Award-winning Mexican-American Writer Discusses Work

Mexican-American poet and fiction writer Benjamin Alire Sáenz discussed his works and autographed copies of his books during a February reading hosted by the University’s English Department.

Sáenz received the American Book Award in 1991 for his Calendar of Dust, a collection of poetry about the American southwest and the discovery of the extraordinary in the ordinary lives of individuals living on the borderlands. He also won the Southwest Book Award for his second collection of poetry, "Dark and Perfect Angels" (2002), and for his critically acclaimed novel "Carry Me like Water" (1995). His newest collection of poetry, "Dreaming the End of War" (2006), traces humanity’s addiction to violence and killing as it attempts to imagine peace in a world dependent on war.

Besides poetry and fiction, Sáenz has published two bilingual children’s books, "A Gift from Papa Diego," now in its sixth printing, and "Grandma Fina and Her Wonderful Umbrellas," named the Best Children’s Book of 1999 by the Texas Institute of Letters. His first young adult novel, "Sammy & Juliana in Hollywood" was named one of the top ten Young Adult novels by by the American Library Association.

Sáenz also conducted writing workshops for Moody and Miller High School students visiting the A&M-Corpus Christi campus and took part in the 8th annual “Author’s Day,” one of the English department’s main literacy initiatives to expose high school students to English Studies at the university level Sáenz grew up in Picacho, New Mexico, and currently lives in El Paso where he teaches creative writing at the University of Texas at El Paso.