Fresh from the Hill: Inside Stories of Noteworthy Cornellians
Society & Culture
In the sixth of the CLAA Series for the Fresh from the Hill Podcast, CLAA board members interview the 2023 MacArthur ‘genius grant’ recipient, Manuel Muñoz, MFA ‘98.
In his writing, Muñoz draws on his roots growing up in a Mexican-American family of farmworkers in California’s Central Valley to explore the impacts of racial politics and limited economic opportunities in this region. He tells the stories of a wide spectrum of people, including mothers and sons, U.S.-born citizens and immigrants, young gay men and teenage parents.
Manuel details how his academic work at Harvard lead to him teaching young minds in Boston and how that experience led him to pursue a Master of Fine Arts at Cornell. Manuel details how mentors like Helena Maria Viramontes shaped his love for writing and his appetite for short stories.
Muñoz, who is professor of English at the University of Arizona, has published three story collections, “Zigzagger” (2003), “The Faith Healer of Olive Avenue” (2007), and “The Consequences” (2022), as well as the novel “What You See in the Dark” (2011). He received his bachelor’s degree from Harvard University in 1994.
Plug into this episode as our hosts connect the landscape of topics with one of the luminaries in the novelist world!
Read the episode transcript.
Hosted by Freddy Terrazas Escamilla MHA '19. Fresh from the Hill was created by Amanda Massa. The CLAA episodes were edited and recorded by Joseph De Los Santos, Freddy Terrazas Escamilla, and Kety Esquivel. Intro music, which that incorporates the sound of the coqui, a frog indigenous to Puerto Rico, by Leonard Washington & Joseph De Los Santos. Closing music by Kia Albertson-Rogers '13, koa3@cornell.edu. Artwork by Chris Kelly.
*The views expressed by Fresh from the Hill hosts and guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of Cornell University.
Winners of the Inaugural Robert S. Harrison '76 Recent Alumni Volunteer Award
CLAA Series: Mary Carmen Gasco-Buisson '97
CLAA Series: Eduardo Peñalver '94
CLAA Series: The Day Hall Takeover with Kety Esquivel '97
CLAA Series: Ana Pinczuk '84, MEng '85
CLAA Series: Los Anfitriones (the hosts)
Any Person, As Many Studies As You Want - Bryce Demopoulos '23
REBROADCAST: Being a Cornell Trustee - Doug Mitarotonda '02, MEng '03, MA '07, PhD '09 (original air date: 2/3/21)
Try the Things - Alison Leiby '06
Living the Best Life in Paris - Adja Toure '18
Put Yourself Out There - Alexis Wilson '19
A Premium on Collaborations - Dr. Glenn Altschuler MA '73, PhD '76
Meet Sydney Mann '18
Cornelliana with Corey: Halloween Haunted History (REBROADCAST: original air date 10/26/21)
REBROADCAST: The Business of Broadway - Dana Lerner '14 (original air date: 5/15/19)
Cornellians in Podcasting: Interview Hour
Cornellians in Podcasting: BYOB: The Healthcare Podcast
Cornellians in Podcasting: Entreprenista feat. Susan Danziger '86
Cornellians in Podcasting: Entreprenista Podcast feat. Gwen Whiting '98
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Modern West
Voices of Misery Podcast
House of Whimsical Terror
Dairyland Frights
Stuff You Should Know
Timcast IRL