Author, artist and storyteller Xavier Garza MA ’07 will give a talk on “Telling Your Stories: Crafting Family Legacies through Writing and Art” at 6p.m. on Nov. 9 at the John Peace Library (JPL), 2nd Floor.  The event is free and open to the public.

Garza will discuss the creative process behind great storytelling, with an emphasis on how writing and art can provide a vehicle for the young and young-at-heart to explore and preserve their own heritage.  He will also read from his latest book, Kid Cyclone Fights the Devil and Other Stories (Pinata Books, 2010).

Garza’s work focuses primarily on his experiences growing up in the small border town of Rio Grande City, Texas. He has written and illustrated several bilingual books for young people, including “Lucha Libre: The Man in the Silver Mask” (Américas Award Commended Title), “Zulema” and the “Witch Owl,” Charro Claus and the Tejas Kid and Creepy Creatures and Other Cucuys. 

Garza’s personal papers reside in and are available through UTSA Libraries’ Special Collections.  A number of his illustrations are included in The UTSA Art Collection, and a selection will be on display at the event.

The event will take place in a newly renovated wing of JPL’s second floor, now home to the Writing Center and two units of the Tomás Rivera Center— Supplemental Instruction and Tutoring Services. 

The wing represents one more milestone in the library’s 3-year renovation project, continuing its transformation into a 21st century library befitting an emerging premier public research university. 

This event honors the integration of these three key academic support programs into the library, effectively creating a one-stop shop for student learning engagement.

For more information, contact Anne Peters at [email protected] or 210-458-4863.