Struggling for 30 years with chronic illness at her ranch outside Uvalde, Texas, Ann Alejandro was a writer of transporting natural talent and prolificity. She wrote letters to her friends, blending observation, stories, and humor. After Alejandro’s death in 2019, poet Naomi Shihab Nye and essayist Marion Winik pulled together a book from the thousands of pages left in their care: I Know About a Thousand Things: The Writings of Ann Alejandro of Uvalde, Texas.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Author
Naomi Shihab Nye of San Antonio has been writing poems since she was six. She believes all people have a “poetry channel” inside whether they turn it on a lot or not. It’s there. And any one of us could write a book about our own family – stories, mysteries, questions unending. Her latest books are Grace Notes: Poems about Families and I Know About a Thousand Things: The Writings of Ann Alejandro of Uvalde, Texas.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Author
Marion Winik is the author of The Big Book of the Dead and First Comes Love, among other titles. She reviews books for numerous publications and hosts The Weekly Reader podcast on NPR. She teaches in the MFA program at the University of Baltimore and was a commentator on All Things Considered for 15 years. She is the co-editor of I Know About a Thousand Things: The Writings of Ann Alejandro of Uvalde, Texas.
