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Benjamín Alire Sáenz

Novelist, Poet & Children's Book Author Known for "Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe"

  Categories:
Authors, Hispanic Heritage, Literary, Poetry, Virtual Speakers
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 Benjamín Alire Sáenz Biography

Benjamin Alire Sáenz is an award-winning American poet, novelist, and writer of children's books.

He was born at Old Picacho, New Mexico, the fourth of seven children, and was raised on a small farm near Mesilla, New Mexico. He graduated from Las Cruces High School in 1972. That fall, he entered St. Thomas Seminary in Denver, Colorado where he received a B.A. degree in Humanities and Philosophy in 1977. He studied Theology at the University of Louvain in Leuven, Belgium from 1977 to 1981. He was a priest for a few years in El Paso, Texas before leaving the order.

In 1985, he returned to school, and studied English and Creative Writing at the University of Texas at El Paso where he earned an M.A. degree in Creative Writing. He then spent a year at the University of Iowa as a PhD student in American Literature. A year later, he was awarded a Wallace E. Stegner fellowship. While at Stanford University under the guidance of Denise Levertov, he completed his first book of poems, "Calendar of Dust," which won an American Book Award in 1992. He entered the Ph.D. program at Stanford and continued his studies for two more years. Before completing his Ph.D., he moved back to the border and began teaching at the University of Texas at El Paso in the bilingual MFA program.

His first novel, "Carry Me Like Water" was a saga that brought together the Victorian novel and the Latin American tradition of magic realism and received much critical attention. His coming-of-age young adult novel, "Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe" was published in 2012. Set in El Paso, Texas in 1987, the novel follows two Mexican-American teenagers, Aristotle "Ari" Mendoza and Dante Quintana, their friendship, and their struggles with racial and ethnic identity, sexuality, and family relationships. Since its publication, the novel has received widespread critical acclaim and numerous accolades. A sequel titled "Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World" was announced in February, 2021.

In "The Book of What Remains," his fifth book of poems, he writes to the core truth of life's ever-shifting memories. Set along the Mexican border, the contrast between the desert's austere beauty and the brutality of border politics mirrors humanity's capacity for both generosity and cruelty.

In 2005, he curated a show of photographs by Julian Cardona.

He lives and works in El Paso, Texas.

Contact a speaker booking agent to check availability on Benjamín Alire Sáenz and other top speakers and celebrities.

Videos
Hqdefault

Benjamin Alire Saenz

2019 Lambda Literary Retreat Faculty Reading at Otis College: Benjamin Alire...
Books
Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World

Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World

The Inexplicable Logic of My Life

The Inexplicable Logic of My Life

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

He Forgot to Say Goodbye

He Forgot to Say Goodbye

Carry Me Like Water

Carry Me Like Water

FAQs

  • HOW TO BOOK Benjamín Alire Sáenz?

    Our booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure talent like Benjamín Alire Sáenz for both live and virtual events for over 15 years. The team at All American Entertainment represents and listens to the needs of organizations and corporations seeking to hire keynote speakers, celebrities or entertainers for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment. Fill out a booking request form for Benjamín Alire Sáenz, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get pricing information and check availability for Benjamín Alire Sáenz or any other celebrity of your choice.

  • HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO BOOK Benjamín Alire Sáenz?

    Booking fees for Benjamín Alire Sáenz, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. Pricing often varies between live and virtual events. Other factors that can affect speaker fees include the talent's schedule, market conditions, length of presentation, and the location of the event. The live and virtual event speaking fees listed on this website are intended to serve as a guideline only. In some cases, the actual quote may be above or below the stated range. For the most current fee to hire Benjamín Alire Sáenz, please fill out the booking request form or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak with an experienced booking agent.

  • WHO IS THE AGENT FOR Benjamín Alire Sáenz?

    All American Entertainment has successfully secured celebrity talent like Benjamín Alire Sáenz for clients worldwide for more than 15 years. As a full-service talent booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Fill out the booking request form or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Benjamín Alire Sáenz for your next private or corporate function.

  • WHAT IS A FULL-SERVICE TALENT BOOKING AGENCY?

    All American Speakers is a "buyers agent" and exclusively represents talent buyers, meeting planners and event professionals, who are looking to secure celebrities and speakers for personal appearances, speaking engagements, corporate entertainment, public relations campaigns, commercials, or endorsements. We do not exclusively represent Benjamín Alire Sáenz or claim ourselves as the exclusive booking agency, business manager, publicist, speakers bureau or management for Benjamín Alire Sáenz or any other speaker or celebrity on this website. For more information on how we work and what makes us unique, please read the AAE Advantage.
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This website is a resource for event professionals and strives to provide the most comprehensive catalog of thought leaders and industry experts to consider for speaking engagements. A listing or profile on this website does not imply an agency affiliation or endorsement by the talent.

All American Entertainment (AAE) exclusively represents the interests of talent buyers, and does not claim to be the agency or management for any speaker or artist on this site. AAE is a talent booking agency for paid events only. We do not handle requests for donation of time or media requests for interviews, and cannot provide celebrity contact information.

If you are the talent, and wish to request removal from this catalog or report an issue with your profile, please click here.

Benjamín Alire Sáenz

Novelist, Poet & Children's Book Author Known for "Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe"

Travels From:
El Paso, TX, USA
Speaking Fee:
Live Event: $5,000 - $10,000  
Virtual Event: Please Contact
Categories:
Authors, Hispanic Heritage, Literary, Poetry, Virtual Speakers

Benjamín Alire Sáenz Biography

Benjamin Alire Sáenz is an award-winning American poet, novelist, and writer of children's books.

He was born at Old Picacho, New Mexico, the fourth of seven children, and was raised on a small farm near Mesilla, New Mexico. He graduated from Las Cruces High School in 1972. That fall, he entered St. Thomas Seminary in Denver, Colorado where he received a B.A. degree in Humanities and Philosophy in 1977. He studied Theology at the University of Louvain in Leuven, Belgium from 1977 to 1981. He was a priest for a few years in El Paso, Texas before leaving the order.

In 1985, he returned to school, and studied English and Creative Writing at the University of Texas at El Paso where he earned an M.A. degree in Creative Writing. He then spent a year at the University of Iowa as a PhD student in American Literature. A year later, he was awarded a Wallace E. Stegner fellowship. While at Stanford University under the guidance of Denise Levertov, he completed his first book of poems, "Calendar of Dust," which won an American Book Award in 1992. He entered the Ph.D. program at Stanford and continued his studies for two more years. Before completing his Ph.D., he moved back to the border and began teaching at the University of Texas at El Paso in the bilingual MFA program.

His first novel, "Carry Me Like Water" was a saga that brought together the Victorian novel and the Latin American tradition of magic realism and received much critical attention. His coming-of-age young adult novel, "Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe" was published in 2012. Set in El Paso, Texas in 1987, the novel follows two Mexican-American teenagers, Aristotle "Ari" Mendoza and Dante Quintana, their friendship, and their struggles with racial and ethnic identity, sexuality, and family relationships. Since its publication, the novel has received widespread critical acclaim and numerous accolades. A sequel titled "Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World" was announced in February, 2021.

In "The Book of What Remains," his fifth book of poems, he writes to the core truth of life's ever-shifting memories. Set along the Mexican border, the contrast between the desert's austere beauty and the brutality of border politics mirrors humanity's capacity for both generosity and cruelty.

In 2005, he curated a show of photographs by Julian Cardona.

He lives and works in El Paso, Texas.

Contact a speaker booking agent to check availability on Benjamín Alire Sáenz and other top speakers and celebrities.

Benjamín Alire Sáenz Videos

  • Benjamin Alire Saenz
    Benjamin Alire Saenz
    2019 Lambda Literary Retreat Faculty Reading at Otis College: Benjamin Alire Saenz, Young Adult.
  • Interview with Benjamin Alire Saenz
    Interview with Benjamin Alire Saenz
    Benjamin Alire Saenz writes beautiful poetry, sometimes in the form of poems and sometimes in the form of stories. If you haven't read his...
  • UTEP's Benjamin Alire Sáenz Wins 2013 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction
    UTEP's Benjamin Alire Sáenz Wins 2013 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction
    Chairman of the Department of Creative Writing at UTEP Benjamin Alire Sáenz has been selected as the winner of the 2013 PEN/Faulkner Award for...
See All Videos »

Benjamín Alire Sáenz Books

Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World
Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World
The Inexplicable Logic of My Life
The Inexplicable Logic of My Life
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
He Forgot to Say Goodbye
He Forgot to Say Goodbye
Carry Me Like Water
Carry Me Like Water

Speaker Lists Featuring Benjamín Alire Sáenz

FAQs on booking Benjamín Alire Sáenz

  • How to book Benjamín Alire Sáenz?

    Our booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure talent like Benjamín Alire Sáenz for both live and virtual events for over 15 years. The team at All American Entertainment represents and listens to the needs of organizations and corporations seeking to hire keynote speakers, celebrities or entertainers for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment. Fill out a booking request form for Benjamín Alire Sáenz, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get pricing information and check availability for Benjamín Alire Sáenz or any other celebrity of your choice.

  • How much does it cost to book Benjamín Alire Sáenz?

    Booking fees for Benjamín Alire Sáenz, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. Pricing often varies between live and virtual events. Other factors that can affect speaker fees include the talent's schedule, market conditions, length of presentation, and the location of the event. The live and virtual event speaking fees listed on this website are intended to serve as a guideline only. In some cases, the actual quote may be above or below the stated range. For the most current fee to hire Benjamín Alire Sáenz, please fill out the booking request form or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak with an experienced booking agent.

  • Who is the agent for Benjamín Alire Sáenz?

    All American Entertainment has successfully secured celebrity talent like Benjamín Alire Sáenz for clients worldwide for more than 15 years. As a full-service talent booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Fill out the booking request form or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Benjamín Alire Sáenz for your next private or corporate function.

  • What is a full-service talent booking agency?

    All American Speakers is a "buyers agent" and exclusively represents talent buyers, meeting planners and event professionals, who are looking to secure celebrities and speakers for personal appearances, speaking engagements, corporate entertainment, public relations campaigns, commercials, or endorsements. We do not exclusively represent Benjamín Alire Sáenz or claim ourselves as the exclusive booking agency, business manager, publicist, speakers bureau or management for Benjamín Alire Sáenz or any other speaker or celebrity on this website. For more information on how we work and what makes us unique, please read the AAE Advantage.

Benjamín Alire Sáenz is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics . The estimated speaking fee range to book Benjamín Alire Sáenz for your event is $5,000 - $10,000. Benjamín Alire Sáenz generally travels from El Paso, TX, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Pam Muñoz Ryan, Kathryn Erskine, Katherine Applegate, Yuyi Morales and Meg Medina. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Benjamín Alire Sáenz for an upcoming live or virtual event.

Benjamín Alire Sáenz Speaker Videos

  • Benjamin Alire Saenz
    Benjamin Alire Saenz
    2019 Lambda Literary Retreat Faculty Reading at Otis College: Benjamin Alire Saenz, Young Adult.
    Interview with Benjamin Alire Saenz
    Interview with Benjamin Alire Saenz
    Benjamin Alire Saenz writes beautiful poetry, sometimes in the form of poems and sometimes in the form of stories. If you haven't read his award-winning novel, Aristotle and Dante Discover the...
  • UTEP's Benjamin Alire Sáenz Wins 2013 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction
    UTEP's Benjamin Alire Sáenz Wins 2013 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction
    Chairman of the Department of Creative Writing at UTEP Benjamin Alire Sáenz has been selected as the winner of the 2013 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, America's largest peer juried prize for...
    Pen/Faulkner Award Finalist Benjamin Alire Sáenz
    Pen/Faulkner Award Finalist Benjamin Alire Sáenz
    This video is part of the LatinoStories.Com Latino Author Video Series and was recorded by Jose B. Gonzalez, Author of Toys Made of Rock and Editor of LatinoStories.Com. Benjamin Alire Sáenz...

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Speakers Similar to Benjamín Alire Sáenz

This website is a resource for event professionals and strives to provide the most comprehensive catalog of thought leaders and industry experts to consider for speaking engagements. A listing or profile on this website does not imply an agency affiliation or endorsement by the talent.

All American Entertainment (AAE) exclusively represents the interests of talent buyers, and does not claim to be the agency or management for any speaker or artist on this site. AAE is a talent booking agency for paid events only. We do not handle requests for donation of time or media requests for interviews, and cannot provide celebrity contact information.

If you are the talent, and wish to request removal from this catalog or report an issue with your profile, please click here.

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