The University of New Mexico

NEWS RELEASE

Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593, michal@unm.edu

December 4, 2008

UNM Presents Reading By Two-Time Grammy Winner Robert Mirabal

Two-time Grammy Award winner Robert Mirabal will read from his first novel, “Running Alone in Photographs,” at the University of New Mexico, Student Union Building Lobo room, on Thursday, Dec. 11, noon-1:30 p.m. The reading will be followed by a reception and book signing at American Indian Student Services, 1119 Mesa Vista Hall, 1:30-2:30 p.m.

For the past 10 years, Mirabal has dominated the Native American music category like no one else. In that time he has created more than a dozen traditional flute, rock and spoken word CDs that have earned him almost every honor awarded in the genre, including two Grammy Awards for best Native American Albums of the Year (2006 and 2008). His 2001 PBS special, “Music from a Painted Cave,” remains one of public television’s most popular fundraisers of all time.

But using music to connect with his audience is only one of Mirabal’s gifts, and his new novel, “Running Alone in Photographs,” promises to open a window onto contemporary American Indian life not seen before.

Written in a style that blends memoir and historical fiction, Mirabal’s tale is set in Saint Teresa Pueblo in northern New Mexico. It is the coming-of-age story of Reyes Wind, a young musician who returns to her ancestral home for her grandmother’s funeral.

Dealing with themes of personal responsibility and empowerment, the novel focuses on worlds in transition – the struggle between tribal identity and life in modern society – and the courage and grace required to live fully in each.

For more information, contact American Indian Student Services at (505) 277-6343.