When
Where
Welcome to the 2026-2027 edition of the Tumamoc Author Series, a collaboration between Desert Laboratory on Tumamoc Hill, the Southwest Center, and the University of Arizona Press. In this third year, we continue the tradition of bringing original, diverse visions of the Southwest and engaging in lively conversations with our fellow Tumamoc pilgrims.
On October 21, we start by wondering what it was like to grow up in Tombstone, Arizona.Tucson Poet Laureate Logan Phillips, author of Reckon, will be in conversation with Melani Martinez, author of The Molino: A Memoir. Thoughtful, urgent, and deeply human, Reckon wrestles with questions of identity, place, and responsibility, inviting readers to confront what it means to live attentively in fraught and changing times. Whether reflecting on the natural world, social justice, or the quiet moments that shape our inner lives, Phillips’ voice offers insight, compassion, and challenge in equal measure. The two authors will explore the themes behind Reckon, the creative process, and the role of poetry as both witness and catalyst. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage in conversation and connect with two of Tucson’s most compelling literary voices. Come listen, reflect, and reckon together.
Join us November 28 for the very special occasion of talking with acclaimed historian Thomas E. Sheridan to discuss his influential book Zion’s Last Frontier: LDS Ranchers, Federal Regulators, and the Clash of the New West in Capitol Reef Country, Utah, a vivid exploration of ranching, settlement, and survival in the American West. Far more than a history of cattle and land, the book tells a richly human story shaped by ingenuity and an enduring attachment to place. Sheridan will connect the themes of Zion’s Last Frontier to the ranching traditions of southern Arizona, where desert grasslands and borderlands created a distinctive ranching culture that persists today. Through compelling storytelling and deep research, he brings to life the challenges ranchers faced—from scarce water and harsh climates to environmental change and shifting political boundaries. Take advantage of this opportunity to gain a fresh perspective on western landscapes and the cultural legacy of ranching.
On January 3 we will share the beautiful Winter sunset with Chris Loendorf, editor of Collaborative Archaeology: How Native American Knowledge Enhances Our Collective Understanding of the Past. He will share stories that bring archaeology off the page and into lived community experience. Loendorf reveals how Indigenous knowledge deepens what we know about the past (and why it matters today) by centering Native voices as partners in discovery. He will discuss traditional Indigenous sports and what ongoing O’odham practices can teach us about interpreting pre‑historic sites, insights that archaeology alone often cannot provide. The program will also explore how O’odham communication and design—especially visual media—make the past vivid and relevant, connecting ancestral knowledge to contemporary communities.
Join author Ann Lane Hedlund on February 10 for an illustrated conversation exploring the life and art of Mac Schweitzer, a pivotal yet often overlooked figure in Tucson’s modernist legacy. Drawing on her recent book, Mac Schweitzer: A Southwest Maverick and Her Art, Hedlund brings to life a period when bold ideas about architecture, design, and desert living reshaped the city and challenged conventions about who could imagine and build the modern Southwest. The evening will feature projected slides of Mac Schweitzer’s work. Through these images, Hedlund traces Schweitzer’s creative vision and her role within a broader network of artists, architects, and cultural innovators. Hedlund will be joined by Shelby Tisdale, art historian and author of No Place for a Lady: The Life Story of Archaeologist Marjorie F. Lambert. Tisdale’s book reveals the life of another fascinating 20th-century Southwestern woman. Whether you’re interested in art, local history, or the untold stories behind familiar landscapes, this talk will offer a vivid look at how Tucson became modern, and who helped make it so.
Tucson‑based author and journalist Mary Elizabeth Reynolds will visit us on March 10 for a fascinating talk on her new book, The Quake That Drained the Desert. The book uncovers the hidden story of an 1887 earthquake near the U.S.–Mexico border and reveals how that long‑forgotten event continues to shape groundwater and aquifers across southern Arizona today. Blending history, science, and storytelling, Reynolds traces how the quake altered underground water systems, dried rivers, and set the stage for the region’s modern water challenges. Raised in the Sonoran Desert, she brings both investigative rigor and personal insight to a story about landscapes with long memories and the unseen forces beneath our feet. Discover how one dramatic moment in the 19th century still influences life in the desert today.
Concerned about water scarcity, climate change, and the future of the Southwest? Come to the boathouse April 14 for a timely and thought‑provoking evening with Andrew Curley, a Diné (Navajo) geographer and leading voice on energy, land, and water justice. Drawing from his acclaimed book, Carbon Sovereignty: Coal, Development, and Energy Transition in the Navajo Nation, Curley explores how Indigenous nations have been entangled in—and have resisted—extractive economies built to serve distant cities and industries. Through vivid storytelling and grounded research, Carbon Sovereignty reveals how coal development shaped Navajo sovereignty, livelihoods, and environmental futures, and what those lessons mean for today’s climate crisis. Curley will also discuss his current research on the Colorado River, one of the most over‑allocated and contested rivers in the world. Moving beyond drought‑only narratives, he examines how colonial laws, dams, and infrastructure have defined the river as a resource to be controlled, often erasing Indigenous water rights and relationships in the process.