Borderlands Literature and Film Circle

The Borderlands Literature and Film Circle (BLFC) is a monthly event on Zoom. Read cutting-edge authors, watch films, and participate in dynamic discussions as we expand our understanding of the Mexico-U.S. borderlands through films, books, and captivating guest speakers.

Join us on the second Wednesday of each month from 10-11:30am! Registration is free, suggested donation is $10.

Please note, Arizona does not observe daylight savings time. From the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November, MST is the same as Pacific time. From the first Sunday in November to the second Sunday in March, MST is the same as Mountain time.

Scroll down to register for our upcoming BLFC. You can also view our archive of recordings with dozens of authors and filmmakers.

Wednesday, June 10, 10-11:30am (MST, same as Pacific Time)

Daisy Hernández, Citizenship: Notes on an American Myth

Hernández explores our country’s ongoing debate about who belongs, and provides fresh ways of thinking about citizenship, exploring the challenging questions of belonging, identity, and the intricate immigrant experience in America.

Wednesday, July 8, 10-11:30am (MST, same as Pacific Time)

Craig Childs, Tracing Time: Seasons of Rock Art on the Colorado Plateau

Childs' book is a journey through the ancient Southwest, interpreting the petroglyphs and pictographs that map the history of the Colorado Plateau.

Wednesday, August 12, 10-11:30am (MST, same as Pacific Time)

Katherine Gaia Barbaree, Borderlands Restoration Network

Katherine will discuss articles and videos of vital environmental work being done to restore desert ecosystems and support binational wildlife corridors.

Wednesday, September 9, 10-11:30am (MST, same as Pacific Time)

Álvaro Enrigue, Now I Surrender

Álvaro Enrigue will discuss his bold, visionary novel that reimagines the history of the Apache Wars and the surrender of Geronimo. Both historical and fictional, this work radically recasts the story of how the West was “won.” 

Wednesday, October 14, 10-11:30am (MST, same as Pacific Time)

Lydia Otero, Storied Property: María Cordova's Casa

Lydia Otero will discuss this powerful look at the intersection of urban renewal and the erasure of Mexican American history. Centered on a historic home in Tucson’s center, the book highlights themes of displacement and investigates how history is written and who gets remembered.

Wednesday, November 11, 10-11:30am (MST, same as Mountain Time)

Alberto Ríos, Every Sound Is Not a Wolf

Arizona’s inaugural Poet Laureate shares a collection that finds the extraordinary in the everyday, weaving together memory and the borderlands of the Sonoran desert.

Wednesday, December 9, 10-11:30am (MST, same as Mountain Time)

Carrie Gibson, El Norte: The Epic and Forgotten Story of Hispanic North America

Carrie Gibson will discuss her sweeping historical account that chronicles the Hispanic influence on the North American continent from the Spanish arrival to today.

February 11, 2026

Jason de León, “Soldiers and Kings: Survival and Hope in the World of Human Smuggling”

Revisit our conversation with anthropologist and author Jason de León. We discuss his book “Soldiers and Kings: Survival and Hope in the World of Human Smuggling,” which tells about the lives of with the men often flattened into villains by the media: the smugglers themselves.

January 14, 2026

Seth Michelson, “Hope on the Border: Immigration, Incarceration, and the Power of Poetry”

Revisit our conversation with poet, translator and professor Seth Michelson. We discuss his books “Dreaming America” and “Hope on the Border,” which include poems written by minors incarcerated in the maximum-security detention center where Michelson led poetry workshops.

December 10, 2025

Joseph Mathew-Varghese, “The Long Walk of Carlos Guerrero”

Revisit our conversation with filmmaker Joseph Mathew-Varghese. We discuss his award-winning film “The Long Walk of Carlos Guerrero,” which was inspired by real immigrant journeys and stories of survival in the desert wilderness of the Arizona borderlands.

November 12, 2025

Elizabeth Shakman Hurd, “Heaven Has a Wall: Religion, Borders, and the Global United States”

Revisit our conversation with academic Elizabeth Shakman Hurd. We discuss her book, “Heaven Has a Wall,” which explores how national conversations about the border have taken a religious turn.

September 10, 2025

Reyna Grande, “The Distance Between Us”

Revisit our conversation with author Reyna Grande. We discuss her memoir “The Distance Between Us,” which describes her childhood torn between the United States and Mexico.