No Grad Student Left Behind: The Personal is Political

April 13, 2018 Alonzo Amador is The Man With the White Guitar Hoping to learn more about the man with the white guitar, I returned to the McDonalds the next morning at 7:30 a.m. on my way to an 8:15 a.m. class. Again, there was little time to chat, but he is a regular at this location for his morning "Senior Discount" coffee. That's my usual coffee order too. Between my not perfect Spanish and his more than adequate English, we spoke for a few minutes.  When I asked him about why he wrote the names of El Cartel on his guitar, he said that he writes corridos about the adventures of these drug bosses.  Corridos are stories told in song. What separates this song form from others is its Mexican origins and the subject matter common to the stories. With origins in the Mexican Revolution, the stories do not usually include tales of a broken heart. The stories serve a purpose -- to speak out against injustice or to share the ways people survive the har

Humans of Tucson, Arizona April 12, 2018 This is what happens when you skip the drive-through at the McDonald's on Irvington in the Spectrum Center, Tucson, Arizona. You park your car, go inside, and meet a man with a white guitar. A white guitar handpainted with a list of names of El Cartel bosses. Included in the upper right-hand corner is a small photo of Malvede, and an image   of St. Jude  Thaddaeus is  on the back of his guitar.  I could not stop and hear his story because I did not want to be late for the writing class I teach at Pima Community College Desert Vista Campus.  I hope to meet this man again on another early morning coffee run on my way to campus.  I want to know his story.

College English, Vol. 71, No. 6, July 2009 : "Blogger"

First, sorry for the delay between posts. I was in New Orleans last week, so photos of that are next. The U of AZ Wildcat Pow Wow was spectacular again this year. I did not use the flash on my camera because I did not want to bother the dancers, so some of my pics are a little fuzzy. You can never take photographs during religious dances, like the Gourd Dance, but it's okay to take them while the dancers are competing. Notice the numbers pinned on the clothing. A pow wow is a family affair. It's so refreshing to see multiple generations dancing together from Golden Age 50+, Adults 18-49, Teens 13-17, Juniors 7-12, to Tiny Tots. People arrive early with folding chairs, portable shade canopies, and coolers full of food. To begin, there is a Grand Entry headed by the US flag and an Eagle staff held by champion fancy dancers. Next in the Grand Entry come the honored Veterans, elders, and those holding titles such as Miss Native American U of AZ. After these groups, all of the danc

Men crossing the finish line at the Willie Williams Classic. My students, Mark and LaTisha are on the UA team. You have no idea how hard these student athletes work. They are under tremendous pressure keep up good grades while putting in untold hours of training and competition. They are up early every day, so UA is not a "party" campus for them. They take their athletics and scholarship seriously. They often speak of their future plans and careers. I am so proud of them! Both LaTisha and Mark are doing well in my English 102 class at the U of A. Go Wildcats! See link on lower right side of this page for more photos.

Another beautiful weekend - in the 70's - in Tucson this weekend. As usual, I'm spending yet another weekend grading student papers and working on a paper I've been revising for weeks. But at 2:05 p.m. today, I'll be listening to a spring training baseball game on the radio: AZ Diamondbacks vs. White Sox playing in Hermosillo, Mexico today. Last Thursday, Feb. 28th, the DBacks tied the Rockies 5:5. Above is a picture of my son, Justin, at the game. Almost nothing makes him happier than watching his Dbacks. Below is a photo of a true fan. Buy tickets for spring training or the regular season at http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=ari