The UCF Global Perspectives Office is pleased to announce that Luis Alberto Urrea, author of “The Devils Highway,” will speak Thursday, September 23, 2010, at the University of Central Florida.
Urrea, who was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2005, will give a presentation titled “The Devils Highway: A True Story of Illegal Immigration, Desperation and Greed” at 3 p.m. in the Pegasus Ballroom of the Student Union. The event is free and open to the public.
Born in Tijuana, Mexico to a Mexican father and an American mother, Urrea has published extensively in all the major genres. The critically acclaimed and best-selling author of 13 books, Urrea has won numerous awards for his poetry, fiction and essays. “The Devils Highway,: his 2004 non-fiction account of a group of Mexican immigrants lost in the Arizona desert, won the Lannan Literary Award and was a finalist the Pacific Rim Kiriyama Prize. An historical novel, “The Hummingbirds Daughter” tells the story of Teresa Urrea, sometimes known as the Saint of Cabora and the Mexican Joan of Arc. The book, which involved 20 years of research and writing, won the Kiriyama Prize in fiction and, along with “The Devils Highway,” was named a best book of the year by many publications.
Urrea has also won an Edgar award from the Mystery Writers of America for best short story (2009, “Amapola” in Phoenix Noir). His first book, “Across the Wire,” was named a New York Times Notable Book and won the Christopher Award. Urrea also won a 1999 American Book Award for his memoir, “Nobodys Son: Notes from an American Life” and in 2000, he was voted into the Latino Literature Hall of Fame following the publication of “Vatos.” 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 addition to the Global Perspectives Office, sponsors include the UCF Political Science Department, UCF Latin American, Caribbean and Latino Studies Program, UCF Department of English, UCF Hispanic American Student Association, UCF International Services Center, Lawrence Chastang and the Chastang Foundation, Sibille H. Pritchard Global Peace Fellowship program, UCF Global Peace and Security Studies Program, UCF LIFE, Orlando Rotary Club and the Global Connections Foundation.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our office at 407-823-0935, global@mail.ucf.edu or visit our website at www.ucfglobalperspectives.org for further information.