Winners of the 2024 Troncoso Reading Prizes

I was so thrilled to meet the winners of the Troncoso Reading Prizes at the Sergio Troncoso Public Library. In the photo are Nathaniel Sanchez, Jorge Manjarrez, Celine Guevara, Ariya-Jade Rojas. Not in photo: Robert Guevara and Layla-Sol Burciaga.

These young readers read the most books from October 15 to December 3 and wrote 100-word essays on their favorite books. Congratulations!🎈 🎉🎊 I loved answering their questions about writing and education. What a great event. I also gave them signed copies of one of my books, the library staff created certificates for each winner, and they received the prizes below.

First, Second, and Third Place for students in 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade in middle school/high school; First, Second, and Third Place for students in 5th, 6th, 7th, or 8th grade in grade school/middle school.

First Place receives a $150.00 gift card, Second Place receives a $125.00 gift card, and Third Place receives a $100.00 gift card. All prizes are gift cards from Barnes and Noble Booksellers. A total of six prizes are awarded in the two categories every year.

 

IAIA Chapter House Journal's Review of Nobody's Pilgrims

Thank you Rey M. Rodriguez for reviewing NOBODY’S PILGRIMS in IAIA Chapter House Journal:

 “A masterfully wrought thriller road trip from El Paso, Texas to Kent, Connecticut... Troncoso writes about the new pilgrims of this country. Those who some are calling vermin or saying that immigrants are poisoning the blood of this country. In other words, those people who some people would call nobody’s children.... These immigrants—like Turi, Molly, and Arnulfo—represent as Troncoso has confirmed in his writing and lectures the best values of this country. They show us what it means to work hard and make it on your own. They show us the importance of fighting for your place. They show us that we need each other and we must help others to succeed.”

https://chjournal.com/chapter-house-blog/2024/11/15/book-review-of-nobodys-pilgrims-written-by-sergio-troncoso-by-rey-m-rodrguez

Nepantla Familias on Texas Public Radio

I recently did an interview on the anthology I edited, NEPANTLA FAMILIAS: AN ANTHOLOGY OF MEXICAN AMERICAN LITERATURE ON FAMILIES IN BETWEEN WORLDS, for Fronteras on Texas Public Radio. I've included the link below. It's probably one of the best radio/podcast interviews I've given on this book and the concepts behind my work. It's 28 minutes and discusses the anthology, works in it, and the ideas and complexities I tried to achieve by choosing the work. I hope you enjoy it. 

"A deeply meaningful collection that navigates important nuances of identity."   —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

https://www.tpr.org/podcast/fronteras/2024-11-15/fronteras-nepantla-familias-explores-identity-hybridity-of-the-mexican-american-experience

Sergio Troncoso Day in El Paso County and Texas Literary Hall of Fame

I had such a fantastic time in El Paso and Fort Worth over the past few days. Here are some photos from my trip. The El Paso County Commissioners, and particularly Iliana Holguin, surprised me by declaring Sergio Troncoso Day on October 28, 2024! I am so grateful to receive such support from my hometown, and I will always keep writing about the border, and promoting writers from the border, so that we can tell our stories and define ourselves, rather than allow others who do not know the border to define us.

Also, I was inducted into the Texas Literary Hall of Fame in Fort Worth on October 29, 2024, another shocker for me from home. Also inducted were Stephen Graham Jones, Cynthia Leitich Smith, Tracy Daugherty, Jan Seale, Molly Ivins, and Cormac McCarthy. Again, I am grateful to Texas Christian University for this wonderful honor! So many El Paso and Forth Worth friends made the trip to support me, including Shelby McCue, Jeff Jenkins, Luis Galindo, and Laurie Ryan. My wife Laura was also there; we are with Professor Matthew Pitt, who is on the board of judges. It was a night of festivities!

El Paso Times Interviews Sergio Troncoso on Texas Literary Hall of Fame

Thank you to my friends in El Paso who alerted me about this video and article on the Texas Literary Hall of Fame for the front page of The El Paso Times! I'm grateful. I'm working on another novel right now, actually struggling with another chapter. Siempre trabajando, wherever I am! I always remember my parents and family during good moments like these, because I know I wouldn't be anywhere without their values, without their love, without their many lessons I learned in Ysleta.

Article in The El Paso Times:

https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/life/arts/2024/09/29/award-winning-author-sergio-troncoso-joins-texas-literary-hall-of-fame/74691128007/ 

Pleiades Interview with Sergio Troncoso

"There are many hidden philosophical questions and issues in the book. How do you develop character? How do you morph from idealism to realism as you move into adulthood? The book addresses racism, as well. Along the way some people are welcoming to Turi and Arnulfo, but others are racist and xenophobic. They don’t want Mexican Americans or Mexicans living in this country. How do you keep that racist poison from infecting your soul as you are faced with this kind of hate? Turi has to fight for his place in this country rather than to assume he belongs. He has to survive here, and he’s not turning back. Connecticut is where he’ll make his stand. Nobody’s Pilgrims is a thriller."

Thank you to Pleiades Magazine, Jennifer Maritza McCauley, and Rey Rodriguez for this interview.

https://pleiadesmag.com/an-interview-with-sergio-troncoso/

Sergio Troncoso Inducted into Texas Literary Hall of Fame

So thrilled and stunned to announce that the Board of Judges selected me along with Tracy Daugherty, Molly Ivins, Stephen Graham Jones, Cormac McCarthy, Jan Seale, and Cynthia Leitich Smith as the 2024 inductees into the Texas Literary Hall of Fame. On October 29, 2024 at 7 PM, the official induction ceremony will take place at the TCU Mary Couts Burnett Library in Fort Worth, TX, in partnernship with TCU AddRan College of Liberal Arts, TCU Press, and the Center for Texas Studies.

The Texas Literary Hall of Fame was established to celebrate and encourage the state's rich literary heritage by honoring its foremost authors, whose original writing reflects enduring cultural relevance and artistic creativity. The Texas Literary Hall of Fame honors inductees every two years.

 https://library.tcu.edu/TXLitHoF/

#texas #texasbookfestival #texasbooks @tcupress @tculibrary @centerfortexasstudiestcu

Latino Book Chat with Sergio Troncoso

Please share this podcast interview, by Latino Book Chat, that was released today on NOBODY’S PILGRIMS. Thank you to Christianne Meneses Jacobs! 😀

"Troncoso delivers a surprisingly fast-paced, character-driven story....A sublime, diverse cast drives this tale of looking for a safe, welcoming home." —Kirkus Reviews

"The first time I finished Sergio Troncoso’s Nobody’s Pilgrims, I realized that I was absent-mindedly petting the cover. His characters had somehow taken up residence in my heart. It was love at first sight. A second reading, and a rereading of some of his earlier fiction, only confirmed the power of this odyssey of Turi, Arnulfo and Molly."

—Bob Dunton, El Paso Matters

https://www.podpage.com/latino-book-chat/51-teenage-fugitives-deadly-cargo-sergio-troncoso/#play

Presidential Debate: Are we a society of superficiality or substance?

My latest opinion piece. Thank you for reading it!

"We are living in an American cave of superficiality, and we’ve forgotten so much of what is invisible that
works and that matters. Trump is the perfect superficial leader in our American cave, in love with himself most of all, trumpeting his gaudy and false 'successes,' and self-proclaiming his godlike “retrospective decision-making,” which is just as good in our cave as having to make decisions in real time, like a real leader must."

https://elpasomatters.org/2024/07/02/opinion-presidential-debate-joe-biden-donald-trump/