Alberto Ríos, Arizona’s inaugural poet laureate, has won acclaim for the lyrical language of his poems and short stories which reflects his Chicano heritage through both magical realism and the magic of the everyday. Ríos is the author of twelve collections of poetry, most recently, Not Go Away Is My Name, preceded by A Small Story about the Sky, The Dangerous Shirt, and The Theater of Night, which received the PEN/Beyond Margins Award. Other honors include fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. He has also written three short story collections, a novel, and memoir, Capirotada, about growing up on the Mexican border. Ríos is the host of the PBS programs Books & Co. and Art in the 48 and has taught at Arizona State University since 1982. In 2017, he was named director of the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing.
