Trident Bookstore Events Manager Brian Buckley will be in conversation with author Tim Z. Hernandez about his approach to gathering stories and writing in multiple genres over the last 25 years, and how Buddhist principles have informed much of his work. Hernandez, an alumn of Naropa University, has gone on to receive international acclaim for his books of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. He is currently a professor of creative writing at the 

University of El Paso, Texas, where he teaches in the Bilingual MFA program.

Tim Z. Hernandez is an award winning poet, novelist, research scholar, and performance artist. His debut collection of poetry, Skin Tax (Heyday Books) received the 2006 American Book Award, and the James Duval Phelan Award from the San Francisco Foundation. His debut novel, Breathing, In Dust (Texas Tech University Press) was featured on NPR’s All Things Considered, and went on to receive the 2010 Premio Aztlan Prize in Fiction. His second collection of poetry, Natural Takeover of Small Things received the 2014 Colorado Book Award, and his novel, Mañana Means Heaven, which is based on the life of Bea Franco, went on the receive the 2014 International Latino Book Award in historical fiction. Both books are with the University of Arizona Press. His latest book, All They Will Call You, was released on January 28, 2017, also with the University of Arizona Press. A genre bending work labeled a Documentary Novel, it is based on the song by Woody Guthrie, “Plane Wreck at Los Gatos (Deportee).” He is a frequent guest artist at Universities, cultural institutions, and literary centers across the United States and internationally. Hernandez holds a B.A. in Writing & Literature from Naropa University and an M.F.A. from Bennington College in Vermont. He is currently an Associate Professor in the University of Texas El Paso’s Bilingual M.F.A. in Creative Writing Program.