KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 March 22, 2021 \u2013 Canceled last year due to the pandemic, the äçÐÄvlogÃâ·ÑBÕ¾\u2019s annual Spring Humanities Festival returns this April with renowned author Luis Alberto Urrea in a virtual discussion on Thursday, April 8, at 4 p.m.<\/p>\n
According to his website, Urrea<\/a> has been hailed by NPR as a \u201cmaster storyteller with a rock and roll heart.\u201d A prolific and acclaimed writer, his work is informed by dual-culture life experiences as he explores themes of love, loss and triumph. Urrea was a 2005 Pulitzer Prize finalist for \u201cDevil\u2019s Highway,\u201d a nonfiction account of a perilous border crossing by more than two dozen Mexican immigrants through one of the most dangerous regions of the continent.<\/p>\n His April 8 lecture will focus on “The\u00a0Humanities\u00a0in Action: A Writer’s Perspective\u00a0on the Border.”\u00a0The online lecture and discussion are free and open to the public.<\/p>\n \u201cUrrea is incredibly prolific as a nonfiction writer, a novelist, and a poet,\u201d said Evelyn Sterne, associate professor of history and director of the Center for the Humanities. \u201cHis work engages on so many levels, borders and border identity, and the reception of and attitudes toward undocumented immigrants. This is a topic that is very much in the news and presents a nice opportunity to demonstrate the relevance of the humanities to understanding the world we live in. It\u2019s also a chance for the humanities and social sciences to come together around a topic of mutual interest.\u201d<\/p>\n Born in Tijuana to a Mexican father and American mother,\u00a0Urrea\u00a0is most recognized as a border writer, though he says, \u201cI am more interested in bridges, not borders.\u201d A member of the Latino Literature Hall of Fame, Urrea is the critically acclaimed and best-selling author of 17 books, winning numerous awards for his poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and essays. More than 100 cities and colleges have chosen his books for community reads, including his 2009 novel, \u201cInto the Beautiful North,\u201d which was selected by the National Endowment for the Arts for its Big Read program.<\/p>\n Urrea was the planned speaker for last April\u2019s Humanities Festival before it was canceled, and in preparation, the Center for the Humanities and the College of Arts and Sciences distributed about 90 copies of his novel, <\/em>\u201cInto the Beautiful North,\u201d for a community read and held two small virtual group discussions. Copies of the book were also given to three local libraries.<\/p>\n At 2 p.m. on the afternoon of Urrea\u2019s April 8 lecture, he will have an informal online chat with students in the humanities and social sciences. Any students interested in the event may register here<\/a>. The evening before the program, the Center for the Humanities will present its annual excellence awards to students who have made important contributions in the humanities. Also, during and after Urrea\u2019s presentation, audience members will be able to submit questions for the author.<\/p>\n