Author David Rice presents “She Flies”

Date released: 04/07/04

SAN MARCOS – David Rice, author of the award-winning book Crazy Loco, will visit Texas State University-San Marcos April 19-21 for a series of lectures and the presentation of a stage play based on his work.

Rice, a Texas State graduate and Edcouch native, splits his time between writing short stories about growing up and living in the Rio Grande Valley, mentoring and teaching students at Edcouch-Elsa High School under the administration of the Llano Grande Center for Research and Development, and helping to advise and grow Cine Las Americas Media Arts Center in Austin. Crazy Loco earned the American Library Association’s “Best Books for Young Readers” award in 2001.

David Rice

His work appears in five anthologies and has been nominated for the Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children’s Book Award, the Pura Belpré Award and was a Pen Center USA West Awards finalist. Rice has been invited to do a reading at the National Book Festival in Washington, D.C., in October and is also author of Give the Pig a Chance, and Other Stories.

Crazy Loco is required reading in 24 Texas public schools and nine universities across the country.

“ She Flies,” a short story from Crazy Loco dealing with a Hispanic girl’s dreams of attending college and her parents’ reluctance to allow her to leave home, has been adapted for the stage by playwright Mike Garcia of Nushank Productions. “She Flies” will be presented 7 p.m. Monday, April 19 at the University Performing Arts Center, followed by a question and answer session with the audience. Admission is free.

The play has been sponsored by Gear UP at UT Pan American in Edinburg, and performed to 18 high schools in the Rio Grande Valley; by Cine Las Americas in Austin at Johnston High School and Blackshear Elementary; and by ENLACE at St. Edward’s University. Also, the play has been sponsored by the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans and Partners in Hispanic Education in visits to Washington, D.C., Miami and Albuquerque. After leaving San Marcos, “She Flies” will be presented again at the ENLACE National Conference in Albuquerque.

The original short story is available as a PDF download from the Texas Book Festival website: http://www.texasbookfestival.org/graphics/SheFlies.pdf

On Tuesday, April 20, Rice will give a public reading and discussion at the San Marcos Public Library. The reading begins at 7 p.m. and is open to the general public at no charge.

Rice concludes his tour of San Marcos Wednesday, April 21, when he will present the films “Oral History Process” and “Personal Narrative” for English majors (10:30 a.m.) and education majors (12:30 p.m.) in Flowers Hall room 341 on the Texas State campus. Discussions will follow, and the event is open to the general public. Afterwards, the Alkek Library Special Collections will host “A Reading and Reception: Celebrating One of Our Own” at 2 p.m.

Rice’s San Marcos tour is sponsored by the University Public Lecture Series, Multicultural Student Affairs, Underrepresented Student Advisory Council, College of Education, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Department of English, Department of Anthropology, Texas State Teachers Association-Student Program, Central Texas Writing Project, Upward Bound and Bilingual Education Student Organization.