Feb 17: The border is in his blood

Francisco Cantú   Saturday, February 17th 3:30 p.m.  City of Asylum @ Alphabet City 40 W. North Avenue FREE! Click here for free tickets! "A devastating narrative of the very real human effects of depersonalized policy."  —Kirkus Reviews (starred)   Pushcart Prize-winning writer Francisco Cantú served as an agent for the United States Border Patrol from 2008 to 2012, working in the deserts of Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. Parts of Francisco’s story were included in Best American Essays and were the focus of an episode of This American Life. In bestowing a 2017 Whiting Award upon him, the judges called his writing “an urgent moral report [that] shows us just how much there is to learn about this contested land…seldom does a writer of such depth and passion come along to explore the place he calls home.” Francisco's new memoir The Line Becomes a River interlaces his haunting personal experiences with ruminations on the nature of borderlines, grappling at once with some of the largest political and social questions facing America today and the intimate stories of the hopeful and desperate who set out on a perilous crossing that many will not survive. Francisco challenges us to hear, absorb, and question the politics, policies, and ingrained ideas of borders that not only derail countless migrants’ lives and tear apart their families but do violence to the humanity of us all. At this moment of rhetoric and fury around the border, a voice like Francisco’s feels essential and urgent. Click here for free tickets! At City of Asylum, we want our events to be welcoming and accessible to all people.  All floors of Alphabet City are wheelchair accessible and there is a reserved parking spot.  Thanks to the generous support of RAD, we also have hearing assistive systems available for all programs, by advance request.  If you have questions or are in need of accommodations, please contact us.   Click here to contact us about accessibility accommodations