Latino fiction writer Manuel Martinez to offer public reading Jan. 16

 

GOSHEN, Ind. – Fiction writer Manuel Martinez, an associate professor of American and Chicano literature at Ohio State University, will read from his work at a public lecture on Sunday, Jan. 16 at 7 p.m. in the Goshen College Newcomer Center Room 19. The event is free and open to the public.

Martinez's most recent novel, Day of the Dead (2009), explores the forces of violence behind the quest for redemption. His second novel, Drift, "crackles with the authenticity of lived experience," according to The Washington Post Book World, and was selected by the American Library Association as one of the 100 Best Books of the Year in 2004. His first novel, Crossing (1998), is based on the true story of immigrants smuggled from Mexico to the United States in a locked railroad car, and was chosen as one of 10 outstanding books by PEN American Center in New York. Martinez grew up in San Antonio, Texas, and holds a doctorate in English from Stanford University, as well as a master's degree in creative writing from Ohio State.

"My work is dedicated to bringing the voices of the rarely heard out into the public sphere," he said. "My stories come from my past, the west side barrio of my youth, the tales my abuelitos and abuelitas (grandpas and grandmas) told about their migrant lives, the music my father played, the faith of my mother. They're stories of flawed and damaged people looking to do more than survive."

The public reading will follow a weekend writing workshop which he will lead for Goshen College students. He will then speak on campus at 10 a.m. in the Church-Chapel during the Jan. 17 Martin Luther King Jr. Study Day convocation.

» Check out the full schedule of events for the 2011 MLK Jr. Study Day.

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college's Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron's Best Buys in Education, "Colleges of Distinction," "Making a Difference College Guide" and U.S.News & World Report's "America's Best Colleges" edition, which named Goshen a "least debt college." Visit www.goshen.edu.