Alberto Álvaro Ríos (born September 18, 1952) is a US academic and writer who is the author of ten books and

chapbooks A chapbook is a small publication of up to about 40 pages, sometimes bound with a saddle stitch. In early modern Europe a chapbook was a type of printed street literature. Produced cheaply, chapbooks were commonly small, paper-covered booklet ...

of poetry, three collections of short stories, and a memoir. Rios was named Arizona's first state poet laureate in August 2013, a position he continues to hold.

Life

Alberto Ríos graduated from

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first ...

with an MFA. He is a Regents' Professor at

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...

, where he has taught since 1982 and where he holds the further distinction of the Katharine C. Turner Endowed Chair in English. His book ''A Small Story About the Sky'' was published in 2015 by

Copper Canyon Press Copper Canyon Press is an independent, non-profit small press, founded in 1972 specializing exclusively in the publication of poetry. It is located in Port Townsend, Washington. Copper Canyon Press publishes new collections of poetry by both ...

. Other books of poems include ''The Dangerous Shirt'', along with ''The Theater of Night'', winner of the 2007

PEN/Beyond Margins Award PEN/Open Book (known as the Beyond Margins Award through 2009) is a program intended to foster racial and ethnic diversity within the literary and publishing communities, and works to establish access for diverse literary groups to the publishing i ...

, ''The Smallest Muscle in the Human Body'', finalist for the

National Book Award The National Book Awards are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. The Nat ...

, ''Teodoro Luna's Two Kisses'', ''The Lime Orchard Woman'', ''The Warrington Poems'', ''Five Indiscretions'', and ''Whispering to Fool the Wind'', which won the

Walt Whitman Award The Academy of American Poets is a national, member-supported organization that promotes poets and the art of poetry. The nonprofit organization was incorporated in the state of New York in 1934. It fosters the readership of poetry through outreac ...

. His three collections of short stories are ''The Curtain of Trees'', ''Pig Cookies'' and ''The Iguana Killer'', which won the first Western States Book Award for Fiction, judged by Robert Penn Warren. His memoir about growing up on the Mexico-Arizona border, called ''Capirotada'', won the Latino Literary Hall of Fame Award and was designated the OneBookArizona choice for 2009. Ríos is the recipient of the Western Literature Association Distinguished Achievement Award, the Arizona Governor's Arts Award, fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, the Walt Whitman Award, the Western States Book Award for Fiction, six Pushcart Prizes in both poetry and fiction, and inclusion in ''The Norton Anthology of Modern Poetry.'' In 2014, he was elected a Chancellor of the

Academy of American Poets The Academy of American Poets is a national, member-supported organization that promotes poets and the art of poetry. The nonprofit organization was incorporated in the state of New York in 1934. It fosters the readership of poetry through outreach ...

. Ríos is also a host for ASU's

Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (often abbreviated to The Cronkite School by its students and faculty), is one of the 24 independent schools at Arizona State University and is named in honor of veteran broadcast jo ...

KAET KAET (channel 8), known as Arizona PBS, is a PBS member television station in Phoenix, Arizona, United States, owned by Arizona State University and operated by ASU's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. KAET's studios are ...

. He hosted the litereray interview show ''Books & Co.'' from 2009 to 2018. He currently hosts the arts interview show ''Art in the 48''.

Bibliography

Poetry

His books of poems include: * ''A Small Story About the Sky'', Copper Canyon Press, 2015, * * ''The Theater of Night'', Copper Canyon Press, 2006, * nominated for the

, * ''Teodoro Luna's Two Kisses'' W. W. Norton, Incorporated, 1992, * ''The Lime Orchard Woman'' Sheep Meadow Press, 1988, * ''The Warrington Poems'', Pyracantha Press, Arizona State University, School of Art, 1989 * ''Five Indiscretions'' The Sheep Meadow Press, 1985, * ''Whispering to Fool the Wind'', Sheep Meadow Press, 1982, * ''Sleeping on Fists'' (Dooryard Press, 1981) * ''Elk Heads on the Wall''(Mango Publications, 1979) * ''Spring in the Only Place Spring Was''

Short story collections

* ''The Curtain of Trees'' * ''Pig Cookies'' * * ''The Secret Lion''

Non-fiction

* ''Capirotada'', University of New México Press, 1999, , a memoir about growing up on the Mexican border

Honors

* Guggenheim Foundation fellowship *

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

fellowship *

Outstanding Latino/a Cultural Award in Literary Arts or Publications The Outstanding Latino/a Cultural Award in Literary Arts or Publications is one of several awards presented by the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education, Inc. (AAHHE); it also sponsored by AT&T. The award is presented to Latinas/os w ...

, American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education (AAHHE), 2004 *

Western States Book Award Western States Book Award honored notable works of fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and translation written and published in the Western United States. The award was given annually from 1984 until 2002. Lifetime-achievement awards were also p ...

for fiction *

Pushcart Prize The Pushcart Prize is an American literary prize published by Pushcart Press that honors the best "poetry, short fiction, essays or literary whatnot" published in the small presses over the previous year. Magazine and small book press editors are ...

- awarded 6 times for both poetry and fiction * 2005 Historymaker selection by the Arizona History Society's Museum, a Smithsonian affiliate, at

Papago Park Papago Park () is a municipal park of the cities of Phoenix and Tempe, Arizona, United States. It has been designated as a Phoenix Point of Pride. It includes Hunt's Tomb, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Descripti ...

, Tempe, Arizona * 2007 recipient of the

for ''The Theater of Night''

Notes

References

* Wild, Peter (1998). ''Alberto Ríos''. Boise, Idaho: Boise State University "Western Writers Series" #131. pp. 51.

External links

Alberto Álvaro Ríos
faculty/personal website – Arizona State University {{DEFAULTSORT:Rios, Alberto 1952 births Living people Arizona State University faculty American male poets American short story writers American memoirists University of Arizona alumni People from Nogales, Arizona People from Chandler, Arizona Poets Laureate of Arizona Poets from Arizona American male short story writers American male non-fiction writers