Rachel speaks with author, advocate and social entrepreneur Rudy Ruiz about his most recent neo-western horror novel, The Valley of Shadows (2022). Born in Brownsville and later graduating from Harvard University, Rudy shares how his fronterizo experiences shapes his writing, and the importance of community stories.

Rudy Ruiz is an American author, advocate and social entrepreneur. The son and grandson of Mexican immigrants, Rudy Ruiz was born in Brownsville, Texas and raised along the US-Mexico border, living in Matamoros, Mexico for extensive periods of time. He did not speak English until he entered school at the age of five. Once in school, he excelled and dreamt of growing up to be a writer, an entrepreneur, and a contributor to the wellbeing of immigrants and minorities, as well as to positive relations between diverse cultures and nations. He earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at Harvard. Ruiz now resides in San Antonio with his wife, Heather, and their two children, Paloma and Lorenzo. To learn more about Rudy and his other published works see, https://rudyruiz.com/

Dr. González-Martin is a Folklorist and an Associate Professor of Mexican American and Latina/o Studies. She is an active affiliate faculty member of the Center for Mexican American Studies, Women and Gender Studies, and the Latino Media and Arts Program at the University of Texas. She holds a PhD in Folklore and Ethnomusicology from Indiana University, where she completed her dissertation titled, “Dreaming in Taffeta: Imagining an American Quinceañera” (2014). Her M.A. explores Mexican, Mexican American, and Chicano masculinities and verbal dueling among Mexican descent men through artistic insults known as “albures”.  She is a Woodrow Wilson Early Career Fellow. She does research across the United States, and Mexico.

Resources / Related Links:

https://crimereads.com/rudy-ruiz-neo-western-border/

This Episode was Mixed and Mastered by Rayna Sevilla