On March 12, renowned authors Luiz Alberto Urrea and Gary Paul Nabhan provided thought-provoking and often humorous stories of resistance and resilience in the borderlands to 100 guests at the Tin Shed Theater.
The event, hosted by Patagonia Creative Arts Association and Voices From the Border, included the recording of a podcast, which is now available at theborderchronicle.com. It was the fourth annual “Peek Behind the Curtain” podcast conceived by Voices From the Border and produced by the Border Chronicle.
The event was expanded this year to include drinks and dinner, and to also raise funds for two local nonprofits, Voices from the Border and the Patagonia Creative Arts Association.
Luiz Alberto Urrea is the much-celebrated author of 19 books, winning numerous awards for his fiction, poetry, and essays. Born in Tijuana to a Mexican father and American mother, Urrea is most recognized as a border writer, though he says, “I am more interested in bridges, not borders.” He uses his dual-culture life experiences to explore greater themes of love, loss, and triumph. Urrea lives in Naperville, IL, where he is a distinguished professor of creative writing at the University of Illinois-Chicago.
Patagonia’s Gary Paul Nabhan is an agricultural ecologist, ethnobotanist, ecumenical Franciscan brother, and author whose work has focused primarily on the interaction of biodiversity and cultural diversity in the arid binational Southwest. Considered a pioneer in the local food movement and the heirloom seed-saving movement. Nabhan has written over 30 books and contributed to many more publications. A first-generation Lebanese American, Nabhan was raised in Gary, Indiana. He is married to cultural ecologist and indigenous health advocate Laurie Monti.
The conversation explored the role of resistance in the borderlands, structured around Teresita, a common character in both Nabhan’s latest book, “Against the American Grain: a Borderlands History of Resistance,” and Urrea’s book, “The Hummingbird’s Daughter.” Both authors offered their interpretation of Teresita, a revered Mexican folk saint and healer who is credited with healing over 50,000 people. Teresita is based on Luiz Urrea’s great aunt, Teresa Urrea.
While the conversation between the authors began with Teresita, it quickly expanded. Nabhan described “cultural resistance as a positive hope practiced over the past four centuries in the borderlands.” He suggested “that indigenous writers, who bring strong connections to the land and to the mysticism embedded in their history and culture, are a powerful source for spreading messages of hope and resistance.” Urrea encouraged the audience to “use your peripheral vision more, as everything is not direct. Living on the edge is where the vision is good and some fun can be had. We want to resist being divided as we will miss intimate contact with people different from us. America’s immigrants have enriched America, not impoverished it.”
Urrea is a jocular storyteller and vividly portrayed how his great aunt’s life experiences, both good teachings from Yaqui medicine women and a bad near-death encounter, where she was abducted and assaulted, abandoned in a coma and rose again after three months, shaped her. The latter experience is thought to have activated Teresita’s extraordinary healing powers, and established her reputation as a mystical figure, prolific healer and pillar of resistance. Urrea urged the audience to embrace Teresita’s message to “take each other’s hand and help each other always.”
One of the techniques Urrea has used in many of his novels is the co-mingling of Mexican and English words. Melding the languages Urrea says “creates an understory of Spanish under the English. It helps the labels fall away.”
Near the end of the evening, the dialogue between authors shifted back toward the resilience of people living in the borderlands and how their cultures and experiences have shaped their responses to dangerous times. Both Nabhan and Urrea re-emphasized the importance of valuing different perspectives, helping each other always, resisting the forces seeking to divide us, re-learning the connection of people to the land, and using our peripheral vision to see a better future. Nabhan noted how the tiny Town of Patagonia is, in many ways, an example of how these principles can work. Some audience members appeared to be making the leap to how the same principles had value in resisting the dark alternative being perpetrated by the current president of the United States.
In addition to Urrea and Nabhan, who generously shared their stories and insights, other major contributors to the evening included PCAA, who managed the inside/outside venue, including food, drink, book signings and sales. PCCA board members and other volunteers made the whole evening work. The Quiroga women, including Susan as head chef, Tammie as chief bartender and Cassina as jefe of all, directed traffic. The food was tasty, the drinks scary good, and the festive ambience encouraged lively conversation among speakers and locals. Cassina quipped “one of our best skills is our ability to throw a well-decorated and lubricated party. “
India Aubry from Voices initiated the idea for the expanded podcast celebration and developed the program in concert with the authors and moderators. India commented that she was particularly struck by the authors’ focus on the role of humor in resistance. “The levity, joy, and humor seemed to resonate with the audience,” she said.
The live podcast was produced by The Border Chronicle, an independent nonprofit news source covering the borderlands, and moderated by reporters Todd Miller and Melissa del Bosque. Sierra Club Borderlands has financially supported all four annual “Peek Behind the Curtain” podcasts. Gary Retherford provided overnight accommodations for Luiz and his wife Cinderella.
Congratulations to those who were fortunate enough to beat the event and to Voices From the Border and the Patagonia Creative Arts Association who will share the net proceeds of ticket sales for the event.
Whether you were there or not, check out the podcast on The Border Chronicle website. It is worth your time.