 "Photo: Mathieu Bourgois")
"Daniel Alarcón's stories are one of the reasons we go to storytellers - they present worlds we have only imagined or heard about in less truthful and poetic ways." - Edward P. Jones, author of The Known World
Daniel Alarcón is a 29-year-old novelist and short-story writer. He has already been published in The New Yorker, Harper's Virginia Quarterly Review, Salon and Eyeshot; he has also been anthologized in Best American Non-Required Reading 2004 and 2005. His story collection, War By Candlelight, was a finalist for the 2006 PEN/Hemmingway Foundation Award, and in February of this year he published his first novel, Lost City Radio. Alarcón is a native of Lima, Peru, but he came to the U.S. when he was very young to escape the violence. He was a Fulbright Scholar to Peru and was also the recipient of a Whiting Award in 2004. He currently lives in Oakland, California and is a Distinguished Visiting Writer at Mills College. Alarcón is also the Associate Editor at Etiqueta Negra, an award-winning Peruvian magazine. He has recently spent time in the poorest areas of Lima in order to learn about the people who lived through the Shining Path and Tupac Amaru terrorist uprisings in the 1980s and '90s. As a Peruvian who was forced to leave his home, these uprisings have been an important part of Alarcón's life; he often incorporates this experience into his work. Donna Seaman from Booklist says he writes "rapturously and elegiacally of the wilderness in both jungle and city, creating indelible images that concentrate the horrors of war…Alarcón reaches to the heart of our persistent if elusive dream of freedom and peace." ZZ Packer, author of Drinking Coffee Elsewhere, says "Reader beware: each of the slim tales in War By Candlelight starts off innocently enough, but invariably explodes with the fatal power of a grenade or the sudden, magnificent blossoming of a flower. Daniel Alarcón is a storyteller whose wisdom outpaces his youth, and whose talent is already ablaze." Daniel Alarcón is a highly accomplished writer, especially for his age, and with the unique perspective he brings to his writing his book promises to be an intriguing and eye-opening read. Before you rush out the door to buy Alarcón's book, know that you won't have to settle for just the printed page; you have a chance to hear him read some of his work in person. Alarcón will be on the UCD campus as part of the Copper Nickel's Denver Mint Reading Series, April 4th at 7 p.m. in the Recital Hall in the King Center. This is the last reading of the series, which included authors Chris Ransick, Jeff Franklin, Matthew Cooperman, Jeffrey Ethan Lee, Joshua Poteat, Allison Titus, Danielle Dutton and Stephanie Young. The Denver Mint Reading Series is presented by the Copper Nickel, CU-Denver Live! and the UCDHSC Writing Center. It is intended to help circulate new American literature to the community, both locally and nationally. This event is free and open to the public. Come down for the evening, bring a friend, immerse yourself in some literature and have a new experience. Copies of the Copper Nickel 7 will be available for $10; Daniel Alarcón's War By Candlelight and Lost City Radio will also be for sale.
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