Bits and Pieces

Manuel Ramos

In this post: David Rice and Cristina Henríquez; P&W Lists Writing Prizes; Ward Churchill

David Rice and Cristina Henríquez

From David Rice's website I pulled the following bit of news:

The Alfredo Cisneros Del Moral Foundation recently announced the winners of the 2005 Awards. Texas writers Cristina Henríquez and David Rice were each awarded a grant for $5,156.

Cristina Henríquez is awaiting the publication of her first book, Come Together, Fall Apart: A Novella and Stories, forthcoming from Riverhead Books. Her short story Ashes was recently featured in The New Yorker, July 4, 2005 issue. She is writer-in-residence at the Writer's Garret Writers in the Schools Program in Dallas.


David Rice currently resides in Austin, but the landscape of his stories are set in the Rio Grande Valley where he was born. His books include Crazy Loco, which won the Best Books for Young Readers 2001 Award and Give the Pig A Chance and Other Stories (Bilingual Press, 1996).

The Alfredo Cisneros Del Moral Foundation was created in 2000 to honor the memory of Sandra Cisneros' father, an upholsterer. "My father lived his life as an example of generosity and honest labor," Cisneros has written, "Even as he warned us to save our centavitos, he was always giving away his own. A meticulous craftsman, he would sooner rip the seams of a cushion apart and do it over, than put his name on an item that wasn't up to his high standards. I especially wanted to honor his memory by an award showcasing writers who are equally proud of their own craft."

The Alfredo Cisneros Del Moral Foundation invites a panel of nominators to recommend writers from across the writing disciplines. For the past five years the awards have focused only on writers from Béxar County (Texas). This year the award expanded to include writers throughout the state. The 2005 judges were poet/musician Joy Harjo, essayist/humorist Marion Winik, and bookseller/literacy-activist Ruebén Martínez. [The Foundation does not accept individual solicitations.]

Sandra Cisneros has written: "In my own experience, grants not only allowed me time to write, but, more importantly, confirmed I was indeed a writer at precarious moments when my own faith in my art wobbled." It is her hope this award will strengthen the resolve of the award winners and further them along in their careers.

Poets & Writers Lists Writing Prizes

Speaking of Writing Awards - Poets & Writers lists several writing awards in its most recent issue. The mag says, "Poets & Writers Magazine announces state and national prizes in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. Because of space limitations, we list only prizes of $1,000 or more, prizes of $500 or more that charge no entry fee, and prestigious nonmonetary awards." Many of these have upcoming deadlines, so get on it if you have something to enter.

Ward Churchill

Everyone's favorite professor, Ward Churchill, speaks at the Tattered Cover (Denver, Lodo) on November 11, 7:30 PM about his latest book. The bookstore announced this event with these words: "Ward Churchill is a Professor of American Indian Studies at the University of Colorado, Boulder who has achieved an unparalleled reputation as a scholar-activist and analyst of indigenous issues in North America. Churchill will discuss and sign his recent book, Kill the Indian, Save the Man: The Genocidal Impact of American Indian Residential Schools." (City Lights, 2005).

Later