nonfiction

In this reading, originally given with Christopher Cokinos, Beth Alvarado shares pieces from her book Anthropologies (2011).

In this reading, originally given with Beth Alvarado, Christopher Cokinos reads from The Fallen Sky (2009) and Looking Up from the Lone House of the Earth: The Lives of Our Quest for Intelligence in Space, a work in progress.

Leslie Marmon Silko reads from The Turquoise Ledge (2010), a memoir. Throughout the reading, Silko provides insightful commentary.

John D'Agata reads from his book About a Mountain (2010).

John T. Price reads from two memoirs: Man Killed by Pheasant and Other Kinships (2008) and Daddy Long Legs: The Natural Education of a Father (2013).

In this reading, originally given with Naomi Benaron, Poetry Center Summer Resident Harrison Candelaria Fletcher reads from his memoir Descanso for My Father: Fragments of a Life (2012) and "White," an uncollected essay.

Edward Abbey reads a selection of his poems, many of which would later be collected in Earth Apples: The Poetry of Edward Abbey (1994). He also reads excerpts from The Journey Home (1977) and a selection of correspondence.

Luis Alberto Urrea reads from Across the Wire: Life and Hard Times on the Mexican Border (1993), The Fever of Being (1994), Wandering Time: Western Notebooks (1999), and also from The Best American Poetry (1996).

Aisha Sabatini Sloan reads an early version of "Ocean Park No. 6," titled after a painting by Richard Diebenkorn. "Ocean Park No. 6" would go on to be published in the essay collection Dreaming of Ramadi in Detroit.

Patricia Hampl opens with two poems, "The Moment" and "Last Letter." Then she reads the essay "Pilgrimage" from her book Spillville (1986), as well as two excerpts from her memoir A Romantic Education (1981). At this event, Hampl also read from Virgin Time: In Search of the Contemplative Life (1992), but this portion of her reading was not recorded.

Frank Waters reads from his novel The Man Who Killed the Deer (1942) and his memoir Pumpkin Seed Point (1973).

Peter Matthiessen reads from his works of nonfiction The Snow Leopard (1978) and Indian Country (1984), along with a hallucination scene from his novel At Play in the Fields of the Lord (1965).

Ann H. Zwinger reads from her books of natural history, including Beyond the Aspen Groove (1970), Run, River, Run: A Naturalist's Journey Down One of the Great Rivers of the West (1975), Wind in the Rock: The Canyonlands of Southeastern Utah (1978), and A Desert Country near the Sea: A Natural History of the Cape Region of Baja California (1983).

Kristen Radtke reads from Imagine Wanting Only This (2017). This reading was originally given with Charles Yu.

Ander Monson reads from his first memoir, Predator (2022), titled after the 1987 sci-fi action film that he has watched 146 times. Monson shares excerpts from the memoir that closely draw upon select frames and scenes from the film. Part of the Distinguished Visitors in Creative Writing Series, this reading was given alongside Bojan Louis and Manuel Muñoz. 

Aisha Sabatini Sloan, an alumna of the UA MFA Creative Writing program, reads from her book-length essay Borealis (2021). In this excerpt from the book, Sabatini Sloan details her travel to Homer, Alaska, and how the stark landscape interacts with her identity as a Black, queer woman. Sabatini Sloan's writing also incorporates references to pop culture and Black artists. This reading was originally given alongside Cara Blue Adams and Alberto Ríos to celebrate the MFA program's 50th anniversary.