Lannan Literary Awards
3 appearances
-
Edition 146 (2002, held 7 times in year) Fellowship
-
Edition 151 (2002, held 12 times in year) Fellowship
Rubén Martínez
ルベン・マルティネス
Ruben Martinez
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1962-01-01 （Los Angeles, California, United States）
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English, Spanish
- Residence History
- Los Angeles (birthplace) → Velarde, New Mexico (resident) → Joshua Tree, California (resident) → Marfa, Texas (resident)
Career
- Occupations
- journalist, author, musician, university professor
- Active Years
- 1988-
- Affiliations
- Loyola Marymount University (Fletcher Jones Chair in Literature & Writing), University of Houston Creative Writing Program (former faculty), University of California, Santa Barbara (teaching affiliate), Claremont McKenna College (teaching affiliate)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whittier College (honorary) | — | — | 名誉人文学博士 (L.H.D.) | — | United States |
| Harvard University Graduate School of Design (Loeb Fellowship) | Loeb Fellowship | — | — | — | United States |
Whittier College (honorary)
Degree:
名誉人文学博士 (L.H.D.)
Year of Graduation:
2005
Country:
United States
Honorary degree awarded in 2005
Harvard University Graduate School of Design (Loeb Fellowship)
Loeb Fellowship
Country:
United States
Recipient of the Loeb Fellowship (year unspecified)
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Lannan Foundation Fellowship | Crossing Over: A Mexican Family on the Migrant Trail | — | Lannan Foundation | 受賞 |
| — | Loeb Fellowship | — | — | Harvard University Graduate School of Design | 受賞 |
| — | Freedom of Information Award | — | — | ACLU | 受賞 |
| — | Greater Press Club of Los Angeles Award of Excellence | — | — | Greater Press Club of Los Angeles | 受賞 |
| — | Luis Leal Award | — | — | UC Santa Barbara | 受賞 |
| — | Emmy Award | Life & Times (TV series) | — | Emmy Awards | 受賞 |
| 2005 | Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters (L.H.D.) | — | — | Whittier College | 授与 |
Lannan Foundation Fellowship
2002
Work:
Crossing Over: A Mexican Family on the Migrant Trail
Organization:
Lannan Foundation
Result:
受賞
Loeb Fellowship
Organization:
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Result:
受賞
Freedom of Information Award
Organization:
ACLU
Result:
受賞
Greater Press Club of Los Angeles Award of Excellence
Organization:
Greater Press Club of Los Angeles
Result:
受賞
Luis Leal Award
Organization:
UC Santa Barbara
Result:
受賞
Emmy Award
Work:
Life & Times (TV series)
Organization:
Emmy Awards
Result:
受賞
Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters (L.H.D.)
2005
Organization:
Whittier College
Result:
授与
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Crossing Over: A Mexican Family on the Migrant Trail
2001 non-fiction / narrative journalism 320 pagesA reportage following the Chavez family from Cheran, Michoacán, as they migrate across the United States, documenting the dangers, personal costs, and realities of undocumented migration.
immigrationborderfamilylabor and survival
Desert America: Boom and Bust in the New Old West
2012 non-fiction / essays 304 pagesA series of reports and essays from places across the contemporary American West—New Mexico, Marfa, Joshua Tree—exploring wealth, poverty, ecological damage, and neglected communities.
communityeconomic disparityenvironmental issuescultural history
The New Americans
2004 non-fiction / social history 320 pagesFollows seven immigrant families to examine how immigration transformed America, particularly in the wake of 9/11. Companion volume to the PBS documentary series of the same name.
immigrant historyacculturationdiscrimination and inequality
Flesh Life: Sex in Mexico City
2006 non-fiction / photo-essay 160 pagesA collaboration with photographer Joseph Rodriguez documenting sex and urban culture in Mexico City.
urban culturesexdocumentary photography
The Other Side: Notes from the New L.A., Mexico City & Beyond
1993 essays / non-fiction 240 pagesAn essay collection reflecting on culture, politics, and life in Los Angeles, Mexico City, and beyond.
urban cultureLatino experienceimmigrant perspectives
East Side Stories
1998 photography / non-fiction 120 pagesCo-authored with Joseph Rodriguez, depicting East Los Angeles communities through photographs and text.
communityurban photographyLatino culture
Bibliography
- The Other Side: Notes From the New LA, Mexico City, and Beyond (1993)
- Eastside Stories (with Joseph Rodriguez) (1998)
- Crossing Over: A Mexican Family on the Migrant Trail (2001)
- The New Americans (2004)
- Flesh Life: Sex in Mexico City (with Joseph Rodriguez) (2006)
- Desert America: Boom and Bust in the New Old West (2012)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- journalistic, fieldwork-based non-fictiona blend of essayistic perspective and narrative description
- Recurring Motifs
- immigration and the borderLos Angeles and urban cultureLatino community history and identityeconomic disparity and community change
Legacy
Rubén Martínez is recognized for conveying immigrant experiences and the complexities of the American West and Los Angeles culture. His work, straddling journalism and literature, has influenced public discourse and documentary practice.
In Popular Culture
- Companion book to the PBS documentary series "The New Americans"
Quotes
-
"I might add that I live in one of the poorest villages in one of the poorest counties in one of the poorest states..."
Source: Desert America (author's comment) (2012)
Trivia
- He was among the first Latino staffers at LA Weekly.
- Hosted the TV series Life & Times and won an Emmy Award.
- He is of Mexican-American paternal descent and Salvadoran maternal descent (second-generation on father's side).