Luis Alberto Urrea

JP Calubaquib

Luis Alberto Urrea has never missed a Tucson Festival of Books, and will make it 16-for-16 this Spring. Born in Tijuana to a Mexican father and an American mother, Urrea draws on his bi-cultural experiences to explore themes of love, loss and triumph. His latest bestseller is "Good Night Irene," a fictionalized retelling of his mother's experiences in World War II.

Urrea has a warm place in his heart for Tucson. While living here to research one of his books, he met his wife Cindy ... then a reporter for the Tucson Citizen.

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Awards: Guggenheim Fellow, Edgar Award, Pushcart Prize, Tucson Festival of Books Founder's Award, American Academy of Arts & Letters Fiction Award 2017

Communities: Hispanic or Latinx

Author, Write Thyself

Edward Burns, Leonard Pitts and Luis Alberto Urrea have walked very different paths in their lives, backstories they use to full effect in their books. In this session, we will learn more about them ... and how their own life experiences are infused into their work.

UA Mall Tent (Seats 250)  
Sat, Mar 15, 1:00 pm - 1:55 pm
Fiction / Literature
Signing area: Sales & Signing Area - Central Mall (following presentation)  

Panelists: Edward Burns, Leonard Pitts, Luis Alberto Urrea
Moderator: Beth Viner
Sponsors: Session made possible courtesy of Pepper Viner Homes, Barb and Kurt Reuter, Harry and Ann McGovern

A World Apart

Parker, Urrea and Vlautin each write stories set apart from everyday life. Come hear how they decide how and why. From World War II to a surf competition to the middle of nowhere, these authors write stunning stories of strength, loneliness and fear.

UA Campus Store (Seats 250)  
Sun, Mar 16, 10:00 am - 10:55 am
Multigenre
Signing area: Sales & Signing Area - UA Campus Store Lower Level (following presentation)  

Panelists: T. Jefferson Parker, Luis Alberto Urrea, Willy Vlautin
Moderator: Annette Everlove
Sponsors: Session made possible courtesy of UA Campus Store, Frank Mascia & Barbro Huth

Read It, Feel It

If you've read books by Lisa Genova or Luis Alberto Urrea, you know your heart was an important part of the experience. Their empathy becomes ours. We don't just read their words, we feel them, and today we will hear them in a one-hour chat with two of our favorite authors.

Student Union North Ballroom (Seats 670)  
Sun, Mar 16, 1:00 pm - 1:55 pm
Fiction / Literature
Signing area: Sales & Signing Area South Ballroom (following presentation)  

Panelists: Lisa Genova, Luis Alberto Urrea
Moderator: Gay Vernon
Sponsors: Session made possible courtesy of TMC Health, University of Arizona

Books:

Good Night, Irene

A Novel
Fiction / Literature
Little Brown
June 2024
ISBN 9780316265959
432 pages