Pulitzer Prize finalist to speak at College of Lake County

Luis Urrea, the best-selling author of 14 books, will speak on “Universal Border: From Tijuana to the World” at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 18, in Room C005, at the College of Lake County, 19351 W. Washington Street, Grayslake. A book sale and signing by the author will occur from 8:30-9:30 p.m.

Urrea will tell the story of his transformative journey from the dirt streets of Tijuana to becoming a Pulitzer Prize finalist and beloved storyteller. The event is free, but tickets are required. There is a limit of four tickets per person, which can be requested online at apps.clcillinois.edu/depts/vpe/request.asp. Tickets may be picked up before the presentation at a table outside the C Wing Auditorium (Room C005).

Born in Tijuana, Mexico, Urrea draws on his dual-culture experiences to explore universal themes of love, loss and triumph. He has published in many genres, including novels, short stories, poetry and memoir. His fiction includes the historical novels “The Hummingbird’s Daughter” and “Queen of America.” His nonfiction includes the memoir “Nobody’s Son: Notes from an American Life,” which won the American Book Award, and “The Devil’s Highway,” a nonfiction account of a group of Mexican immigrants lost in the Arizona desert, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.

As a young man, Urrea was a relief worker aiding people living in Tijuana’s garbage dumps. He attended the University of California at San Diego, earning a bachelor’s degree in writing, and did graduate work at the University of Colorado-Boulder. He later received a teaching fellowship at Harvard University and taught at Massachusetts Bay Community College, the University of Colorado and the University of Louisiana-Lafayette. Urrea is a professor of creative writing at the University of Illinois-Chicago and lives in Naperville. To learn more about the author, visit www.luisurrea.com.

For more information, contact Professor David Groeninger at (847) 543-2540. The presentation is being sponsored by CLC’s Educational Affairs division.

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