POETS/SHORT STORY AUTHORS:
Burciago, Jose Antonio 1941-1996 Poet, humorist, artist, journalist born and raised in El Paso
Coleman, Anita Scott of Silver City, NM and later Los Angeles, African American writer writing in the Harlem Renaissance tradition. Coleman also wrote essays and short stories.
Western Echoes of the Harlem RenaissanceCall Number: Not in local libraries
ISBN: 0806139560
Recovers Coleman's life and literary legacy One of the most distinctive and prolific writers of the Harlem Renaissance, Anita Scott Coleman (1890–1960) found popular and critical success in the flourishing African American press of the early twentieth century. Yet unlike many of her New York–based contemporaries, Coleman lived her life in the American West, first in New Mexico and later in California.
Gomez, Gabriel. Poet
Gonzalez, Ray Poet, essayist, and editor
Green, Nancy Lorenza El Paso poet
Monsivais, Carolina Chicanx-Poet-Historian-Mother.
Muro, Amado (literary name of Chester Seltzer) Anglo short story writer from El Paso who wrote under a Mexican American identity. See also entry for son Robert Seltzer
Amado Muro and Me by Robert SeltzerISBN: 0875656366
Perez, Emmy Poet
Pimental, Sasha poet and professor at UTEP
Scofield, Robin poet connected with Border Sense and Tumblewords Project
Somoza, Joseph Las Cruces poet, Professor at UTEP and NMSU
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DRAMATISTS/SCREENWRITERS:
Granados, Christine Former journalist with the El Paso Times, playwright, short story writer
Morton, Carlos Playwright who lived in El Paso several times in his life and taught at UTEP
NONFICTION WRITERS:
Dailey, Maceo C. Historian and director of African American Studies at the University of Texas at El Paso
de Cardenas, Isidra T. started a series of pamphlets called La Voz de la Mujer in El Paso in 1907.
El Paso Chamber of Commerce Author of the 1910 book El Paso: The Story of a City
Garcia, Mario T. Native El Pasoan and noted Chicano historian, University of California at Santa Barbara professor
Gladstein, Mimi Reisel John Steinbeck scholar, author of books on Ayn Rand and local histories. Long time UTEP professor.
Gonzales, Patrisia and Roberto Rodriguez writers of the syndicated Column of the Americas, distributed by Universal Press Syndicate, since 1994. Recipients of El Paso's Writers of the Pass award.
Haines, Cynthia Weber Farah Photographer and writer best known for documenting southwest writers and art and life in El Paso, former UTEP professor who started Film Studies program
Rentería, Ramon. "Haines chronicles El Paso's theaters." El Paso Times (TX), sec. Lifestyle, 6 May 2006.
Hertzog, Carl (1902–1984), typographer, book designer, and publisher.
Jameson, W.C. Author of Legend and Lore of the Guadalupe Mountains
Lea, Thomas Callahan III 1907-2001 artist/journalist/historian
Margo, Adair art gallery owner, nonfiction writer
Metz, Leon (1930-2020) beloved southwest historian
Olchefski-Winson, Pat local artist and memoirist.
Ormsby, Waterman L. Author of The Butterfield Overland Mail
Romo, David Dorado pivotal book: Ringside Seat to a Revolution
Sonnichsen, Charles Leland. southwest historian and UTEP professor emeritus. Prolific writer
Timmons, W. H. Historian and long time Texas Western professor.
Walker, Dale L. El Paso author of many biographies and historical books
West, John O. Folklorist, historian, long time University of Texas at El Paso professor
White, Owen Payne (1879-1946) native El Pasoan writer/muckraker. Most of his career was spent outside of El Paso.
Wright, Bill award-winning phorographer and nonfiction writer writing on the Tiguas, Kickapoo and Big Bend areas among other subjects.
Betts, Cordia "Vanessa" Children's book author and in May 2021 in runoff election for EPISD school board district #5
Caine, Rachel (Roxanne Longstreet Conrad) Writer of Science fiction, fantasy, mystery, suspense and horror.
Chacon, Daniel Latino author and creative writing professor at UTEP
Chavez, Denise very well known award winning author from Las Cruces
Hernandez, Tim Z. award winning poet, novelist, research scholar, and performance artist. Currently a professor at UTEP
Johnson, Lou Anne Author of My Posse Don’t Do Homework, which was adopted as the film Dangerous Minds.
She lived and worked in Southern New Mexico for many years and now lives in Santa Fe.
Rechy, John award-winning gay writer from El Paso. His book City of Night was significant for its time.
find books and articles in our Discovery System (EPCC students or on campus use only).
Stork, Francisco X. novelist
Troncoso, Sergio novelist, essayist and short story writer from Ysleta
Windle, Janice Woods. novelist, long time president of the El Paso Community Foundation.
BOOKS SET IN EL PASO:
The Baker’s Daughter (2012) by Sarah McCoy. Partly set in the El Paso German community
Bullets, Bottles and Gardenias (1935) by Timothy G. Turner<
Death in the Time of Pancho Villa (2020) by Sandra Marshall
El Paso: A Novel (2016) by Winston Groom. On the Mexican Revolution.
El Paso (1999) by Matt Braun. El Paso in 1881 with Marshal Dallas Stoudenmire
Retablos: Stories from a Life Along the Border (2018) by Octavio Solis. Playwright's collection of short stories from his life growing up in El Paso
Seventh Flag (2019) by Sid Balman Jr. Set in Dell City (Hudspeth County) iconic American family and Syrian Muslim family
Si El Paso and El Paso 120 art photography books by Mark Paula
LOCAL BOOKSTORES:
Books Are Gems
Brave Books
Casa Camino Real (Las Cruces) see also Chavez, Denise entry
COAS (two branches in Las Cruces)
Friends of the Libraries bookstores
Literarity (Mesa Street, westside in Peppertree Square)
Martin’s Bookstore (Elizabeth Alvarez) Now closed, but was open for over 50 years. This link would be interesting to include in researching the bookstore and is another feature of "literary El Paso".
People's Emporium Revered book store, sold books and other oddities
EVENTS:
Border Senses / Barbed Wire Open Mic
Border Tapestry Contest / El Paso Writers’ League
EPCC Literary Fiesta
El Paso Comic Com Community Based Pop Culture Experience
Tumblewords Project
Words on a Wire KTEP radio show about fiction, poetry, the writing community, etc
World Famous Kentucky Club A place to sit down, enjoy a good drink and read, located in Ciudad Juarez.
Mangan Press / Frank Mangan established in 1979
Texas Western Press Founded by Carl Hertzog in 1952
Veliz Press, established in El Paso 2015
PUBLICATIONS:
Chrysalis EPCC literary magazine
The City El Paso Magazine founded in 2011
El Diario de El Paso / Diario de Juarez Osvaldo Rodriguez Borunda, publisher
Puerto del Sol Literary Magazine. Long-running NMSU publication.
The Rio Grande Review: UTEP’s bilingual journal of literature and contemporary art