book notes
Albuquerque Special Collections Library to host 'Thomas H. Begay and the Navajo Code Talkers' discussion
AT SPECIAL COLLECTIONS LIBRARY
Farmington author Alysa Landry will talk about her new book 鈥淭homas H. Begay and the Navajo Code Talkers鈥� at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 14, at the Albuquerque Special Collections Library, 423 Central Ave. NE. Begay, an Albuquerque resident, will join Landry for the event. Landry said she was approached by an editor at Ohio University Press about writing a book for the press鈥� Biographies for Young Readers series. She chose the topic of the World War II code talkers and invited Begay and his family to collaborate with her on the book.
Begay, who is in his late 90s, is one of the few of the original 430 Navajo code talkers still alive, and he is the last living survivor of Iwo Jima, Landry said. The code talkers were members of the U.S. Marine Corps.
A journalist for 20 years, Landry is a former reporter for the Farmington Daily Times covering the Navajo Nation beat. More recently, she has taught English, journalism and creative writing at the Tsaile campus of Din茅 College. She is the campus鈥� interim provost. Born in Los Alamos, Landry grew up in northern Utah.
The library event, she said, will involve a short slide show, a few readings, a talk by Begay and a question-and-answer session followed by a book signing. Free and open to the public.
AUTHOR HAS TWO ALBUQUERQUE EVENTS
Don Zancanella, a former University of New Mexico English professor, will discuss and sign the new paperback release of his book 鈥淎 Storm in the Stars: A Novel of Mary Shelley鈥� at two Albuquerque locations. He will be at Bookworks at 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 9, and at Bosque on the Bosque at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 15. The novel looks into Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley鈥檚 literary circle and the writing of the famous novel 鈥淔rankenstein.鈥�
Zancanella also wrote the novel 鈥淐oncord,鈥� which reimagines the politics, ideologies and loves during a year in the lives of Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Margaret Fuller and Sophia Peabody.
Zancanella is the winner of an O. Henry Prize. He, his wife and their two dogs divide their time between Albuquerque and Boise, Idaho.
Bookworks is located at 4022 Rio Grande Blvd. NW. Books on the Bosque is located at 6261 Riverside Plaza Lane NW.
DEBUT NOVEL
Chris Rugeley of Angel Fire will talk about his debut novel 鈥淭ake Creek, For Example鈥� at 1 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 8, at Books on the Bosque, 6261 Riverside Plaza Lane NW.
A blurb by author Sharma Shields said it 鈥渋s the quirkiest, most art-infused campus novel you鈥檒l ever read, chockablock with fascinating and hilarious characters, thrumming with longing and belonging. This is an exciting and original debut.鈥�
Rugeley was born in Houston and raised in Colorado. He received a B.A. from the University of Montana and an M.A. from San Francisco State University. Rugeley is working on his second novel.
TAOS STORYTELLING
The 25th annual Taos Storytelling Festival will be held Friday, Oct. 13, and Saturday, Oct. 14, in Taos and in Ranchos de Taos. The main show is at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Taos Community Auditorium, 133 Paseo del Pueblo Norte, Taos. For festival event times and locations, visit , go to 鈥減rograms,鈥� then click on 鈥渟torytelling.鈥� Some events are free, some ticketed.
鈥� Compiled by David Steinberg for the Journal
