Event Details: Readings & Conversations: Jimmy Santiago Baca with Carolyn Forché

Santiago's books include a memoir, A Place to Stand: The Making of a Poet, and the story collection, The Importance of a Piece of Paper. "Language placed my life experiences in a new context, freeing me for the moment to become with air as air, with clouds as clouds, from which new associations arose to engage me in present life in a more purposeful way." His recent novel, A Glass of Water, tells the story of Casimiro and Nopal who carry with them the promise of a new beginning as young immigrants having made the nearly deadly journey across the border from Mexico. The Dallas Morning News says, "An insistent theme of redemption blends with an unexpected lyrical tenderness, confirming that even in the harsh landscape of his stories, Mr. Baca sees a horizon of hope."