2024
June 24-26: Stonecoast MFA residency, University of Southern Maine
June 14-16: Hurston/Wright Foundation: fiction writing workshop
April 25: Speaker/facilitator – Aldo Leopold Charter School – “Reflections on the role of community, art and activism in the context of conflicts over human rights, diversity and self determination”, Miller Library at Western New Mexico University
April 19, 5:00-6:00 p.m.: Speaker – Sin Fronteras writing workshop, WNMU: “On Butterflies’ Wings: The Wonder-full World of Magical Realism”
March 6: Panelist – First and Wildest panel – for Leopold Week
February 24: Speaker at Black Unity Ball at Western New Mexico University, WNMU museum
January 8-14: Stonecoast MFA residency, University of Southern Maine
2023
June 18-27: Stonecoast MFA residency, University of Southern Maine
May 12-14: A.P.P.I. conference, Lisbon, Portugal. Opening Plenary Speaker and workshop leader.
April 12, 10:00-12:00: National Poetry Month – celebration of poetry and creative writing, Miller Library, Western New Mexico University
January 9-16: Stonecoast MFA residency, University of Southern Maine
2022
September 21: Banned Books event, Miller Library, WNMU.
June 20-23: Stonecoast MFA First half, University of Southern Maine.
May 16-19: Writing retreat, Lisbon, Portugal
May 13-15: A.P.P.I. conference, Braga, Portugal. Plenary Speaker.
April 29: 5 p.m. Launch of First and Wildest: The Gila at 100 (Torrey House Press). Power & Light Press, Silver City, NM.
April 22: 6:00-7:30 p.m. Reading and discussion of Nazaré: a novel. Otero Arts Reading Series, Otero Artspace, Alamogordo, NM.
April 21: 6:00-7:30 p.m. Miller Library. Readings for Ukraine.
April 11-15: Visiting Writer at University of Nevada, Reno. Includes April 12, 6:30 p.m., reading at Nevada Wolf Shop. Free registration for live online access.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-reading-by-novelist-jj-amaworo-wilson-tickets-297375035737
March 29: Visit to Aldo Leopold Charter School – Q&A on Damnificados.
March 13: Tucson Festival of Books. 1:00 p.m. panel with Sequoia Nagamatsu
March 12: Tucson Festival of Books. 2:30 p.m. panel with Daniel A. Olivas
January 09: interview about Nazaré: a novel with Radio Free Galisteo, archived here: https://radiofreegalisteo.com/
2021
December 18: Showing of my short play “The Guitar” in Gaza, Palestine, followed by q and a with author and director. Event organized by The Hands Up Project.
December 10: 12:30 p.m. MST, interview with Lynn Moorer on 101.5 FM. Nazaré: a novel. Live stream and archive on lccommunityradio.org.
October 22-24: Southwest Word Fiesta
October 21: launch of Nazaré at Light Hall, WNMU, Silver City.
Top photo: Tom Vaughan. Other photos: Bruce Bloy
October 15: Hurston/Wright Award Ceremony, Washington D.C. (via Zoom) – present award for Best Debut Novel
September 30: launch of Mimbres Press of Western New Mexico University, to be held on campus at WNMU. Details tbc.
July 30: My short play “The Guitar” premieres in Gaza, Palestine. The event is organized by The Hands Up Project as part of the UN’s International Day of Friendship.
March 23: “Fifteen Ways to Attack a Text” presentation for DELTA Publishing. Virtual event.
Feb 26: Nelson-Boswell Reading Series, NMSU. Virtual event.
Feb 25: The Days Ahead: Readings and Discussion for Black History Month. WNMU. Virtual event.
2020
July 26: Interview on education and literature: “We’re All in This Together,” with Alastair Grant.
July 23: Interview with Somos Writers, with Daniel Chacón and Ted O’Connell.
June 21-25: Stonecoast MFA in Creative Writing 1st half residency. Seminar June 22 4:00-5:30 “Writing Power: Fiction and the Tyrant” by JJ Amaworo Wilson.
June 9: Interview with kulturWelt (in German)
February 15: readings for Black History Month, Tranquil Buzz Coffee House, Silver City, NM.
2019
I am on sabbatical, January 2019-January 2020.
March 30: Plenary: “Mentors, Myths, & Memories” – 10:30 a.m. Palacio Miramar, San Sebastian, Spain
March 8: Opening Plenary: “Sky’s the Limit: Six Lessons from an Unlikely Place” – 5:30 p.m. El Palacio de Exposiciones y Congresos Ciudad de Oviedo
2018
November 27: Creative Writing Workshop – 6:00 p.m. Kennedy Puentes Rm, Miller Library, WNMU. Free. Open to all.
November 13: Creative Writing Workshop – 6:00 p.m. Kennedy Puentes Rm, Miller Library, WNMU. Free. Open to all.
October 23: Creative Writing Workshop – 6:00 p.m. Kennedy Puentes Rm, Miller Library, WNMU. Free. Open to all.
October 9: Creative Writing Workshop – 6:00 p.m. Kennedy Puentes Rm, Miller Library, WNMU. Free. Open to all.
September 28: Talk at Gifted Kids Program, Silver High, NM
September 25: Creative Writing Workshop – 6:00 p.m. Kennedy Puentes Rm, Miller Library, WNMU. Free. Open to all.
September 11: Creative Writing Workshop – 6:00 p.m. Kennedy Puentes Rm, Miller Library, WNMU. Free. Open to all.
August 18, 2018: host of fundraiser for Southwest Festival of the Written Word. Readings by Phil Connors, Sharman Apt Russell, Beate Sigriddaughter, & Jack Crocker. Email jjawilson@hotmail.com for more info.
July 19-22, 2018: Caxias do Sul, Brazil. Plenary speaker, BrazTESOL.
22.07 Caxias do Sul
23.07 Belo Horizonte – Cultura Inglesa BH, 2 p.m.
24.07 Brasilia – Casa Thomas Jefferson, 11.15 a.m. and 3.30 p.m.
25.07 Natal – Senac Natal 10.00 a.m.
26.07 Campinas – Celin Unicamp, 10.00 a.m.; Michigan Valinhos, 2 p.m.
27.07 Sao Paulo – Alumni, 9.00 a.m.
July 12-16, 2018: Teaching at Stonecoast MFA residency, University of Southern Maine
June 21-22, 2018: ITESO University, Guadalajara, Mexico. Plenary speaker. Social Justice and ELT.
June 4-8, 2018: Dublin, Ireland. Research/author tour, sessions tbc.
May 3-4, 2018: Ankara, Turkey. METU International ELT Convention. Plenary speaker. Social Justice and ELT.
March 23, 2018: Warsaw, Poland. Pearson VIP event. Plenary speaker: “The Sky’s the Limit: Six Lessons from an Unlikely Place.” (The story of Torre David, which inspired Damnificados).
March 10-11: Tucson Festival of Books, Tucson AZ, USA.
February 24-28, 2018: Turkey Cevre Conference. Plenary speaker. Social Justice and ELT. Turkish launch of Damnificados, Kolectiv House, Istanbul.
February 18th: IH Rome conference. Plenary speaker: Social Justice and ELT.
February 16th: Florence, Italy. Presentation on language teaching.
February 15th: Milan, Italy. Presentation on language teaching.
February 13th: Zurich, Switzerland. Presentation on language teaching.
February 12th: Kiev, Ukraine. 11:00 a.m. and 3 p.m., Kyiv National University of Trade and Economics.
February 10th: Kiev, Ukraine. 11:00 a.m., Dom Kino Cinema House, Kyiv. “Great Speakers Need Great Listeners”.
February 7, 2018: Black Lives Matter readings and discussion, Light Hall, WNMU.
January 12, 2018: Stonecoast MFA program, Portland: ‘The task before us’ – creative writing and social justice. Panelist, with Porochista Khakpour, Aaron Hamburger, Amanda Johnston, and Justin Tussing.
2017
December, 2017: Itapoa, Brazil: Writers’ Retreat
October 20, 2017, 7 p.m.: Hurston/Wright Foundation Legacy Awards ceremony, The Washington Plaza Hotel, Washington D.C. Damnificados wins Award for Debut Fiction.
October 19, 2017, 7 p.m.: Damnificados reading at Politics and Prose Bookstore and Coffee House, along with (l-r) Hanif Willis-Abdurraqib, Patricia Bell-Scott, Donika Kelly, Alondra Nelson, Jacqueline Woodson, and Ibram X. Kendi,. Politics and Prose Bookstore
5015 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20008
October 15, 2017, 3 p.m.: Damnificados reading/signing, with Elizabeth Hand, author of Fire., The Potter’s House bookstore, 1658 Columbia Rd Northwest, Washington D.C.
October 14, 2017, 2:30 p.m.: Damnificados at Fall for the Book (Festival) – panel with Elizabeth Hand and Tara Campbell, Merten Hall Tent on Mason’s Fairfax campus, Washington D.C.
September 29-October 1, 2017: Southwest Festival of the Written Word, Silver City, NM
September, 2017: Australia book tour
Sept 22: Hilton Hotel, Adelaide, 9:15 a.m.
Sept 23: New International Bookshop, Melbourne, 3 p.m.
Sept 25: QUT International College, Brisbane, 5:30-7:00 p.m.
Sept 26: UTS, INSEARCH Auditorium, Sydney, 5:30-7:00 p.m.
Sept 27: Pearson Melbourne Office, Melbourne, 5:30-7:00 p.m.
September 15, 2017: Talk and reading from Damnificados, Marshall Memorial Library, Deming, NM, 6-7 p.m.
July 1-22, 2017: writing retreats/tour: UK, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain
June 30, 2017: Use Your Words: Writers Speak KURU 89.1. This is the radio show I co-host with Elise Stuart. This week, local schoolkids Keanu, Ivy, and Tigerlily read their fiction/non-fiction, and Nancy Stevens spoke about Imagination Library.
June 1-15, 2017: Brazil book tour:
June 2-3 Belo Horizonte
June 4-5 Curitiba
June 6 Rio de Janeiro
June 7 Sao Paulo
June 8 Natal
June 9 Recife
June 10-14 Sao Paulo
May 30, 2017: Independent Publisher Book Award ceremony, Copacabana Club, New York City
April 3-6, 2017: IATEFL Glasgow, Scotland: plenary speaker – “ELT and Social Justice: Opportunities in a Time of Chaos”
Host of Language Learner Literature Awards, Extensive Reading Foundation, IATEFL
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March 26-April 2, 2017, Book tour, Spain.
March 27 Madrid
March 28 Barcelona
March 29-31 Valencia
April 1 Seville
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March 1-10, 2017: book tour, Argentina. Buenos Aires and La Plata
2016
Feb 13, 2016: Readings from Damnificados at Casa Camino Real, Las Cruces
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March 12, 2016: Tucson Festival of Books. Panel with Matt Bell and Paolo Bacigalupi. Panel with Vanessa Blakeslee
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April 9-10, 2016: LA Times Festival of Books. Panel
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April 29-May 1, 2016: British Council 3rd International ELT Conference, Oran, Algeria. Keynote speaker
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July, 2016: UK book tour
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September 18, 2016: Brooklyn Festival of Books. Panel
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October 1, 2016: SouthWest Writers talk, Albuquerque
Talk available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_qMWptloes
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October 18-23 – Tour of Ecuador: Guayaquil, Quito, Ambato
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2015 ARCHIVE
December 4-January 3, 2014-15: Itapoa, Brazil: Writer’s Retreat
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January 19, 2015: Readings for Martin Luther King Day at Western New Mexico University, 9:30-11:30 a.m. Mustang Dining Hall, Western New Mexico University
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January 25, 2015: Miller Library, Western New Mexico University: Introducing reading by Bonnie Buckley Maldonado, 1st Poet Laureate of Silver City and Grant County
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February 2, 2015: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Teachers’ Seminar
February 3, 2015: Brasília, Brazil, Teachers’ Seminar
February 4, 2015: Goiania, Brazil, Teachers’ Seminar
February 6, 2015: Vitória, Brazil, Teachers’ Seminar
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February 16, 2015, 7 p.m.: Light Hall, Western New Mexico University, Silver City, USA – moderating talk/launch of All the Wrong Places: A Life Lost and Found by Philip Connors
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February 22, 2015, 1 p.m.: Readings for Black History Month, prose and poetry, Yankie Creek Coffee House, Silver City, NM
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February 28-March 7, 2015: Istanbul, Turkey: author tour including Cevre ELT Conference – plenary speaker
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March 21, 2015: Award Ceremony for Literacy Alive, Silver City – writing competition for Middle and High School students (I serve as competition judge)
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April 10, 2015: Qingdao Jinan Province, China – speech for launch of Speakout
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Yazigi Conference, Sao Paulo, Brazil – keynote speaker
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September 2015: Tour of Poland for launch of Speakout Second Edition: Gdansk, Poznan, Wrocslaw, Kracow, Katowice, Warsaw
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October 2, 3, 4, 2015: Southwest Festival of the Written Word, Silver City, New Mexico, USA – opening keynote speaker
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October 22-25, 2015: ELT Malta Conference – plenary speaker
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November 9-15, 2015: Madrid,
Spain – – plenary speaker and author tour
JJ Amaworo Wilson, author 