RUDY RUIZ was raised around ranches and horses, reared on tales of the Old West and the Mexican Revolution, but then he moved on to Harvard and success as an award-winning author of literary fiction. Now he brings his brand of polished storytelling, cultural immersion and magical realism to a visionary novel that explores and upends classic American genres: Western, Southern Gothic and Horror. The results are pioneering, poignant and powerful. The novel, VALLEY OF SHADOWS, will be released by Blackstone Publishing on Sept. 20, 2022, just in time for Hispanic Heritage Month.

JENN GIVHAN is a Mexican-American and indigenous poet, novelist, and transformational coach from the Southwestern desert and the recipient of poetry fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and PEN/Rosenthal Emerging Voices. Jenn is the author of five full-length poetry collections, most recently BELLY TO THE BRUTAL (Wesleyan University Press), and the novels TRINITY SIGHT, JUBILEE, and RIVER WOMAN, RIVER DEMON (Blackstone Press). Her work has appeared in THE NEW REPUBLIC, THE NATION, POETRY, and many others. Follow her at jennifergivhan.com.

Rudy Ruiz, discussing VALLEY OF SHADOWS with Jenn Givhan