In this presentation, Tucson writer Greg McNamee examines the history of Arizona place names, from Ali Shonak to Zephyr, using lively anecdotes to discuss the little-known stories behind names on the land.  Place names are like fossil poetry.  They afford a kind of folk history, a snapshot in time that enables us to read them and reconstruct how members of a culture in the past assigned names to the places they saw. The U.S. has over 3.5 million place names, and there is no part of the world where nomenclature is so rich, poetic, humorous, and picturesque.

• Date: Thursday, April 30, 2009
• Time: Noon to 1 p.m.
• Place: Carnegie Center, 1101 West Washington, Phoenix, AZ 85007
• Free and open to the public
• Bring your lunch!  Light refreshments served
• Free parking

Gregory McNamee is a writer whose publications include twenty-six books, as well as numerous essays, short stories, articles, and translations in journals in the United States and abroad.  He is a contributing editor to the Encyclopedia Britannica and writes regularly for its blog.  Mr. McNamee has taught writing courses at the University of Arizona and elsewhere, and he delivers talks and lectures on writing in many venues.

For more information, call 602-926-3368 or send an e-mail.