Linfield University will host a pair of acclaimed writers in November as part of its Readings at the Nick series. Both events, held in the Jerald R. Nicholson Library (location), are free and open to the public.
Poet, novelist and essayist Luis Alberto Urrea will read from his most recent novel, “The House of Broken Angels” at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 15.
Hailed by NPR as a “literary badass” and a “master storyteller with a rock and roll heart,” Urrea is a prolific and acclaimed writer who uses his dual-culture life experiences to explore greater themes of love, loss and triumph.
A 2005 Pulitzer Prize finalist for nonfiction and member of the Latino Literature Hall of Fame, Urrea is the critically acclaimed and best-selling author of 17 books, winning numerous awards for his poetry, fiction, and essays. Born in Tijuana to a Mexican father and American mother, Urrea is most recognized as a border writer, though he says, “I am more interested in bridges, not borders.”
“The House of Broken Angels” is a novel of an American family from Mexico. Family patriarch Angel de la Cruz knows this is his last birthday and wants to gather his progeny for a final fiesta.
Originally scheduled for May 3 but postponed until fall, Urrea’s visit is part of Mac Reads 2022 and is sponsored by the McMinnville Public Library, Third Street Books and Linfield University’s Lacroute Initiative for Advancing the Liberal Arts.
On Nov. 8, non-fiction writer and librarian Patricia Cutright read from her recent book, “Native Women Changing Their Worlds.”
An award-winning author who is Lakota and an enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux, Cutright’s first book features stories of twelve Native American and First Nations women who have overcome unimaginable hardships — including racial and gender discrimination, abuse and extreme poverty — to reach great heights in fields of politics, science, education and community activism, and was named one of the “Best Books of 2021” by American Indians in Children’s Literature.
Cutright retired from her position as dean of libraries at Central Washington University in 2017 and resides in Ellensburg, Washington.
For more information, contact Professor Joe Wilkins at jwilkins@linfield.edu.
