Literary memorial to be held in honor of 'Milagro Beanfield War' author John Nichols

AT TAOS CENTER FOR THE ARTS

A literary memorial in honor of John Nichols will be held from 4-6 p.m. Saturday, May 25, at the Taos Center for the Arts, 133 Paseo del Pueblo Norte, Taos.

The program will include the 27-minute film “The Sky’s the Limit,” produced by Michael Kamins for PBS. The film contains music by the band Ricky and the Re-Rites that Nichols played with, and stories shared by Nichols’ family members and friends. Among those friends are Kamins, Nasario García, Phaedra Greenwood, Reggie Cantu and Kay Matthews.

Nichols was a novelist, nonfiction writer, screenwriter, photographer, musician and environmentalist. A longtime Taos resident, Nichols died last November at the age of 83.

Literary memorial to be held in honor of 'Milagro Beanfield War' author John Nichols

He was widely-known as the author of the novel “The Milagro Beanfield War,” the first volume of his New Mexico trilogy that also included “The Magic Journey” and “The Nirvana Blues.”

Nichols also wrote the nonfiction trilogy “If Mountains Die,” “The Last Beautiful Days of Autumn” and “On the Mesa.”

Before moving to Taos in 1969, Nichols had gained fame for his novel “The Sterile Cuckoo.”Sean Murphy and Tania Casselle, long-time friends of Nichols, will emcee the event.

Brodsky Books will sell copies of Nichols’ titles, many of them autographed by the author.

The event is free, but individuals must reserve a seat in the auditorium.

Register for a free ticket at tcataos.org or by calling 575-758-2052. After all seats are taken, additional seating will be on a first come, first served basis in the Encore Gallery, which serves as the lobby for the TCA. The event will be streamed, with audio, on a screen in the gallery.

AT TREASURE HOUSE IN OLD TOWN

Gency Brown will read from and sign copies of her novel “A Right Fine Life” from 1:30-3:30 p.m. Sunday, May 19, at Treasure House Books & Gifts in Old Town.

The novel is about Randy Waters, who dreams of being a country music star. After years of struggling in the music business in Nashville, dealing with a love interest that’s gone south and battling guilt over deserting his widowed mother and young son, Waters finally achieves his dream. But he still can’t fulfill his need for family and the comforts of home.

Brown, an Oklahoma native, spent much of her life in retail management across the country. She retired to Albuquerque.

Treasure House is located at 2012 South Plaza St. NW, Old Town.

— Compiled by David Steinberg For the Journal