WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.360 align:middle line:90% [APPLAUSE] 00:00:04.360 --> 00:00:05.180 align:middle line:90% Hi, everybody. 00:00:05.180 --> 00:00:06.760 align:middle line:90% Thanks for being here. 00:00:06.760 --> 00:00:09.120 align:middle line:84% I always like to joke with Tyler that he's 00:00:09.120 --> 00:00:12.600 align:middle line:84% introducing the introducers and introducing 00:00:12.600 --> 00:00:15.000 align:middle line:84% the next introducer after the introducer introduces 00:00:15.000 --> 00:00:17.240 align:middle line:90% the reader. 00:00:17.240 --> 00:00:19.880 align:middle line:84% Anyway, thank you all for being here. 00:00:19.880 --> 00:00:24.540 align:middle line:84% I want to speak before I introduce Rodrigo. 00:00:24.540 --> 00:00:28.200 align:middle line:84% I want to talk a little bit about the distinguished visitors 00:00:28.200 --> 00:00:31.160 align:middle line:90% in creative writing series. 00:00:31.160 --> 00:00:34.060 align:middle line:84% This is a really long running series, actually, 00:00:34.060 --> 00:00:37.600 align:middle line:84% I think it goes back to the early 2000. 00:00:37.600 --> 00:00:40.800 align:middle line:90% I see Alison nodding her head. 00:00:40.800 --> 00:00:44.800 align:middle line:84% And it's a series that is curated by creative writing 00:00:44.800 --> 00:00:49.105 align:middle line:84% faculty, which don't usually curate the readings 00:00:49.105 --> 00:00:49.980 align:middle line:90% at the Poetry Center. 00:00:49.980 --> 00:00:52.000 align:middle line:84% The Poetry Center is its own entity. 00:00:52.000 --> 00:00:54.560 align:middle line:84% We are the teachers in the creative writing program 00:00:54.560 --> 00:00:56.120 align:middle line:90% that curate this series. 00:00:56.120 --> 00:00:58.280 align:middle line:84% And for a long time it was called the prose series 00:00:58.280 --> 00:01:00.120 align:middle line:84% because we were like, oh, man the poets 00:01:00.120 --> 00:01:02.260 align:middle line:84% are getting a lot of love at the Poetry Center, 00:01:02.260 --> 00:01:06.000 align:middle line:84% but we want to bring some prose writers. 00:01:06.000 --> 00:01:11.160 align:middle line:84% And it's a really-- we have an illustrious past. 00:01:11.160 --> 00:01:13.800 align:middle line:84% David Foster Wallace has read here, 00:01:13.800 --> 00:01:18.810 align:middle line:84% Cherríe Moraga, Denis Johnson, Cristina Rivera Garza, 00:01:18.810 --> 00:01:20.290 align:middle line:90% George Saunders. 00:01:20.290 --> 00:01:21.390 align:middle line:90% So heavy hitters. 00:01:21.390 --> 00:01:25.170 align:middle line:84% We've been bringing heavy hitters to town for a long time. 00:01:25.170 --> 00:01:27.770 align:middle line:90% Tonight is no exception. 00:01:27.770 --> 00:01:32.090 align:middle line:84% So in the fall, we're going to do 00:01:32.090 --> 00:01:36.810 align:middle line:84% a little bit of a relaunch, reimagining of this series. 00:01:36.810 --> 00:01:40.470 align:middle line:84% In the past, many of you have been to these readings, 00:01:40.470 --> 00:01:44.770 align:middle line:84% we've done alumni readings as part of this series, 00:01:44.770 --> 00:01:48.130 align:middle line:84% so we're bringing people who graduated from our program 00:01:48.130 --> 00:01:51.550 align:middle line:84% as MFAs, and we always lump them together, 00:01:51.550 --> 00:01:54.610 align:middle line:84% and they have a reading, where we celebrate them. 00:01:54.610 --> 00:02:00.610 align:middle line:84% So now we're trying to integrate them with these heavy hitters 00:02:00.610 --> 00:02:02.350 align:middle line:90% so that we can put our-- 00:02:02.350 --> 00:02:05.290 align:middle line:84% we can put our MFA alums in conversation 00:02:05.290 --> 00:02:07.650 align:middle line:84% with these other writers who are out in the world 00:02:07.650 --> 00:02:10.130 align:middle line:84% every time you come to a distinguished visitors 00:02:10.130 --> 00:02:12.210 align:middle line:90% and creative writing reading. 00:02:12.210 --> 00:02:14.690 align:middle line:84% So the reason I'm telling you this, 00:02:14.690 --> 00:02:17.530 align:middle line:84% this is kind of like the part that 00:02:17.530 --> 00:02:23.770 align:middle line:84% gets a little bit like an NPR fundraising drive. 00:02:23.770 --> 00:02:26.450 align:middle line:84% So one of our alums, who actually read here 00:02:26.450 --> 00:02:32.250 align:middle line:84% last semester, you may remember him, Josh Riedel, he 00:02:32.250 --> 00:02:35.600 align:middle line:84% pitched in some funds, a matching challenge. 00:02:35.600 --> 00:02:40.050 align:middle line:84% Right now the U of A is doing this Giving Day challenge, 00:02:40.050 --> 00:02:41.970 align:middle line:84% which the reason I'm talking to you about this 00:02:41.970 --> 00:02:44.750 align:middle line:84% is it was supposed to end today at noon, 00:02:44.750 --> 00:02:47.650 align:middle line:84% but they had some technical difficulties. 00:02:47.650 --> 00:02:51.210 align:middle line:84% So they have extended the challenge, which is great for us 00:02:51.210 --> 00:02:53.092 align:middle line:90% tonight. 00:02:53.092 --> 00:02:54.550 align:middle line:84% So they're extending the challenge, 00:02:54.550 --> 00:02:56.930 align:middle line:84% which means you could give, if you want to, 00:02:56.930 --> 00:02:58.390 align:middle line:90% if you haven't already. 00:02:58.390 --> 00:03:02.270 align:middle line:84% And if I had known about this, I would have made a QR code. 00:03:02.270 --> 00:03:04.250 align:middle line:90% Is that what people do? 00:03:04.250 --> 00:03:06.190 align:middle line:84% So you're going to have to find it. 00:03:06.190 --> 00:03:08.162 align:middle line:90% You're going to have to Google. 00:03:08.162 --> 00:03:10.370 align:middle line:84% You're going to have to Google distinguished visitors 00:03:10.370 --> 00:03:14.650 align:middle line:84% and creative writing UA Giving Day challenge. 00:03:14.650 --> 00:03:17.570 align:middle line:84% Try to remember some of those words. 00:03:17.570 --> 00:03:20.370 align:middle line:84% And then when you click give, there'll 00:03:20.370 --> 00:03:22.730 align:middle line:84% be a dropdown list, which is confusingly 00:03:22.730 --> 00:03:25.410 align:middle line:84% the one you want to select is the creative writing 00:03:25.410 --> 00:03:27.970 align:middle line:90% fund for excellence. 00:03:27.970 --> 00:03:30.593 align:middle line:84% Just remember creative writing, that'll get you there. 00:03:30.593 --> 00:03:31.510 align:middle line:90% That'll get you there. 00:03:31.510 --> 00:03:33.690 align:middle line:84% Creative writing, that's what we do here. 00:03:33.690 --> 00:03:38.250 align:middle line:90% OK, the NPR part is over. 00:03:38.250 --> 00:03:43.370 align:middle line:84% Now I'm going to tell you about Rodrigo Restrepo Montoya, who's 00:03:43.370 --> 00:03:45.280 align:middle line:90% about to read.