Alberto Ríos
Encyclopedia
Alberto Álvaro Ríos is an American
author of nine books and chapbooks of poetry, three collections of short stories, and a memoir. He is a Regents' professor of English at Arizona State University
in Tempe, Arizona
. His work is regularly taught and translated, and has been adapted to dance to both classical and popular music.
, a town straddling the U.S.-Mexican border. Ríos spoke both Spanish
and English
as a child. His father was born in Mexico
and his mother in England
. Alberto Ríos' poems echo this multicultural upbringing. As a child, teachers punished him for speaking Spanish in school. He and other bilingual classmates wrote notes in Spanish and left them in the trashcan for each other to find. It was considered "bad" and he forgot how to speak the language for a time. His poem Nani
describes an encounter with his Spanish speaking grandmother and his inability to communicate with her. They find other ways to identify with each other, through body language and food.
Ríos started writing in the third grade, although he referred to it as "daydreaming". It was a secret act, like speaking Spanish. He did not think his friends or family would understand him, so he kept his writings hidden in the backs of his school notebooks. He did not share his poems with anyone until high school, where a teacher recognized his talent and introduced him to writers like Lawrence Ferlinghetti
. It was also around this time that Ríos recovered his lost Spanish tongue, although the stigma of speaking it remained with him, memories of being "swatted" by his teacher. He would go on to study literature
at the University of Arizona
, where he graduated in 1974 with his BA and again a year later with a degree in psychology. He studied law for a brief period, but he returned to the University of Arizona to pursue creative writing
, where he received his MFA in 1979. That same year he married Lupita Barron. He and his wife currently reside in Chandler, Arizona
. They have a son, Joaquin, who is a graduate of the Sandra Day O'Connor School of Law at Arizona State University. Ríos is author of several books of poetry
and prose
. He started teaching creative writing at Arizona State University
in 1981, where he is Regents' Professor of English.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author of nine books and chapbooks of poetry, three collections of short stories, and a memoir. He is a Regents' professor of English at Arizona State University
Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
in Tempe, Arizona
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, with the Census Bureau reporting a 2010 population of 161,719. The city is named after the Vale of Tempe in Greece. Tempe is located in the East Valley section of metropolitan Phoenix; it is bordered by Phoenix and Guadalupe on the west, Scottsdale...
. His work is regularly taught and translated, and has been adapted to dance to both classical and popular music.
Biography
Rìos was born in 1952 in Nogales, ArizonaNogales, Arizona
Nogales is a city in Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States. The population was 21,017 at the 2010 census. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 20,833. The city is the county seat of Santa Cruz County....
, a town straddling the U.S.-Mexican border. Ríos spoke both Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
as a child. His father was born in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and his mother in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Alberto Ríos' poems echo this multicultural upbringing. As a child, teachers punished him for speaking Spanish in school. He and other bilingual classmates wrote notes in Spanish and left them in the trashcan for each other to find. It was considered "bad" and he forgot how to speak the language for a time. His poem Nani
Nani
-People:*Nani, a Portuguese footballer who plays for Manchester United*Gianluca Nani, former technical director at West Ham United*Nanabhoy Palkhivala, nicknamed Nani, an Indian jurist and economist*Nani Roma, a Spanish rally racing driver...
describes an encounter with his Spanish speaking grandmother and his inability to communicate with her. They find other ways to identify with each other, through body language and food.
Ríos started writing in the third grade, although he referred to it as "daydreaming". It was a secret act, like speaking Spanish. He did not think his friends or family would understand him, so he kept his writings hidden in the backs of his school notebooks. He did not share his poems with anyone until high school, where a teacher recognized his talent and introduced him to writers like Lawrence Ferlinghetti
Lawrence Ferlinghetti
Lawrence Ferlinghetti is an American poet, painter, liberal activist, and the co-founder of City Lights Booksellers & Publishers...
. It was also around this time that Ríos recovered his lost Spanish tongue, although the stigma of speaking it remained with him, memories of being "swatted" by his teacher. He would go on to study literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
at the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
, where he graduated in 1974 with his BA and again a year later with a degree in psychology. He studied law for a brief period, but he returned to the University of Arizona to pursue creative writing
Creative writing
Creative writing is considered to be any writing, fiction, poetry, or non-fiction, that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, and technical forms of literature. Works which fall into this category include novels, epics, short stories, and poems...
, where he received his MFA in 1979. That same year he married Lupita Barron. He and his wife currently reside in Chandler, Arizona
Chandler, Arizona
-Demographics:As of the Census of 2010, there were 236,123 people, 86,924 households, and 60,212 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 73.3% White, 4.8% Black or African American, 1.5% Native American, 8.2% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 21.9% Hispanic or Latino, and 8.3%...
. They have a son, Joaquin, who is a graduate of the Sandra Day O'Connor School of Law at Arizona State University. Ríos is author of several books of poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
and prose
Prose
Prose is the most typical form of written language, applying ordinary grammatical structure and natural flow of speech rather than rhythmic structure...
. He started teaching creative writing at Arizona State University
Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
in 1981, where he is Regents' Professor of English.
Poetry
His books of poems include- The Dangerous Shirt (Copper Canyon PressCopper Canyon PressCopper Canyon Press is an independent, non-profit small press, specializing in the publication of poetry and located in the picturesque town of Port Townsend, Washington. Since 1972, the Press has published poetry exclusively and has established an international reputation for its commitment to...
, 2009) - The Theater of Night (Copper Canyon Press, 2006),
- The Smallest Muscle in the Human Body( Copper Canyon Press, 2002) which was nominated for the National Book AwardNational Book AwardThe National Book Awards are a set of American literary awards. Started in 1950, the Awards are presented annually to American authors for literature published in the current year. In 1989 the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization which now oversees and manages the National Book...
, - Teodoro Luna's Two Kisses
- The Lime Orchard Woman
- The Warrington Poems
- Five Indiscretions
- Whispering to Fool the Wind
- Sleeping on Fists (Dooryard Press, 1981)
- Elk Heads on the Wall(Mango Publications, 1979)
- Spring in the Only Place Spring Was
Honors
- 2002 finalist for the National Book Award
- At the request of Governor-elect Janet NapolitanoJanet NapolitanoJanet Napolitano is the third and current United States Secretary of Homeland Security, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She is the fourth person to hold the position, which was created after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. A member of the Democratic Party, she was the 21st...
, Ríos wrote and delivered a poem at Arizona's gubernatorial inauguration in 2003. - At Governor Napolitano's request, wrote a poem for the visit of President Vicente FoxVicente FoxVicente Fox Quesada is a Mexican former politician who served as President of Mexico from 1 December 2000 to 30 November 2006 and currently serves as co-President of the Centrist Democrat International, an international organization of Christian democratic political parties.Fox was elected...
of MexicoMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. - 2002 recipient of the Western Literature Association's Distinguished Achievement Award
- Arizona Governor's Arts Award
- Guggenheim FoundationJohn Simon Guggenheim Memorial FoundationThe John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation was founded in 1925 by Mr. and Mrs. Simon Guggenheim in memory of their son, who died April 26, 1922...
fellowship - National Endowment for the ArtsNational Endowment for the ArtsThe National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
fellowship - Walt Whitman Award
- Outstanding Latino/a Cultural Award in Literary Arts or PublicationsOutstanding Latino/a Cultural Award in Literary Arts or PublicationsThe Outstanding Latino/a Cultural Award in Literary Arts or Publications is one of several awards presented by the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education, Inc. ; it also sponsored by AT&T...
, AAHHE, 2004 - Western States Book Award for Fiction
- six Pushcart PrizePushcart PrizeThe Pushcart Prize is an American literary prize by Pushcart Press that honors the best "poetry, short fiction, essays or literary whatnot" published in the small presses over the previous year. Magazine and small book press editors are invited to nominate up to 6 works they have featured....
s in both poetry and fiction - inclusion in The Norton Anthology of Modern Poetry
- inclusion in over 175 other national and international literary anthologies
- selected as a 2005 Historymaker by the Arizona History Society's Museum, a Smithsonian affiliate, at Papago ParkPapago ParkPapago Park is a municipal park of the cities of Phoenix and Tempe, Arizona, USA. It has been designated as a Phoenix Point of Pride.-Description:...
, Tempe, Arizona