Chacon with his two edited volumes, Latin American Indigenous Warfare and Ritual Violence and North American Indigenous Warfare and Ritual Violence.

Stewart B. Koyiyumptewa, one of the editors of Moquis and Kastiilam.

It’s always a joy to see Paul E. Minnis, author and editor of many UA Press books, including New Lives for Ancient and Extinct Crops, Discovering Paquimé, and Ancient Paquimé and the Casas Grandes World.

Scott E. Ingram with his edited volume, Traditional Arid Lands Agriculture.

Thomas E. Guderjan, editor of The Value of Things.

Barbara J. Roth with her new edited volume, New Perspectives on Mimbres Archaeology.

UA Press author Tsim D. Schneider, editor of Indigenous Landscapes and Spanish Missions.

UA Press Senior Editor Allyson Carter with Eleanor M. King, editor of The Ancient Maya Marketplace.

Matthew A. Beaudoin with his new UA Press book, Challenging Colonial Narratives.

Robert W. Preucel and Samuel Duwe, editors of their new UA Press book The Continuous Path.

Launching the Feminist Wire Books Series

Posted on April 17, 2019April 17, 2019 by Rose Brandt

April 17, 2019

Last Wednesday brought scholars from both sides of the country to the Old Pueblo to celebrate the long-awaited launch of The Feminist Wire Books Series. It was an honor to host series editors Monica Casper and Tamura Lomax, alongside Marquis Bey, Judith Pérez-Torres, Christine Vega, Michelle Téllez, Duchess Harris, and Julia Jordan-Zachery. It was a truly powerful night, culminating in a collective soul-bearing that reaffirmed our own mission to elevate under-supported voices in academia.

If you were unable to join us in person or via the live stream, you can watch the symposium via The Feminist Wire’s Facebook Page.

Tamura Lomax describing how she came to co-found The Feminist Wire, from the “intellectual Wu Tang Clan” to an online community and intellectual home for more than a million activists, scholars, and artists.

Marquis Bey discussing the intellectual history of his debut work in Them Goon Rules.

Co-editors of The Chicana M(other)work Anthology. From left to right: Judith Pérez-Torres, Christine Vega, and Michelle Téllez.

Co-editors of the forthcoming Black Girl Magic Beyond the Hashtag volume Duchess Harris and Julia Jordan-Zachery.

Special thanks to the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, the University Libraries, the Office of the Provost, the Department of Gender and Women’s Studies, the Africana Studies Program and the Department of Religious Studies and Classics for their generous support of The Feminist Wire Book Symposium.

NACCS 2019 Recap

Posted on April 8, 2019 by Savannah Hicks

April 8, 2019

Thank you to the National Association of Chicanas and Chicanos Studies members and NACCS leadership for a fantastic meeting in Albuquerque. We are so grateful for the overwhelming support we received this year! Special thanks goes to Kathryn Blackmer Reyes, Associate Director, for the singular thought and care she invests in creating a welcoming, energetic, and successful exhibit space year after year. Thank you, Kathy!

Below, find several photos our Editor-in-Chief, Kristen Buckles, took of our authors at the conference.

Yvette Saavedra with her new book, *Pasadena Before the Roses*.

Roberto Hernández with his UA Press book, *Coloniality of the US/Mexico Border*.

Gilda L. Ochoa with her book, *Latino Los Angeles*.

UA Press authors Lara Medina and Enrique Buelna with his new book, *Chicano Communists and the Struggle for Social Justice*.

We were thrilled to see some of *The Chicana Motherwork Anthology* editors and contributors. From left to right, Christine Vega, Yvette Martínez-Vu, Judith Pérez-Torres, Michelle Téllez, Gabriella Spears-Rico, Cecilia Caballero, and Nora Cisneros.

AWP 2019 Recap!

Posted on April 3, 2019April 3, 2019 by Savannah Hicks

April 3, 2019

Located in the heart of beautiful Portland, Oregon, the 2019 Association of Writers and Writing Programs conference was a huge success! We extend our greatest thanks to all of our authors and supporters of the Press for coming by our booth to say hello, dance, and buy books! We continued our partnership with the Latinx Writers Caucus this year, and many amazing authors affiliated with the Caucus signed books in our booth. Overall, it was an incredible AWP, and we look forward to seeing you all again in San Antonio next year!

Below, find some photos from this year’s AWP conference.

The University of Arizona Press