Some Tucsonans just can’t wait for the annual Tucson Festival of Books to open.
This year, you don’t have to: author Luis Urrea will kick off the March 10-11 festival a couple days early.
At 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 8, Urrea will host a pre-festival talk, sign books, and answer questions you might be dying to ask him.
Urrea is best known for using his “dual-culture life experiences” to tell his powerful stories. Among his accomplishments: he was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2005 and is a member of the Latino Literature Hall of Fame. He’s written more than a dozen fiction, nonfiction, and poetry books.
This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Tucson Festival of Books. And Urrea has been to all 10 of them.
“It’s really amazing that so many authors are so loyal to the festival,” says the TFOB’s Executive Director Melanie Morgan. “It adds a lot to the festival to have them back every year because our patrons really love it. We’re proud of it.”
A few other authors have been to all 10. “Luis Urrea is a notable one,” Morgan says.
A full itinerary of Urrea’s discussion has yet to be set, but Morgan says he will more than likely spend a bit talking about his new book, “The House of Broken Angels,” set to be released next month. According to Urrea’s website, it tells the story of a Mexican-American family and the final party of one of the family members. The story was inspired by the death of Urrea’s brother and “mines his own family history to tell a once-in-a-lifetime tale.”
Admission to the event is $35, which includes a book. Alternatively, two guests can pay a combined $50 and take away one shared book. The event will start with mingling in the University of Arizona Bookstores and will eventually make its way to the Gallagher Theater. Tickets are only available online.
“This is sort of a rare opportunity to get up-close and personal with him,” Morgan says.
