Laredo-born Author Ito Romo Presents at TAMIU’s ‘Voices in the Monte’ Lecture Thursday
Written by Post Public Information Representative, Apr 8, 2014, Comments Off
Courtesy Steve Harmon,
(Laredo, Tx)-Laredo-born author, Dr. Refugio “Ito” Romo, is the featured lecturer at Texas A&M International University’s “Voices in the Monte” Writers Series Thursday, April 10, 2014.
“Voices in the Monte” events open to the public include a “Talk on Craft” from 10-11:30 a.m. and a Reading and Book Signing from 6-7:30 p.m.
“Talk on Craft” will take place in the TAMIU Student Center Theater room 236 and the reading and book signing will be in Bob Bullock Hall room 113. Dr. Romo will also be speaking to TAMIU Creative Writing students.
Romo’s most recent book, “The Border is Burning,” (2013) has been hailed as “Chicano Gothic” and “Chicano Noir” and explores the little-seen underbelly of life along IH-35 and on through South Texas. He is also the author of “El Puente/The Bridge” (both University of New Mexico Press).
Romo is emphatic about his pride of ancestry and Laredo.
“In Laredo, I learned how to tell a good story, and it’s to Laredo that I come back to keep my storytelling skills sharp. Laredoans and Nuevo Laredenses have been telling stories around here for a long time—and in two languages—from one side of the river to the other—over 250 years! I learned well from those who told stories before me: my grandmothers, Carlota and Sofia, for example, both were amazing storytellers. I am lucky to come from this border, this truly special place where language lives and clashes and melds and morphs as language is supposed to. It’s an honor, really, to be able to share my new work with my family and my friends and the TAMIU community,” Romo explained.
He is an associate professor of English and Communication Studies at St. Mary’s University, where he teaches Composition, Creative Writing, Mexican-American Literature, and Multi-Cultural Literature. He received his PhD from Texas Tech University’s creative writing program.
“Voices in the Monte” provides an opportunity for students and the public to visit with local, regional and national writers who share their personal vision of writing and finding their voice. Hosted by TAMIU’s Writing Center, it encourages interaction among people from the University, the city and the surrounding area with visiting writers.
Funding support is provided by TAMIU and the Title V: Engaging Sophomores Grant. Kimberly R. Thomas, director of the Writing Center, coordinates the Series.
For more information, contact Thomas at the Writing Center at 326.2884, email kthomas@tamiu.edu or visit offices in Dr. Billy F. Cowart Hall, Suite 203.
