WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:00.700 align:middle line:90% Hey, everybody. 00:00:00.700 --> 00:00:01.200 align:middle line:90% Welcome. 00:00:01.200 --> 00:00:03.160 align:middle line:90% How are you doing tonight? 00:00:03.160 --> 00:00:05.680 align:middle line:90% All right. 00:00:05.680 --> 00:00:07.880 align:middle line:90% I'm taking that as good. 00:00:07.880 --> 00:00:08.660 align:middle line:90% My name is Tyler. 00:00:08.660 --> 00:00:10.702 align:middle line:84% I work here as the director at the Poetry Center. 00:00:10.702 --> 00:00:11.880 align:middle line:90% It's nice to have a crowd. 00:00:11.880 --> 00:00:13.807 align:middle line:84% Thanks for being here on a Thursday night. 00:00:13.807 --> 00:00:15.140 align:middle line:90% We're thrilled about this night. 00:00:15.140 --> 00:00:17.320 align:middle line:84% In particular, we have two amazing fiction writers 00:00:17.320 --> 00:00:19.720 align:middle line:84% with us tonight, Rodrigo Restrepo Montoya 00:00:19.720 --> 00:00:21.600 align:middle line:90% and Fernando Flores. 00:00:21.600 --> 00:00:23.040 align:middle line:84% And this is a collaboration that's 00:00:23.040 --> 00:00:24.707 align:middle line:84% in partnership with the creative writing 00:00:24.707 --> 00:00:26.852 align:middle line:84% program at the University of Arizona, 00:00:26.852 --> 00:00:29.060 align:middle line:84% and this is the distinguished visiting writer series. 00:00:29.060 --> 00:00:30.660 align:middle line:84% You're going to hear more about that, 00:00:30.660 --> 00:00:32.160 align:middle line:84% but it's a joy for the Poetry Center 00:00:32.160 --> 00:00:34.360 align:middle line:84% to be able to partner with our colleagues 00:00:34.360 --> 00:00:36.940 align:middle line:84% across campus and close collaborators, 00:00:36.940 --> 00:00:40.800 align:middle line:84% and to be bringing fiction into the world for you all, 00:00:40.800 --> 00:00:44.160 align:middle line:84% which will happen with these guys shortly. 00:00:44.160 --> 00:00:45.800 align:middle line:84% I want to point to a couple of things 00:00:45.800 --> 00:00:47.040 align:middle line:84% that are coming up at the Poetry Center 00:00:47.040 --> 00:00:48.220 align:middle line:90% and let you know about them. 00:00:48.220 --> 00:00:50.300 align:middle line:84% Two more readings that will happen in February. 00:00:50.300 --> 00:00:52.440 align:middle line:84% So next Thursday at 7 o'clock, we'll 00:00:52.440 --> 00:00:55.780 align:middle line:84% be back here with the poets, Annie Wenstrup, 00:00:55.780 --> 00:01:00.560 align:middle line:84% who has a book out called the Museum of Unnatural Histories. 00:01:00.560 --> 00:01:03.240 align:middle line:84% And then Lena Khalaf Tuffaha, whose 00:01:03.240 --> 00:01:05.440 align:middle line:84% 2024 book Something About the Living 00:01:05.440 --> 00:01:06.815 align:middle line:90% won the National Book Award. 00:01:06.815 --> 00:01:07.940 align:middle line:90% So they're paired together. 00:01:07.940 --> 00:01:10.457 align:middle line:84% They'll be here next week at 7 o'clock at the Poetry Center. 00:01:10.457 --> 00:01:11.540 align:middle line:90% That would be a great one. 00:01:11.540 --> 00:01:13.260 align:middle line:84% I hope to see you guys here for that. 00:01:13.260 --> 00:01:14.760 align:middle line:84% I feel like my voice just got louder 00:01:14.760 --> 00:01:16.700 align:middle line:84% when I got back to the microphone, which 00:01:16.700 --> 00:01:19.200 align:middle line:84% is the note that I'm remembering to tell the writers that it 00:01:19.200 --> 00:01:23.200 align:middle line:84% works best when you stay next to the microphone. 00:01:23.200 --> 00:01:25.975 align:middle line:84% And then after that, on February 26 at 7 o'clock, 00:01:25.975 --> 00:01:28.600 align:middle line:84% back here at the Poetry Center, we have our annual Morgan Lucas 00:01:28.600 --> 00:01:30.167 align:middle line:84% Schuldt reading, where we celebrate 00:01:30.167 --> 00:01:32.000 align:middle line:84% new and emerging writers and writers working 00:01:32.000 --> 00:01:34.700 align:middle line:90% with innovative structures. 00:01:34.700 --> 00:01:36.480 align:middle line:84% And so we have the poet Susan Nguyen 00:01:36.480 --> 00:01:38.660 align:middle line:84% and her first book that has come out. 00:01:38.660 --> 00:01:41.740 align:middle line:84% And then the poet Andrew Grace will be here as well. 00:01:41.740 --> 00:01:44.520 align:middle line:84% So both of those on the upcoming Thursdays, 7 o'clock 00:01:44.520 --> 00:01:46.800 align:middle line:90% back here at the Poetry Center. 00:01:46.800 --> 00:01:49.240 align:middle line:84% True to form, we're going to skip a kind of traditional Q 00:01:49.240 --> 00:01:51.573 align:middle line:84% and A after the reading tonight, but books are for sale, 00:01:51.573 --> 00:01:53.698 align:middle line:84% and both of the writers will be happy to sign those 00:01:53.698 --> 00:01:54.460 align:middle line:90% after the reading. 00:01:54.460 --> 00:01:57.340 align:middle line:84% So avail yourselves of those books afterwards. 00:01:57.340 --> 00:01:59.760 align:middle line:84% I know the booksellers will be happy to sell them to you, 00:01:59.760 --> 00:02:01.718 align:middle line:84% and then the writers would be happy to meet you 00:02:01.718 --> 00:02:04.080 align:middle line:90% once the reading is done. 00:02:04.080 --> 00:02:06.670 align:middle line:84% In a second I'll welcome up Paco Cantú, 00:02:06.670 --> 00:02:09.300 align:middle line:84% who's going to tell us more about Rodrigo. 00:02:09.300 --> 00:02:10.550 align:middle line:90% But I want to also make sure-- 00:02:10.550 --> 00:02:13.070 align:middle line:84% I'm going to introduce Aaron Cerda, who's 00:02:13.070 --> 00:02:15.090 align:middle line:84% going to introduce Fernando in between. 00:02:15.090 --> 00:02:17.670 align:middle line:84% And so just to give you some context about Aaron, 00:02:17.670 --> 00:02:20.270 align:middle line:84% he's a third year MFA student here 00:02:20.270 --> 00:02:21.990 align:middle line:84% in fiction at the University of Arizona 00:02:21.990 --> 00:02:23.610 align:middle line:90% working on some short stories. 00:02:23.610 --> 00:02:25.010 align:middle line:90% Thesis time is happening. 00:02:25.010 --> 00:02:27.750 align:middle line:84% So when he comes up here, applaud for that work 00:02:27.750 --> 00:02:30.550 align:middle line:84% because he's working on it and getting this done. 00:02:30.550 --> 00:02:32.330 align:middle line:84% He is from the deep South of Texas, 00:02:32.330 --> 00:02:34.415 align:middle line:84% and he primarily writes short stories, 00:02:34.415 --> 00:02:35.790 align:middle line:84% and he does this in collaboration 00:02:35.790 --> 00:02:41.350 align:middle line:84% with a writing partner, who's Monty, which is his dog. 00:02:41.350 --> 00:02:42.210 align:middle line:90% So more about Aaron. 00:02:42.210 --> 00:02:44.530 align:middle line:84% You'll see Aaron come up and introduce Fernando in a moment. 00:02:44.530 --> 00:02:46.197 align:middle line:84% But before that, I'm going to welcome up 00:02:46.197 --> 00:02:49.830 align:middle line:84% Paco Cantú, who's a writer and translator and the author 00:02:49.830 --> 00:02:52.058 align:middle line:84% of the memoir The Line Becomes a River. 00:02:52.058 --> 00:02:54.350 align:middle line:84% He's an assistant faculty member here at the University 00:02:54.350 --> 00:02:56.630 align:middle line:84% of Arizona and creative writing, and he 00:02:56.630 --> 00:02:58.830 align:middle line:84% is co-director of the field studies program 00:02:58.830 --> 00:03:00.950 align:middle line:84% that takes writing students into the field 00:03:00.950 --> 00:03:04.510 align:middle line:84% to do important work around issues in Southern Arizona 00:03:04.510 --> 00:03:06.250 align:middle line:84% and in other places around the country. 00:03:06.250 --> 00:03:07.850 align:middle line:84% Please help me welcome up Paco Cantú. 00:03:07.850 --> 00:03:11.500 align:middle line:90% [APPLAUSE]