Interview with Tony Diaz. Sunday, March 11th, 2012.

24: Daniel & Ben talk with writer Tony Diaz, novelist and leader of the Librotraficante movement, which is on a mission to smuggle banned books back into Tucson, Arizona, after the city’s school board removed a number of books from the district’s classrooms, including many books on Latino studies. The Librotraficante caravan is traveling from Houston to Tucson, and will make a stop in El Paso on March 14 at 7 p.m., at the Mercado Mayapan, 2101 Myrtle.

Originally from Chicago, novelist Tony Diaz is the author of novel THE AZTEC LOVE GOD, which Ishmael Reed selected as the 1998 Nilon Award for Excellence in Minority Fiction. Reed called Diaz “Relentlessly brilliant.” Diaz is also included in major anthologies such as HECHO EN TEJAS: An Anthology of Texas Mexican Writers edited by Dagoberto Gilb, and LITERARY HOUSTON edited by David Theis. His essays have also appeared in the Los Angeles Times and Houston Chronicle. He has just completed his second novel THE CHILDREN OF THE LOCUST TREE which is in the hands of his agent.Diaz moved to Houston to pursue a Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing from the University of Houston's Creative Writing Program. He became only the 3rd Latino to complete an MFA from that program.While in graduate school, he began conducting workshops and seminars for different community organizations such as the then-Chicano Family Center and Talento Bilingue de Houston. That work inspired him to remain in Houston after completing his studies. He went on to create Nuestra Palabra: Latino Writers Having Their Say, which just celebrated its 13th Anniversary. Nuestra Palabra promotes Latino literature and literacy. This consists of workshops, readings, and book fairs. He is also the host of the Nuestra Palabra Radio Show on 90.1 FM, KPFT.He also designed his dream college course: Introduction to Mexican American Literature which he teaches at Houston Community College by linking his expertise and contacts to the history and study of our culture. He also serves as the faculty advisor for The Egalitarian, the official student newspaper which serves the entire 60,000+ student body and all campuses of HCC.