Press Releases

Naropa University Student Receives American Book Award

Tim Hernandez is no stranger to critical acclaim

BOULDER , Colo. (Aug 1, 2006)—The Before Columbus Foundation awarded an American Book Award to Tim Hernandez, 32, a B.A. student in Writing and Literature at Naropa University, for his book of poetry entitled “Skin Tax.”

The American Book Awards, established in 1978 by the Before Columbus Foundation, recognize outstanding literary achievement by contemporary American authors, without restriction to race, sex, ethnic background or genre. The purpose of the awards is to acknowledge the excellence and multicultural diversity of American writing. Past award winners include Amiri and Amini Baraka, Jeff Chang and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

Hernandez hails from the San Joaquin Valley of Central California, where he began apprenticeships with other writers immediately out of high school. He found success writing poetry and with his one man show, “Diaries of a Macho,” which won the Best Solo Production Award at Fresno’s Rogue Performance Festival in 2003. In addition, Hernandez taught workshops at various schools, including University of California-Davis, where a faculty member expressed interest in hiring him. It was at that moment that Hernandez realized he needed to go back to school to get a degree to fulfill his desire to continue teaching.

“Skin Tax” was published by Heyday Books in the fall of 2005, just before Hernandez moved to Boulder with his wife and daughters, now 2 and 12, to start classes at Naropa. The book is loosely based on the material that inspired “Diaries of a Macho.”

Accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Naropa University is a private, nonprofit, nonsectarian liberal arts institution dedicated to advancing contemplative education. This approach to learning integrates the best of Eastern and Western educational traditions, helping students know themselves more deeply and engage constructively with others. The university comprises a four-year undergraduate college and graduate programs in the arts, education, environmental leadership, psychology and religious studies.

Click links for a photo of Tim Hernandez: Image 1, Image 2

Contact:

Jane Rubinstein
Director, Marketing & Communications
Naropa University
PH 303-245-4643
FAX 303-245-4676
Jrubinstein@naropa.edu