Albuquerque Special Collections Library to host 'Thomas H. Begay and the Navajo Code Talkers' discussion

AT SPECIAL COLLECTIONS LIBRARY

Farmington author Alysa Landry will talk about her new book “Thomas H. Begay and the Navajo Code Talkers” at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 14, at the Albuquerque Special Collections Library, 423 Central Ave. NE. Begay, an Albuquerque resident, will join Landry for the event. Landry said she was approached by an editor at Ohio University Press about writing a book for the press’ Biographies for Young Readers series. She chose the topic of the World War II code talkers and invited Begay and his family to collaborate with her on the book.

Begay, who is in his late 90s, is one of the few of the original 430 Navajo code talkers still alive, and he is the last living survivor of Iwo Jima, Landry said. The code talkers were members of the U.S. Marine Corps.

A journalist for 20 years, Landry is a former reporter for the Farmington Daily Times covering the Navajo Nation beat. More recently, she has taught English, journalism and creative writing at the Tsaile campus of Diné College. She is the campus’ interim provost. Born in Los Alamos, Landry grew up in northern Utah.

The library event, she said, will involve a short slide show, a few readings, a talk by Begay and a question-and-answer session followed by a book signing. Free and open to the public.

AUTHOR HAS TWO ALBUQUERQUE EVENTS

Don Zancanella, a former University of New Mexico English professor, will discuss and sign the new paperback release of his book “A Storm in the Stars: A Novel of Mary Shelley” at two Albuquerque locations. He will be at Bookworks at 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 9, and at Bosque on the Bosque at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 15. The novel looks into Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s literary circle and the writing of the famous novel “Frankenstein.”

Zancanella also wrote the novel “Concord,” which reimagines the politics, ideologies and loves during a year in the lives of Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Margaret Fuller and Sophia Peabody.

Zancanella is the winner of an O. Henry Prize. He, his wife and their two dogs divide their time between Albuquerque and Boise, Idaho.

Bookworks is located at 4022 Rio Grande Blvd. NW. Books on the Bosque is located at 6261 Riverside Plaza Lane NW.

DEBUT NOVEL

Chris Rugeley of Angel Fire will talk about his debut novel “Take Creek, For Example” at 1 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 8, at Books on the Bosque, 6261 Riverside Plaza Lane NW.

A blurb by author Sharma Shields said it “is the quirkiest, most art-infused campus novel you’ll ever read, chockablock with fascinating and hilarious characters, thrumming with longing and belonging. This is an exciting and original debut.”

Rugeley was born in Houston and raised in Colorado. He received a B.A. from the University of Montana and an M.A. from San Francisco State University. Rugeley is working on his second novel.

TAOS STORYTELLING

The 25th annual Taos Storytelling Festival will be held Friday, Oct. 13, and Saturday, Oct. 14, in Taos and in Ranchos de Taos. The main show is at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Taos Community Auditorium, 133 Paseo del Pueblo Norte, Taos. For festival event times and locations, visit somostaos.org, go to “programs,” then click on “storytelling.” Some events are free, some ticketed.

— Compiled by David Steinberg for the Journal