Luís Alberto Urrea
Encyclopedia
Luís Alberto Urrea is a Mexican American
poet, novelist, and essayist.
, earning an undergraduate degree in writing, and did his graduate studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder
.
After serving as a relief worker in Tijuana, and a film extra and columnist-editor-cartoonist for several publications, Urrea moved to Boston where he taught expository writing and fiction workshops at Harvard University
. He has also taught at Massachusetts Bay Community College
, and the University of Colorado
, and he was the writer in residence at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette
.
Urrea lives with his family in Naperville, Illinois
, where he is a professor of creative writing at the University of Illinois at Chicago
.
The Devil's Highway is his 2004 non-fiction account of a group of Mexican immigrants lost in the Arizona desert.
The historical novel, The Hummingbird's Daughter, tells the story of Teresita Urrea
, sometimes known as The Saint of Cabora and the Mexican Joan of Arc.
He was a speaker at the 2008 Santa Barbara Writers Conference, and the 2008 Banned Books Week Read-Out, Chicago.
.
In 1994, he won the 1994 Colorado Book Award in poetry for The Fever of Being as well as the Western States Book Award in poetry. He was also included in The 1996 Best American Poetry collection.
In 1999, Urrea won an American Book Award
for his memoir, Nobody's Son: Notes from an American Life.
His book of short stories, Six Kinds of Sky, was named the 2002 small-press Book of the Year in fiction by the editors of ForeWord magazine.
In 2000, he was voted into the Latino Literature Hall of Fame following the publication of Vatos.
The Devil's Highway won the 2004 Lannan Literary Award, the Border Regional Library Association's
Southwest Book Award and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize
and for the Pacific Rim Kiriyama Prize
. It was also optioned for a film by CDI Producciones. The book was adopted as the 2010 One Book for Sac State
His short story "Amapola" won the Edgar Award
in 2010 for best mystery short story. It can be found in the anthology Phoenix Noir.
Mexican American
Mexican Americans are Americans of Mexican descent. As of July 2009, Mexican Americans make up 10.3% of the United States' population with over 31,689,000 Americans listed as of Mexican ancestry. Mexican Americans comprise 66% of all Hispanics and Latinos in the United States...
poet, novelist, and essayist.
Life
Urrea is the son of a Mexican father and an American mother. He attended the University of California, San DiegoUniversity of California, San Diego
The University of California, San Diego, commonly known as UCSD or UC San Diego, is a public research university located in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, United States...
, earning an undergraduate degree in writing, and did his graduate studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
.
After serving as a relief worker in Tijuana, and a film extra and columnist-editor-cartoonist for several publications, Urrea moved to Boston where he taught expository writing and fiction workshops at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. He has also taught at Massachusetts Bay Community College
Massachusetts Bay Community College
Massachusetts Bay Community College is a two-year college in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. It has three campuses, in Wellesley, Ashland, and Framingham. The college is home to the Wellesley Symphony Orchestra.-External links:** Boston Globe, October, 2009...
, and the University of Colorado
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
, and he was the writer in residence at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette, or UL Lafayette, is a coeducational, public research university located in Lafayette, Louisiana, in the heart of Acadiana...
.
Urrea lives with his family in Naperville, Illinois
Naperville, Illinois
Naperville is a city in DuPage and Will Counties in Illinois in the United States, voted the second best place to live in the United States by Money Magazine in 2006. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 141,853. It is the fifth largest city in the state, behind Chicago,...
, where he is a professor of creative writing at the University of Illinois at Chicago
University of Illinois at Chicago
The University of Illinois at Chicago, or UIC, is a state-funded public research university located in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its campus is in the Near West Side community area, near the Chicago Loop...
.
The Devil's Highway is his 2004 non-fiction account of a group of Mexican immigrants lost in the Arizona desert.
The historical novel, The Hummingbird's Daughter, tells the story of Teresita Urrea
Teresita Urrea
Teresita Urrea is known as the Saint of Cabora, a town in Sinaloa, Mexico, though she was never canonized by the Roman Catholic Church...
, sometimes known as The Saint of Cabora and the Mexican Joan of Arc.
He was a speaker at the 2008 Santa Barbara Writers Conference, and the 2008 Banned Books Week Read-Out, Chicago.
Awards
Urrea's first book, Across the Wire, was named a New York Times Notable Book and won the Christopher AwardChristopher Award
The Christopher Award is presented to the producers, directors, and writers of books, motion pictures and television specials that "affirm the highest values of the human spirit"...
.
In 1994, he won the 1994 Colorado Book Award in poetry for The Fever of Being as well as the Western States Book Award in poetry. He was also included in The 1996 Best American Poetry collection.
In 1999, Urrea won an American Book Award
American Book Award
The American Book Award was established in 1978 by the Before Columbus Foundation. It seeks to recognize outstanding literary achievement by contemporary American authors, without restriction to race, sex, ethnic background, or genre...
for his memoir, Nobody's Son: Notes from an American Life.
His book of short stories, Six Kinds of Sky, was named the 2002 small-press Book of the Year in fiction by the editors of ForeWord magazine.
In 2000, he was voted into the Latino Literature Hall of Fame following the publication of Vatos.
The Devil's Highway won the 2004 Lannan Literary Award, the Border Regional Library Association's
Border Regional Library Association
The Border Regional Library Association promotes libraries and librarianship in the tri-border region of West Texas, Southern New Mexico and Northern Chihuahua, Mexico. The non-profit organization was founded in 1966 and, as of 2009, has over 100 members including libraries, librarians, trustees,...
Southwest Book Award and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
and for the Pacific Rim Kiriyama Prize
Kiriyama Prize
The Kiriyama Prize is an international literary award given to books which will encourage greater understanding of and among the peoples and nations of the Pacific Rim and South Asia...
. It was also optioned for a film by CDI Producciones. The book was adopted as the 2010 One Book for Sac State
His short story "Amapola" won the Edgar Award
Edgar Award
The Edgar Allan Poe Awards , named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America...
in 2010 for best mystery short story. It can be found in the anthology Phoenix Noir.