Spotlight on Fred Arroyo and his new book, “Western Avenue and Other Fictions”

Fred Arroyo is the author of the novel, The Region of Lost Names (University of Arizona Press, 2008), which was published as part of the Camino del Sol series. Named one of the Top Ten New Latino Authors to Watch (and Read) in 2009 by LatinoStories.com, Fred is a recipient of an Individual Artist Grant from the Indiana Arts Commission. Currently, he is working on a book of essays in which he lyrically meditates on work, reading and writing, migration and place. He is also writing a novel set primarily in the Caribbean.

Fred’s short stories have appeared in literary journals such as The Platte Valley Review, Grasslands Review, Quercus Review, Pinyon, and Crab Orchard Review: A Journal of Creative Works. His essays, poems, reviews, and interviews have appeared in a variety of journals. Fred lives in Southern California and is currently an Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow in English, in the Department of English Language and Literature at Whittier College, where he teaches fiction writing and Chicano and Latino literature. He is also a faculty mentor in the University of Nebraska MFA in Writing low-residency program. In the fall of 2012, Fred will be assistant professor of English with specialization in fiction at the University of South Dakota.

Fred’s latest book is Western Avenue and Other Fictions, published by the University of Arizona Press as part of the Camino del Sol series. The collection has received praise including from Publishers Weekly which said his “stories paint a vivid picture of the migrant class, shining light on those frequently forgotten.” Linda Rodriguez observes: “Arroyo’s gifted command of language, adept characterizations, and lush, poetic realization of place through a sharp eye for the telling detail make Western Avenue and Other Fictions a treat for the reader--to be savored slowly and reread often.”

[Yesterday, award winning author, Rigoberto González, reviewed Western Avenue and Other Fictions for the El Paso Times.]

IN OTHER LITERARY NEWS:

I will be a guest author discussing my novel, The Book of Want (University of Arizonao Press), at Rockhurst University, Kansas City, MO. Also while in Kansas City, on April 20, 7:00 p.m., for National Poetry Month, I will be reading with Andrés Rodríguez at The Writers Place, 3607 Pennsylvania, Kansas City, Mo. Phone: 816-753-1090. Many thanks to Xanath Caraza de Holland for setting up this wonderful trip to Kansas City. And on Sunday, April 22, I will be visiting the Hoy Stage at the Los Angeles Times' Festival of Books (on the USC campus) in the afternoon to sign my novel (time to be announced)...my novel was nominated for the Latino Books into Movies Awards sponsored by Latino Literacy Now...here are last year’s winners.