The Five Acts of Diego Leon by Alex Espinoza

Alex’s work has appeared in several anthologies and journals. His second novel, The Five Acts of Diego León, was published by Random House in March 2013.

His first novel, Still Water Saints, was published by Random House in 2007.

She is the recipient of the Ellen Meloy Desert Writers Award and the AWP Intro Journals Project Award.Īlex Espinoza graduated from the University of California-Riverside, then went on to earn an MFA from UC-Irvine’s Program in Writing. An essay that formed the basis for a chapter of Miracle Country was selected for The Best American Essays 2015. Kendra Atleework received her MFA in creative writing from the University of Minnesota. For readers of Cheryl Strayed, Terry Tempest Williams, and Rebecca Solnit, this is a breathtaking debut by a remarkable writer.

Miracle Country is a moving and unforgettable memoir of flight and return, emptiness and bounty, the realities of a harsh and changing climate, and the true meaning of home. Kendra escaped to Los Angeles, and then Minneapolis, land of tall trees, full lakes, water everywhere you look.īut after years of avoiding her troubled hometown, she realized that she needed to come to terms with its past and present and had to go back. The Atleework family fell apart, even as her father tried to keep them together. After Kendra’s mother died of a rare autoimmune disease when Kendra was just sixteen, however, her once-beloved desert world came to feel empty and hostile, as climate change, drought, and wildfires intensified. Above all, they were raised on unconditional love and delight in the natural world. Kendra’s parents taught their children to thrive in this beautiful, if harsh, landscape, prone to wildfires, blizzards, and gale-force winds. Kendra Atleework grew up in Swall Meadows, in the Owens Valley of the Eastern Sierra Nevada, where annual rainfall averages five inches and in drought years measures closer to zero. Julie Schumacher, author of Dear Committee Members and The Shakespeare Requirement This is a powerful, beautiful, and urgently important book.” “Blending family memoir and environmental history, Kendra Atleework conveys a fundamental truth: the places in which we live, live on-sometimes painfully-in us. You can also order a copy of Miracle Country below. If you are able, a donation of $5 is suggested to help us cover costs.

We will follow up with the event info within 48 hours of receiving your request. This is a VIRTUAL event and will take place on Zoom. Kendra will be interviewed by author Alex Espinoza. Join Napa Bookmine on Wednesday, July 21st at 7:00PM PT for a virtual author hour with author Kendra Atleework to discuss her book Miracle Country: A Memoir of a Family and a Landscape. Due to the COVID-19 this will now be a virtual event held on Zoom.

The Five Acts of Diego Leon by Alex Espinoza