American Book Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 35 (2014) Winner
Alex Espinoza
アレックス・エスピノサ
Alex Espinoza
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- Tijuana, Mexico
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English, Spanish
- Residence History
- Los Angeles (raised) → Riverside (work/residence)
Career
- Occupations
- writer, educator
- Affiliations
- University of California, Riverside (Tomás Rivera Endowed Chair of Creative Writing)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of California, Riverside | — | — | — | — | United States |
| University of California, Irvine | — | Program in Writing (MFA) | MFA | — | United States |
University of California, Riverside
Country:
United States
University of California, Irvine
Program in Writing (MFA)
Degree:
MFA
Country:
United States
Received an MFA in creative writing
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | American Book Award | The Five Acts of Diego León | — | Before Columbus Foundation | 受賞 |
| 2014 | Fellowship in Prose (National Endowment for the Arts) | — | フェローシップ | National Endowment for the Arts | 受賞 |
| 2019 | MacDowell Fellowship | — | — | MacDowell (artists' residency and workshop) | 受賞 |
American Book Award
2014
Work:
The Five Acts of Diego León
Organization:
Before Columbus Foundation
Result:
受賞
Fellowship in Prose (National Endowment for the Arts)
2014
Category:
フェローシップ
Organization:
National Endowment for the Arts
Result:
受賞
MacDowell Fellowship
2019
Organization:
MacDowell (artists' residency and workshop)
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Still Water Saints
2007 NovelA novel about immigration, family, and community set in the Los Angeles area, exploring identity and belonging.
immigrationfamilycommunityidentity
Translations
- Los Santos de Agua Mansa, California (Spanish edition title)
The Five Acts of Diego León
2013 NovelA novel that interweaves the film industry, Latino immigrant experiences, and family relationships through the life of protagonist Diego León, structured with a theatrical sensibility.
Latino experiencefamilyAmerican cultureidentity
Cruising: An Intimate History of a Radical Pastime
2019 Non-fictionA historical and cultural examination of gay cruising, tracing the practices' sexual, political, and community-forming dimensions.
queer culturehistory of sexualitycommunity formation
Bibliography
- Still Water Saints
- The Five Acts of Diego León
- Cruising: An Intimate History of a Radical Pastime
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- contemporary realismLatino/Chicano American perspectivenarrative experimentation with structure
- Recurring Motifs
- immigrant experiencefamily bonds and rupturescultural identityqueer experience
Legacy
Espinoza is known for works that portray American life from Latino and queer perspectives. Based in Los Angeles, he has also contributed to nurturing a new generation of writers through his university teaching.
Trivia
- Born in Tijuana, Mexico, he moved to the United States with his family at age two.
- Holds the Tomás Rivera Endowed Chair of Creative Writing at the University of California, Riverside.
- Notable works include The Five Acts of Diego León, Still Water Saints, and Cruising: An Intimate History of a Radical Pastime.