PULLMAN, Wash. — Luis J. Rodriguez, a poet and activist whose work has been both celebrated and censored, will give a public reading Tuesday, March 4, at Washington State University as part of the “Who Speaks for America?” Series.
The talk will be at 7:30 p.m. in the Compton Union Building, Room 203, and is free and open to the public.
Rodriguez is a leading Chicano writer in the United States perhaps best known for his 1993 memoir of gang life, “Always Running: La Vida Loca, Gang Days in L.A.” The book became an international best seller and won a Carl Sandburg Literary Award, Chicago Sun-Times Book Award and was designated a New York Times Notable Book. According to Rodriguez, the book was also one of the 10 most censored books in the country with attempts made to remove it from libraries in Illinois, Michigan, Texas and California.
Rodriguez has received awards from Sundance; Lila Wallace; the California and Illinois art councils; and PEN, a fellowship of writers working to advance literature, promote a culture of reading and defend free expression.
Presented by the Department of Comparative American Cultures, the goal of the speaker program is to bring accomplished poets, writers and activists to share diverse views with residents of the Palouse and the students, faculty and staff at WSU.
