The Holy Days of Gregorio Pasos: A Book Launch/Summer Mixer

PEN Arizona teamed up with Palabras Bilingual Bookstore to host a unique literary event. This summer mixer (for PEN members and anyone interested in learning more about the chapter) was also the book launch of The Holy Days of Gregorio Pasos. The author— Rodrigo Restrepo Montoya, of Tucson—signed books and took part in a Q&A segment with PEN Arizona chapter leader Michelle Beaver.

This event was free and open to anyone who registered. Light refreshments were provided.

Set across continents, Rodrigo Restrepo Montoya’s debut novel examines the joys and traumas of the Colombian American experience through the lens of a young man awakening to the nuances of identity, love, colonization, and home.

Jamel Brinkley, author of A Lucky Man and Witness, raves that, “The Holy Days of Gregorio Pasos is a slim novel that travels far and makes a meaningful, revelatory journey. Gregorio’s voice, without straining for effect, is solemn yet pleasing, utterly irresistible, placing the reader under a spell of turning pages from start to finish. Rodrigo Restrepo Montoya’s debut novel doesn’t shy away from real problems, and it does so with a heartening—and heartrending—combination of sensitivity and candor.”

This book launch/summer mixer also included PEN updates and info on future events.

participants

Rodrigo Restrepo Montoya’s work has appeared in The Offing, Electric Lit, Triangle House Review, and Joyland. His first novel, The Holy Days of Gregorio Pasos, is forthcoming from Two Dollar Radio. He lives in Tucson.

Michelle Beaver is an author, editor, journalist, and dedicated social-justice volunteer. She’s written two health books for Reader’s Digest and John Wiley &  Sons. A book she self-published helped bridge the gap between gay Mormons and their church and was the focus of a National Public Radio program. Michelle has edited fiction and nonfiction books and served as the judge of Fiction500, a national short-story competition. Her forthcoming novel, Cypher Crew, is about five misfits who unite through hip-hop street dance to save Arizona’s oldest high school from getting shut down by greed.

PARTNERS