Chico Lingo, by Sergio Troncoso

Wicked Book Project: Sergio Troncoso and Crime and Punishment

noreply@blogger.com (Sergio Troncoso) — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 22:15:00 +0000

At the Connecticut Literary Festival, I and other authors were interviewed about books that had an
influential and foundational impact in our lives. I chose Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment to talk about in the Wicked Book Project. Take a listen for a few minutes and enjoy!

https://soundcloud.com/ct-lit-fest/sergio-troncosos-wicked-book

Book Signing and Troncoso Reading Prizes- December 2025

noreply@blogger.com (Sergio Troncoso) — Mon, 08 Dec 2025 19:09:00 +0000

Friends, I'll be in El Paso, Texas for two events in December of 2025:

A Book Signing at the Barnes & Noble-The Fountains, 1:00-5:00 PM, Thursday, Dec. 18.

For the Troncoso Reading Prizes at the Sergio Troncoso Branch Library in Ysleta, 5:00 PM, Friday, Dec. 19.

Please stop by and say hello and get your books signed for the holidays! I also have some exciting news, which I will reveal ONLY to those who come and chat! Let's celebrate our young readers with the Troncoso Reading Prizes, with a total of six prizes for middle-school and high-school students from Ysleta who have read the most books this season.

2025 Troncoso Reading Prizes

noreply@blogger.com (Sergio Troncoso) — Wed, 24 Sep 2025 14:35:00 +0000

Please join us for the 2025 Troncoso Reading Prizes at Sergio Troncoso Branch Library in El Paso, Texas! Encourage high school and middle school students to read! I can't wait to meet the winners in December. Follow the link to enter.

https://www.elpasolibrary.org/attend/troncoso-reading-pri/

'New' Book Review of Nepantla Familias

noreply@blogger.com (Sergio Troncoso) — Wed, 16 Jul 2025 12:19:00 +0000

This is a book review I had never seen before of the book I edited, Nepantla Familias. Thank you, Josh Cook, for a thoughtful read and review. Texas A&M University Press tells me it's a bestseller!

"Nepantla Familias explores life in the liminal spaces between borders. The essays, poems, and short stories in this anthology, all by Mexican American writers, present the conflicts — internal and external — that occur in these spaces between nations, cultures, and languages. They raise questions like: How does someone who straddles two worlds fit into either? Is it possible to live in both? What is lost when someone chooses, or is forced to choose, one world over the other? The answers vary, but in the attempts to find them, a main theme emerges: the power of storytelling to work through pain and forge identity."

https://smashingtreasuredcrockery.medium.com/book-review-nepantla-familias-and-the-power-of-storytelling-1fcd018af837

Troncoso Writing Workshop at Mark Twain House, July 1

noreply@blogger.com (Sergio Troncoso) — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 12:31:00 +0000

Please join us for a one-day workshop at the Mark Twain House & Museum, Tuesday, July 1, 5-7:30 PM, in Hartford, Connecticut. Thank you for helping to spread the word to those in the Hartford area!

The author of eight books, Sergio Troncoso graduated from Harvard College and received two graduate degrees from Yale University. A Fulbright scholar and past president of the Texas Institute of Letters, he has been inducted into the Texas Literary Hall of Fame. The El Paso City Council voted to rename the Ysleta public library branch as the Sergio Troncoso Branch Library. His work has appeared in CNN Opinion, Houston Chronicle, Other Voices, New Letters, Yale Review, Pleiades, Michigan Quarterly Review, Texas Highways, and Texas Monthly. He teaches at the Yale Writers' Workshop.

https://marktwainhouse.org/event/writers-workshop-with-sergio-troncoso-in-person/

2025 Yale Writers' Workshop-Work-in-Progress Intensive

noreply@blogger.com (Sergio Troncoso) — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 15:14:00 +0000

What a terrific group of writers I had at the 2025 Yale Writers’ Workshop-Alumni Intensive! They made my year! Cynthia Johnstone, Victoria Hunt, Lisa Ann Dulin, Bruce Parker, Bettina Meade, Pranjal Shirwaikar, Robin Harris. We got so much work done, and I’m proud of them.

Yale Writers’ Workshop 2025

noreply@blogger.com (Sergio Troncoso) — Tue, 03 Jun 2025 07:44:00 +0000

Faculty at 2025 Yale Writers’ Workshop and Faculty reading. Thank you to my colleagues (and friends): Jotham Burrello, Lisa Page, Kirsten Bakis, Molly Gaudry, Trey Ellis, Sybil Baker, Jennifer Maritza McCauley, Mary Collins, Mishka Shubaly.

https://summer.yale.edu/academics/yale-writers-workshop

Sergio Troncoso Visits Harvard/Radcliffe Raza

noreply@blogger.com (Sergio Troncoso) — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 11:16:00 +0000

Thank you Harvard/Radcliffe Raza for inviting me to give a talk at Harvard Hall and to answer questions from your members! I loved it! Raza was so important to my surviving Harvard as a poor Mexican American student from the border. Always give back to your community to help the next generation and to strategize with them about how to empower themselves. These students are from all across the country. So proud of all of them!

Winners of the 2024 Troncoso Reading Prizes

noreply@blogger.com (Sergio Troncoso) — Fri, 20 Dec 2024 19:11:00 +0000

I was so thrilled to meet the winners of the Troncoso Reading Prizes at the Sergio Troncoso Public Library. In the photo are Nathaniel Sanchez, Jorge Manjarrez, Celine Guevara, Ariya-Jade Rojas. Not in photo: Robert Guevara and Layla-Sol Burciaga.

These young readers read the most books from October 15 to December 3 and wrote 100-word essays on their favorite books. Congratulations!🎈 🎉🎊 I loved answering their questions about writing and education. What a great event. I also gave them signed copies of one of my books, the library staff created certificates for each winner, and they received the prizes below.

First, Second, and Third Place for students in 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade in middle school/high school; First, Second, and Third Place for students in 5th, 6th, 7th, or 8th grade in grade school/middle school.

First Place receives a $150.00 gift card, Second Place receives a $125.00 gift card, and Third Place receives a $100.00 gift card. All prizes are gift cards from Barnes and Noble Booksellers. A total of six prizes are awarded in the two categories every year.

IAIA Chapter House Journal's Review of Nobody's Pilgrims

noreply@blogger.com (Sergio Troncoso) — Sun, 24 Nov 2024 13:54:00 +0000

Thank you Rey M. Rodriguez for reviewing NOBODY’S PILGRIMS in IAIA Chapter House Journal:

“A masterfully wrought thriller road trip from El Paso, Texas to Kent, Connecticut... Troncoso writes about the new pilgrims of this country. Those who some are calling vermin or saying that immigrants are poisoning the blood of this country. In other words, those people who some people would call nobody’s children.... These immigrants—like Turi, Molly, and Arnulfo—represent as Troncoso has confirmed in his writing and lectures the best values of this country. They show us what it means to work hard and make it on your own. They show us the importance of fighting for your place. They show us that we need each other and we must help others to succeed.”

https://chjournal.com/chapter-house-blog/2024/11/15/book-review-of-nobodys-pilgrims-written-by-sergio-troncoso-by-rey-m-rodrguez

Nepantla Familias on Texas Public Radio

noreply@blogger.com (Sergio Troncoso) — Fri, 15 Nov 2024 17:13:00 +0000

I recently did an interview on the anthology I edited, NEPANTLA FAMILIAS: AN ANTHOLOGY OF MEXICAN AMERICAN LITERATURE ON FAMILIES IN BETWEEN WORLDS, for Fronteras on Texas Public Radio. I've included the link below. It's probably one of the best radio/podcast interviews I've given on this book and the concepts behind my work. It's 28 minutes and discusses the anthology, works in it, and the ideas and complexities I tried to achieve by choosing the work. I hope you enjoy it.

"A deeply meaningful collection that navigates important nuances of identity." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

https://www.tpr.org/podcast/fronteras/2024-11-15/fronteras-nepantla-familias-explores-identity-hybridity-of-the-mexican-american-experience

Sergio Troncoso Day in El Paso County and Texas Literary Hall of Fame

noreply@blogger.com (Sergio Troncoso) — Mon, 04 Nov 2024 13:25:00 +0000

I had such a fantastic time in El Paso and Fort Worth over the past few days. Here are some photos from my trip. The El Paso County Commissioners, and particularly Iliana Holguin, surprised me by declaring Sergio Troncoso Day on October 28, 2024! I am so grateful to receive such support from my hometown, and I will always keep writing about the border, and promoting writers from the border, so that we can tell our stories and define ourselves, rather than allow others who do not know the border to define us.

Also, I was inducted into the Texas Literary Hall of Fame in Fort Worth on October 29, 2024, another shocker for me from home. Also inducted were Stephen Graham Jones, Cynthia Leitich Smith, Tracy Daugherty, Jan Seale, Molly Ivins, and Cormac McCarthy. Again, I am grateful to Texas Christian University for this wonderful honor! So many El Paso and Forth Worth friends made the trip to support me, including Shelby McCue, Jeff Jenkins, Luis Galindo, and Laurie Ryan. My wife Laura was also there; we are with Professor Matthew Pitt, who is on the board of judges. It was a night of festivities!

El Paso Times Interviews Sergio Troncoso on Texas Literary Hall of Fame

noreply@blogger.com (Sergio Troncoso) — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 15:52:00 +0000

Thank you to my friends in El Paso who alerted me about this video and article on the Texas Literary Hall of Fame for the front page of The El Paso Times! I'm grateful. I'm working on another novel right now, actually struggling with another chapter. Siempre trabajando, wherever I am! I always remember my parents and family during good moments like these, because I know I wouldn't be anywhere without their values, without their love, without their many lessons I learned in Ysleta.

Article in The El Paso Times:

https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/life/arts/2024/09/29/award-winning-author-sergio-troncoso-joins-texas-literary-hall-of-fame/74691128007/

Pleiades Interview with Sergio Troncoso

noreply@blogger.com (Sergio Troncoso) — Mon, 09 Sep 2024 18:54:00 +0000

"There are many hidden philosophical questions and issues in the book. How do you develop character? How do you morph from idealism to realism as you move into adulthood? The book addresses racism, as well. Along the way some people are welcoming to Turi and Arnulfo, but others are racist and xenophobic. They don’t want Mexican Americans or Mexicans living in this country. How do you keep that racist poison from infecting your soul as you are faced with this kind of hate? Turi has to fight for his place in this country rather than to assume he belongs. He has to survive here, and he’s not turning back. Connecticut is where he’ll make his stand. Nobody’s Pilgrims is a thriller."

Thank you to Pleiades Magazine, Jennifer Maritza McCauley, and Rey Rodriguez for this interview.

https://pleiadesmag.com/an-interview-with-sergio-troncoso/

Sergio Troncoso Inducted into Texas Literary Hall of Fame

noreply@blogger.com (Sergio Troncoso) — Mon, 26 Aug 2024 15:43:00 +0000

So thrilled and stunned to announce that the Board of Judges selected me along with Tracy Daugherty, Molly Ivins, Stephen Graham Jones, Cormac McCarthy, Jan Seale, and Cynthia Leitich Smith as the 2024 inductees into the Texas Literary Hall of Fame. On October 29, 2024 at 7 PM, the official induction ceremony will take place at the TCU Mary Couts Burnett Library in Fort Worth, TX, in partnernship with TCU AddRan College of Liberal Arts, TCU Press, and the Center for Texas Studies.

The Texas Literary Hall of Fame was established to celebrate and encourage the state's rich literary heritage by honoring its foremost authors, whose original writing reflects enduring cultural relevance and artistic creativity. The Texas Literary Hall of Fame honors inductees every two years.

https://library.tcu.edu/TXLitHoF/

#texas #texasbookfestival #texasbooks @tcupress @tculibrary @centerfortexasstudiestcu

Latino Book Chat with Sergio Troncoso

noreply@blogger.com (Sergio Troncoso) — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 19:42:00 +0000

Please share this podcast interview, by Latino Book Chat, that was released today on NOBODY’S PILGRIMS. Thank you to Christianne Meneses Jacobs! 😀

"Troncoso delivers a surprisingly fast-paced, character-driven story....A sublime, diverse cast drives this tale of looking for a safe, welcoming home." —Kirkus Reviews

"The first time I finished Sergio Troncoso’s Nobody’s Pilgrims, I realized that I was absent-mindedly petting the cover. His characters had somehow taken up residence in my heart. It was love at first sight. A second reading, and a rereading of some of his earlier fiction, only confirmed the power of this odyssey of Turi, Arnulfo and Molly."

—Bob Dunton, El Paso Matters

https://www.podpage.com/latino-book-chat/51-teenage-fugitives-deadly-cargo-sergio-troncoso/#play

Presidential Debate: Are we a society of superficiality or substance?

noreply@blogger.com (Sergio Troncoso) — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 22:52:00 +0000

My latest opinion piece. Thank you for reading it!

"We are living in an American cave of superficiality, and we’ve forgotten so much of what is invisible that
works and that matters. Trump is the perfect superficial leader in our American cave, in love with himself most of all, trumpeting his gaudy and false 'successes,' and self-proclaiming his godlike “retrospective decision-making,” which is just as good in our cave as having to make decisions in real time, like a real leader must."

https://elpasomatters.org/2024/07/02/opinion-presidential-debate-joe-biden-donald-trump/

Audio Book: Nobody's Pilgrims

noreply@blogger.com (Sergio Troncoso) — Tue, 22 Aug 2023 14:32:00 +0000

Audio book of NOBODY'S PILGRIMS debuts on Audible and other services! Narrated by Johnny Rey Diaz (Queen of the South, Hawaii Five-0, Narcos, Grey's Anatomy).

"Troncoso delivers a surprisingly fast-paced, character-driven story.... A sublime, diverse cast drives this tale of looking for a safe, welcoming home."

---Kirkus Reviews

"Eloquent, bold, and terrifying."

---Elizabeth Crook, author of The Which Way Tree

"The first time I finished Sergio Troncoso's Nobody's Pilgrims, I realized that I was absent-mindedly petting the cover. His characters had somehow taken up residence in my heart. It was love at first sight. A second reading, and a rereading of some of his earlier fiction, only confirmed the power of this odyssey of Turi, Arnulfo and Molly."
---Bob Dunton, El Paso Matters

"The propulsive force of this novel, and the destination it ultimately brings us to, left me wanting more, and yet feeling completely satisfied. As only the best novels do."
---Ben Fountain, PEN/Hemingway award-winning author of Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk

https://www.audible.com/pd/Nobodys-Pilgrims-Audiobook/B0CFSYN21Q?qid=1692285138

El Paso Matters Book Club Meeting: Nobody's Pilgrims

noreply@blogger.com (Sergio Troncoso) — Mon, 07 Aug 2023 18:45:00 +0000

What a great El Paso Matters Book Club meeting! We has 70-plus in attendance, according to the library staff, and I signed dozens of books and answered great questions about NOBODY’S PILGRIMS! Thank you, El Paso Matters, Literarity Book Shop, the staff at the Sergio Troncoso Branch Library in El Paso, Texas. I love the interactions we had and the stories we shared with each other.

Nobody's Pilgrims: "Love at First Sight."

noreply@blogger.com (Sergio Troncoso) — Wed, 19 Jul 2023 21:40:00 +0000

Book review of NOBODY'S PILGRIMS in El Paso Matters, by Bob Dunton:

“The first time I finished Sergio Troncoso’s “Nobody’s Pilgrims,” I realized that I was absent-mindedly petting the cover. His characters had somehow taken up residence in my heart. It was love at first sight.

A second reading, and a rereading of some of his earlier fiction, only confirmed the power of this odyssey of Turi, Arnulfo and Molly.”

https://elpasomatters.org/2023/07/19/review-sergio-troncoso-nobodys-pilgrims/

Sergio Troncoso in New York Times

noreply@blogger.com (Sergio Troncoso) — Thu, 15 Jun 2023 15:31:00 +0000

By the way, I’m mentioned in the New York Times today:

“And Sergio Troncoso is such a beloved writer of the borderlands, there is a public library branch named for him in El Paso. His 'A Peculiar Kind of Immigrant’s Son' is simply brilliant.”

Thank you, Luis Alberto Urrea!

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/14/books/us-mexico-border-books.html

Q&A with El Paso Matters Book Club on Nobody's Pilgrims

noreply@blogger.com (Sergio Troncoso) — Wed, 14 Jun 2023 21:24:00 +0000

Q&A with the El Paso Matters Book Club. I'll be at the Troncoso Branch Library on Saturday, July 29th, 4 PM to discuss NOBODY'S PILGRIMS and to sign books. Buy your books at Literarity Bookshop on North Mesa!

"One important theme in “Nobody’s Pilgrims” is “the border beyond the border.” How does the border and its issues travel beyond the geography of El Paso and Ysleta, and how does the border and its sensibilities reside within the characters who travel beyond the border? Another theme is about community and outsiders. The three protagonists, Turi, Molly and Arnulfo, don’t belong anywhere, not even with their families. Yet they create a community of outsiders by believing in each other, listening to each other, and sacrificing themselves for each other. A final theme is about how character is revealed when you are in difficult, even violent or dangerous situations. Character is revealed by action."

https://elpasomatters.org/2023/06/14/el-paso-matters-book-club-qa-sergio-troncoso-nobodys-pilgrims/

Nobody's Pilgrims is El Paso Matters Book Club's Summer Selection

noreply@blogger.com (Sergio Troncoso) — Mon, 05 Jun 2023 10:13:00 +0000

Pick you your copy of Nobody's Pilgrims at Literarity Book Shop for the El Paso Matters Book Club's summer selection. My favorite independent bookstore in El Paso, Texas! I'll see you at the Troncoso Branch Library (9321 Alameda Avenue in El Paso) on Saturday, July 29, 4 PM.

"Troncoso delivers a surprisingly fast-paced, character-driven story. For example, readers watch Turi evolve from a meek 16-year-old loner to a capable young man who genuinely cares for his 'semi-friend' Arnulfo. At the same time, the road trip keeps the tightly plotted narrative moving across the country, all while villains (there are quite a few) close in. The cast also shines, including one criminal henchman harboring a tender affection for his 'hulking giant' of a partner. The author rounds out his memorable tale by touching on contemporary topical issues, like prejudices against caramel skin and undocumented immigrants. A sublime, diverse cast drives this tale of looking for a safe, welcoming home."
---Kirkus Reviews

The Last Tortilla Selected for List of "Real America"

noreply@blogger.com (Sergio Troncoso) — Tue, 30 May 2023 10:49:00 +0000

Thank you Susan Straight of The Los Angeles Times for selecting THE LAST TORTILLA AND OTHER STORIES for "A Map of 1001 Books of Fiction That Show the Real America."

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2023-05-28/american-novels-1001-literary-geography-map-states

***

"These stories are richly satisfying."—Publishers Weekly

"Enthusiastically recommended."—Booklist

"Troncoso really shines when he writes about El Paso and the life of Mexican Americans there. He has the gift for writing from his heart outward into his reader's heart."—Bloomsbury Review

Nepantla Familias Wins IPPY Award

noreply@blogger.com (Sergio Troncoso) — Sat, 20 May 2023 14:10:00 +0000

The anthology I edited, NEPANTLA FAMILIAS: AN ANTHOLOGY OF MEXICAN AMERICAN LITERATURE ON FAMILIES IN BETWEEN WORLDS (Texas A&M University Press), wins the Bronze Award for Anthologies in the Independent Publisher Book Awards! I'm grateful for the awards and recognition this anthology keeps receiving.

Kirkus Reviews, starred review: "'The either/or proposition that forces you to choose between your community and, say, your country has never been true,' Troncoso writes in the introduction. 'The very skills we learn to cross borders within ourselves help us to cross borders toward others outside our community.' A deeply meaningful collection that navigates important nuances of identity."

https://ippyawards.com/169/medalists/2023-medalists-1-54