Event Category: Reading & Signing

Santa Fe Conversation with Myrriah Gómez, Author of Nuclear Nuevo México

When: Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, 6 p.m.

Where: Collected Works Bookstore, 202 Galisteo St, Santa Fe, New Mexico

Myrriah Gómez’s Nuclear Nuevo México demonstrates how earlier eras of settler colonialism laid the foundation for nuclear colonialism in New Mexico. Myrriah will be in conversation with writer Alicia Inez Guzmán.

In her book, Gómez examines the experiences of Nuevomexicanas/os who have been impacted by the nuclear industrial complex, both the weapons industry and the commercial industry. Gómez argues that Los Alamos was created as a racist project that targeted poor and working-class Nuevomexicana/o farming families, along with their Pueblo neighbors, to create a nuclear empire. The resulting imperialism has left a legacy of disease and distress throughout New Mexico that continues today.

Sowing the Seeds of Change Book Signing at Barnes & Noble Eastside

When: Saturday, February 11, 2023, 1 – 3 p.m.

Where: Barnes & Noble Bookstore, Eastside, 5130 East Broadway, Tucson, Arizona

Barnes & Noble, Eastside, in Tucson hosts author Seth Schindler who will discuss and sign his book, Sowing the Seeds of Change. Purchase your copy of Sowing the Seeds of Change and get it signed by the author while enjoying an afternoon of conversation.

About the book:

This profusely illustrated book chronicles the Community Food Bank’s (CFB) amazing success and evolution from a tiny grassroots hunger-relief organization to one with more than six thousand workers and an annual budget exceeding $100 million. The book gives voice to the thousands of CFB participants past and present, weaving their profiles and quotes throughout the book. These profiles personalize the history of the CFB and give readers an insider’s perspective on the people and events that shaped the food bank’s success. It shows how individuals working together can help prevent hunger and break the cycle of poverty that is its cause.

“Find out how one community led a nation by recognizing food insecurity as a systemic and personal problem and went about solving it with respect, dignity and the realization that community action aligned with individual responsibility can lead to resilience while strengthening the bonds that hold us together.”—Janos Wilder, James Beard Award-winning Tucson Chef

About the author:

Seth Schindler is an anthropologist and former curator of the Arizona State Museum. He has served as an NEH Research Fellow and Weatherhead Resident Scholar at the School for Advanced Research. Dr. Schindler’s specialties are diverse, ranging from the tribal art of New Guinea to the material culture of the Seri Indians of Sonora, Mexico. He has contributed articles to academic journals such as American Anthropologist and to books for the general public, including The Encyclopedia of Anthropology.

Sowing the Seeds of Change book signing at Barnes & Noble Foothills

When: Sunday, January 29, 2023, 1 – 3 p.m.

Where: Barnes & Noble Bookstore, Foothills Mall, 7325 N. La Cholla Blvd. Ste 100, Tucson, Arizona

Barnes & Noble in northwest Tucson hosts author Seth Schindler who will discuss and sign his book, Sowing the Seeds of Change. Purchase your copy of Sowing the Seeds of Change and get it signed by the author while enjoying an afternoon of conversation.

About the book:

This profusely illustrated book chronicles the Community Food Bank’s (CFB) amazing success and evolution from a tiny grassroots hunger-relief organization to one with more than six thousand workers and an annual budget exceeding $100 million. The book gives voice to the thousands of CFB participants past and present, weaving their profiles and quotes throughout the book. These profiles personalize the history of the CFB and give readers an insider’s perspective on the people and events that shaped the food bank’s success. It shows how individuals working together can help prevent hunger and break the cycle of poverty that is its cause.

“Find out how one community led a nation by recognizing food insecurity as a systemic and personal problem and went about solving it with respect, dignity and the realization that community action aligned with individual responsibility can lead to resilience while strengthening the bonds that hold us together.”—Janos Wilder, James Beard Award-winning Tucson Chef

About the author:

Seth Schindler is an anthropologist and former curator of the Arizona State Museum. He has served as an NEH Research Fellow and Weatherhead Resident Scholar at the School for Advanced Research. Dr. Schindler’s specialties are diverse, ranging from the tribal art of New Guinea to the material culture of the Seri Indians of Sonora, Mexico. He has contributed articles to academic journals such as American Anthropologist and to books for the general public, including The Encyclopedia of Anthropology.

Extended Stay Book Launch at Women and Children First

When: Tuesday, January 24, 2023 at 7:00 P.M.

Where: Women and Children First, 5233 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL

Women and Children First will be hosting a book launch for Juan Martinez’s novel, Extended Stay, featuring a discussion with novelist Lindsay Hunter, author of Ugly Girls. Purchase your copy of Extended Stay and get it signed by the author while enjoying an evening of literature and conversation.

About the book:

Haunting and visceral, Extended Stay uses the language of body horror and the gothic to comment on the complicated relationship between the Latinx undocumented experience and capitalism, the erasure of those living and working on the margins, the heavy toll exacted by memory, and the queasy permeability of boundaries that separate the waking world from the world of dreams.

“Extended Stay is the kind of book that makes me want to raise my game. It’s real, uncompromising, beautifully written, genuinely scary, and—best of all—downright weird. I’ve never read anything quite like it. Juan Martinez is the real deal, and I predict this book will become his calling card.”—Nathan Ballingrud, author of The Strange and North American Lake Monsters 

About the author:

Juan Martinez is the author of Best Worst American, a story collection published by Small Beer Press and the winner of the Neukom Institute Award for Debut Speculative Fiction. He lives near Chicago and is an associate professor at Northwestern University. His work has appeared in many literary journals and anthologies, including McSweeney’s, Huizache, Ecotone, Glimmer Train, Shenandoah, NPR’s Selected Shorts, Mississippi Review, NIGHTMARE, and elsewhere. Learn more at https://fulmerford.com.

Symposium: ‘Confluence: The Colorado River at the Compact’s Centennial’

When: December 6, 2022 from 8:00 A.M. to 5:30 P.M.

Where: University of Arizona Campus ENR2 Building, 1064 E. Lowell St., Tucson, AZ

Please join us for “Confluence: The Colorado River at the Compact’s Centennial.” This event features an array of Colorado River experts speaking about critical topics along “America’s Nile.” In addition to discussing current conditions and future options, we will celebrate the publication of the Colorado River Compact centennial volume, Cornerstone at the Confluence: Navigating the Colorado River Compact’s Next Century. UA Press will have books available for purchase at a 30% discount, and a signing by Cornerstone authors will follow the symposium.

Refreshments will be served, books will be raffled, Cornerstone authors will be present, and a book reception will be held. This event is open to the public and in-person attendance is preferred. For those unable to attend in person, Zoom attendance will be permitted by request. Please send an email with your request to Amanda Leinberger at aleinberger@arizona.edu.

This event is hosted by the Arizona Institute for Resilient Environments and Societies. Thank you to our event co-sponsors: the Babbitt Center for Land and Water Policy, the Janet Quinney Lawson Foundation, the Speer Family Foundation, UA press, the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy, and the Water and Tribes Initiative.

Register for the event here.

Central American Diaspora Reading, Featuring Cynthia Guardado

Cynthia Guardado, Salvadoran poet and professor, will read from her newest book of poetry, Cenizas, and be supported by other poets of Central America.

When: Wednesday, November 20, 2022
Time: 6 pm- 7:30 pm
Where: Exposition Park– Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Regional Library, Los Angeles Public Library

For information on how to view the program virtually, email expopk@lapl.org

Learn More

Cenizas offers an arresting portrait of a Salvadoran family whose lives have been shaped by the upheavals of global politics. Guardado’s poems give voice to the grief of family trauma, while capturing moments of beauty and tenderness.

Copies of Cenizas will be available to purchase from the author.

About the Author
Cynthia Guardado is a Los Angeles–born Salvadoran poet and professor. She is the author of two collections of poetry, Cenizas and Endeavor. Her poems have appeared in Poetry Magazine, U.S. Latinx Voices in Poetry, and The Wandering Song. Guardado won the Concurso Binacional De Poesía Pellicer-Frost in 2017, and Cenizas was a finalist for the National Poetry Series in 2019.

Reaffirming UA’s Legacy as the Premiere Desert Science Institution in the World

When: October 13, 2022 from 3 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.

Where: The University of Arizona Campus Kiva Room, Tucson, AZ

Join us for Gary Nabhan’s last on-campus lecture after 40 years of involvement with desert sciences, followed by comments from Chuck Hutchinson, David Quanrud, & Aaron Flesch, a public discussion, and a book signing.

The following books written by or edited by Gary Nabhan will be available for sale at the lecture:

The Nature of Desert Nature: The desert inspires wonder. Attending to history, culture, science, and spirit, The Nature of Desert Nature celebrates the bounty and the significance of desert places.

The Desert Smells Like Rain (40th Anniversary Edition): In this work, Gary Paul Nabhan brings O’odham voices to the page at every turn. He writes elegantly of how they husband scant water supplies, grow crops, and utilize edible wild foods. Woven through his account are coyote tales, O’odham children’s impressions of the desert, and observations of the political problems that come with living on both sides of an international border. Nabhan conveys the everyday life and extraordinary perseverance of these desert people.

Ethnobiology for the Future: Ethnobiology is dedicated to celebrating the knowledge and values of some of the most distinctive cultures and practices on Earth. In this important new collection, MacArthur Fellow Gary Paul Nabhan lays out the case for the future of the field. Nabhan and his colleagues from across disciplines and cultures call for an ethnobiology that is provocative, problem-driven, and, above all, inspiring.

We look forward to seeing you at the lecture!

Tucson Festival of Books 2023

When: March 4 & 5, 2023

Where: The University of Arizona Campus, Tucson, AZ

Join us for one of our favorite events of the year, the Tucson Festival of Books! Mark your calendars and save the date for another in-person, community-wide celebration of literature. As always, the festival is free-of-charge for all attendees. We’ll be updating this space in the coming months with more information about University of Arizona Press authors who will be participating in the festival.

40th Anniversary Celebration of The Desert Smells Like Rain with Gary Nabhan

Join us for this special 40th anniversary celebration for Gary Paul Nabhan’s book, The Desert Smells Like Rain with a presentation with the author, and an afterparty with a book signing of the new edition.

When: Wednesday, September 28, 2022, 6:30 p.m. at La Suprema Works, 319 W. Simpson Street. Event is free, but capacity is limited so registration is required. Author Gary Paul Nabhan will discuss the new edition, and books will be available for purchase.

One ticket per person. Please register here.

Join us for an afterparty and book signing with the author at Exo’s El Crisol Bar, 196 W. Simpson Street, 7:30 p.m.

Published more than forty years ago, The Desert Smells Like Rain remains a classic about nature, the Sonoran Desert & the Tohono O’odham. Gary Paul Nabhan brings O’odham voices to the page at every turn. He writes elegantly of how they husband scant water supplies, grow crops, and utilize edible wild foods. Woven through his account are coyote tales, O’odham children’s impressions of the desert, and observations of the political problems that come with living on both sides of an international border. Nabhan conveys the everyday life and extraordinary perseverance of these desert people.

This new edition includes a new preface written by the author, in which he reflects on his gratitude for the O’odham people who shared their knowledge with him, and a new cover by Tohono O’odham artist Michael Chiago. Nabhan writes about his own heritage and connections to the desert, climate change, and the border. He shares his awe and gratitude for O’odham writers and storytellers who have been generous enough to share stories with those of us from other cultural traditions so that we may also respect and appreciate the smell of the desert after a rain.

Celebrating the Diné Reader: An Anthology of Navajo Literature

This autumn, join a fantastic reading hosted by San Juan College to celebrate The Diné Reader: An Anthology of Navajo Literature!

When: Wednesday, November 10, 2021 at 1:00p.m. – 2:30p.m., MST.

Where: The in-person location is at the Connie Gotsch Theatre (formerly The Little Theatre) on the San Juan College campus. The event can also be joined via Zoom with this link: https://sanjuancollege-edu.zoom.us/j/94109925088

Readings will be presented by the following contributing authors:

Luci Tapahonso

Inaugural Navajo Nation Poet Laureate who grew up in Shiprock. She taught at several universities and is the author of three children’s books and six books of poetry. An award-winning poet since the late 90s, she has an international audience. A very popular public figure.

Esther G. Belin

Award-winning poet, multimedia artist, educator, and former SJC composition teacher. A graduate of UC Berkeley and raised in L.A., she speaks for the Diné whose voices have not been heard. In her recent poetry, she experiments with language engaging readers in dialogue with her work.

Tina Deschenie

Educator, poet, and recipient of the Governor’s New Mexico Woman of the Year Award. With a doctorate in educational administration, she became the first female Provost at Navajo Technical University. During her 30 years career, working with Navajo language teachers was one of her great contributions.

Saánii Atcitty

Former SJC English Professor who braids Diné history and culture into her poetry. She earned a graduate degree from Cornell University and is currently studying for her Ph.D. Recipient of several prestigious writing awards and active in many poetry and cultural events.

Byron F. Aspaas

A former SJC student who writes on the desecration of sacred lands. Widely published, he writes fiction, poetry, and lyric essays. A graduate of IAIA’s Creative Writing Program.

Gloria J. Emerson

A Diné artist and activist, and one of the original culture workers from the 60s to today. A graduate of Fort Lewis College with a Master’s in Education from Harvard, she has been active in community action programs and at one time owned a Shiprock coffee shop which became a gathering place for artists and writers.

Michael Thompson

Former SJC English faculty, Director of Bisti Writing Project, and Coordinator of Alternative Licensure at SJC. Well- known Four Corners educator who has taught for more than forty years in multiple states.

Books will available for purchase and signing.

For Authors

The University of Arizona Press publishes the work of leading scholars from around the globe. Learn more about submitting a proposal, preparing your final manuscript, and publication.

Inquire

Requests

The University of Arizona Press is proud to share our books with readers, booksellers, media, librarians, scholars, and instructors. Join our email Newsletter. Request reprint licenses, information on subsidiary rights and translations, accessibility files, review copies, and desk and exam copies.

Request

Support the Press

Support a premier publisher of academic, regional, and literary works. We are committed to sharing past, present, and future works that reflect the special strengths of the University of Arizona and support its land-grant mission.

Give