Melani Martinez at the Tucson Museum of Art

Date: Sunday, November 10, 2024

Time: 11 a.m.-4 p.m., MST

Where: Tucson Museum of Art, 140 N. Main Ave., Tucson, AZ

Melani “Mele” Martinez, author of The Molino: A Memoir, will read from her work as part of Second SundAZe Centennial Block Party at the Tucson Museum of Art. This event celebrates the Tucson Museum of Arts centennial year. There will be hands-on activities and experiences for all ages, food vendors, and music. At 1:00 p.m., Martinez will read an excerpt from her book in La Casa Cordova. Also, be sure to also check out a temporary ofrenda for Dia de los Muertos created by artist-author Martinez.

This is a pay-what-you-wish admission. For more information visit the website here.

About the book:

Set in one of Tucson’s first tamal and tortilla factories, The Molino is a hybrid memoir that reckons with one family’s loss of home, food, and faith.

Weaving together history, culture, and Mexican food traditions, Martinez shares the story of her family’s life and work in the heart of their downtown eatery, El Rapido. Opened by Martinez’s great-grandfather, Aurelio Perez, in 1933, El Rapido served tamales and burritos to residents and visitors to Tucson’s historic Barrio Presidio for nearly seventy years. For the family, the factory that bound them together was known for the giant corn grinder churning behind the scenes—the molino. With clear eyes and warm humor, Martinez documents the work required to prepare food for others, and explores the heartbreaking aftermath of gentrification that forces the multigenerational family business to close its doors.