'A Place to Stand' presentation by Jimmy Santiago Baca Thursday, November 17, 2022
6:00 PM - 7:30 PM

Midland College is proud to host this special presentation by award-winning American poet and writer Jimmy Santiago Baca.  The event is FREE and open to MC employees, students and the public.  Reservations are not required.

About Jimmy Santiago Baca

While serving a five-year sentence in a maximum security prison, Baca learned to read and began to turn his life around, eventually emerging as a prolific artist of the spoken and written word. 

He is a winner of the prestigious International Award for his memoir, “A Place to Stand,” the story of which is now also a documentary by the same title. His semiautobiographical novel in verse, Martin and Meditations on the South Valley (1987) received the 1988 Before Columbus Foundation's American Book Award.  He also received a Pushcart Prize and the Hispanic Heritage Award for Literature.  In 2006, he was awarded the Cornelius P. Turner Award, which honors GED graduates who have made "outstanding contributions" in areas such as education, justice and social welfare.

In 2004, Baca launched Cedar Tree, a literary nonprofit organization designed to provide writing workshops, training and outreach programs for at-risk youth, prisoners, ex-prisoners and disadvantaged communities.

Baca holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and an honorary Ph.D. in literature from the University of New Mexico. 

More information about Mr. Baca.