Presented by IHC Chicano/Latino/Mexicano Studies Research Focus Group and Latin American & Iberian Studies Program Wednesday, May 21 / 4:00 P.M. / Free McCune Conference Room / 6020 Humanities and Social Sciences Building A leading novelist and poet concerning the Latino experience in the United States, Demetria Martinez will read and discuss her novel of the sanctuary movement of the 1980s, Mother Tongue, as well as her poetry from her new book of poems, The Devil's Workshop. A columnist for the National Catholic Reporter and a committed social activist in Catholic circles, Martinez links religious, gender, and ethnic concerns in her powerful narratives and poetic compositions. Courtesy of the UCSB Bookstore, copies of her books will be available for purchase and signing at this event. Mother Tongue, winner of the Western States Book Award for Fiction, is based in part on her 1987-1988 federal indictment; Martinez faced 25 years in prison for allegedly conspiring against the U.S. government to bring Central American refugees into the United States. The prosecution’s evidence included her poetry. Following a two-week trial in Albuquerque, NM, a jury declared her not guilty on first amendment grounds. She received her BA from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. Martinez, who resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is completing a book of essays, What Exactly is Olive Skin? to be published in 2003. This event is cosponsored by IHC Chicano/Latino/Mexicano Studies Research Focus Group, Latin American & Iberian Studies Program, Department of History, and IHC Catholic Studies Research Focus Group. Top of Page <<Back