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UTPA Professor Steve Schneider invited to discuss latest book at two renowned book festivals

Tuesday, October 5th, 2010


Dr. Steven P. Schneider, professor of English and director of New Programs and Special Projects in the College of Arts and Humanities at The University of Texas-Pan American

Texas Border Business

The latest book of poetry by Dr. Steven P. Schneider, professor of English and director of New Programs and Special Projects in the College of Arts and Humanities at The University of Texas-Pan American, has been selected for presentation at two well-known book festivals this fall - The Texas Book Festival on Oct. 16 and the Miami Book Fair International on Nov. 21.

The book, "Borderlines: Drawing Border Lives" (Fronteras: dibujando lad vidas fronterizas) is a collaboration between Schneider, a poet, and his artist wife, Reefka, whose 25 drawings of people who live and work along the U.S./Mexico border are featured in the book. Each of Schneider's poems are in response to each of the drawings in a bilingual text of English and Spanish.

At the Texas Book Festival, both Schneider and his wife will appear at a session held at the Austin Museum of Art at 12:30 p.m. The Texas Book Festival celebrates authors and their contributions to the culture of literacy, ideas and imagination. Established in 1995 by First Lady Laura Bush, a former librarian and an ardent advocate of literacy, the festival  has evolved into one of the premier literary events in the country, annually hosting more than  200 Texas and nationally known authors. Approximately 40,000 visitors participate each year in a weekend of author readings and presentations, panel discussions, book signings, and musical entertainment at the State Capitol in Austin.

Schneider, who has been a local activist for literacy through UTPA’s FESTIBA and two Big Read grants awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts, has also been invited to be a featured author at the Miami Book Fair International. The Miami Book Fair International has evolved into an extraordinary, annual weeklong event offering the best in American and world literature, hailed by Publisher’s Weekly, the American Booksellers Association and the New York Times as the premier literary event in America.  

Schneider reports Borderlines: Drawing Border Lives has received a number of favorable reviews. In a starred review by Criticas, published by the Library Journal, the critic noted, "The poems are simple and direct lyrical descriptions of people about their daily lives and struggles. Using simple charcoal and conte crayons, Reefka creates startling lifelike drawings. Most obvious in these works is the fragile nature of the children who have no choice but to bear out the politics that they were born into.” Ed Conroy, writing a review of Borderlines for The San Antonio Express News, wrote that  “at a time when Arizona’s new immigration law has created an intensified national controversy over the value and worth of the people of our border regions, Borderlines has the power to make us pause and reflect on the stories and conditions of their lives.”

A faculty member at UTPA since 2001, Schneider served as chair of the Department of English from 2001-2007. During that time he coordinated the successful effort to create a new Masters of Fine Arts in writing at the University.

Learn more about the Texas Book Festival at http://www.texasbookfestival.org/ and the Miami Book Fair International at http://www.miamibookfair.com/.

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