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 MST! Registration is free, $20 suggested donation.
Scroll down to register for our upcoming BLFC. You can also view our archive of recordings with dozens of authors and filmmakers.
coming up
Wednesday, February 11, 2026, 10-11:30am
Jason de León, “Soldiers and Kings: Survival and Hope in the World of Human Smuggling”
Acclaimed anthropologist and author Jason De León helps us understand the complex human landscape of the migrant trail. Professor of Anthropology and Chicana/o Studies at UCLA and a 2017 MacArthur Foundation Fellow, de Leon is also Executive Director of the Undocumented Migration Project, which documents the lives and deaths of those crossing the Sonoran Desert. His work focuses on the "material culture" and raw human experiences of the borderlands.
Soldiers and Kings: Survival and Hope in the World of Human Smuggling takes us on a visceral journey along the "vertical migrant trail" through Mexico. This book is the result of seven years of "deep hanging out" with the men often flattened into villains by the media: the smugglers themselves. By embedding with these individuals, Jason reveals a world shaped by extreme poverty, policy-driven violence, and the desperate hope for survival that defines life in the clandestine migration industry.
The New York Times describes it as "a work of staggering empathy and exhaustive research," while Publishers Weekly notes that "De León’s writing is as grit-and-dirt immersive as it is analytically sharp... a masterpiece of ethnographic storytelling." These insights provide a necessary, if often uncomfortable, look at the systemic forces that create the "coyote" industry.
archive
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.
View the rest of the BLFC archive on Vimeo:
2025
Tim Z. Hernandez, author of “All They Will Call You” (August 13, 2025)
David Damian & Gale Hall, authors of “El Oz” and “Lili’s Quilt” (July 9, 2025)
Barbara Sostaita, author of “Sanctuary Everywhere” (April 9, 2025)
Gary Paul Nabhan, author of “Against the American Grain” (January 8, 2025)
2024
Melani Martinez, author of “The Molino: A Memoir” (December 11, 2024)
Sarah Towle, author of “Crossing the Line: Finding America in the Borderlands” (October 9, 2024)
Jared Orsi, author of "Recovering the Lost History and Culture of Quitobaquito" (September 11, 2024)
Dora Rodriguez, author of “On Migration and Amnesty” (July 10, 2024)
Renata Golden, author of “Mountain Time: A Field Guide to Astonishment” (May 8, 2024)
John B Washington, author of “The Case for Open Borders” (February 14, 2024)
2023
Henry Barajas, “La Voz de M.A.Y.O.: Tato Rambo” (December 13, 2023)
Alejandra Oliva, “Rivermouth: A Chronicle of Language, Faith, and Migration” (November 8, 2023)
Seth Schermerhorn, Bernard Siquieros, Regina Siquieros, “Pilgrimage to Magdalena” (October 11, 2023)
Tom Zoellner, “Rim to River: Looking Into the Heart of Arizona” (August 9, 2023)
Lydia Otero, “In the Shadow of the Freeway: Growing Up Brown and Queer” (May 10, 2023)
Gary Paul Nabhan, “The Nature of Desert Nature” (February 8, 2023)
2022
Dr. Toni Munoz-Hunt discusses the topic of Bordercanos (August 10, 2022)
Athena Swentzell Steen discusses the topic of Southwest Desert-Adapted Architecture (July 13, 2022)
Daniel Cooper Alarcon discusses the topic of the history and mythology of Aztlan (June 8, 2022)
Todd Miller, “Build Bridges, Not Walls: A Journey to a World Without Borders” (February 9, 2022)