Writer who traveled Rio Grande to visit campus

The Rio Grande may seem lifeless and devoid of surprises. However, one man was determined to explore the mysterious river that runs in our backyard and find something delightful in doing it. Keith Bowden traveled for two months, starting from El Paso, on mountain bike, canoe, and raft all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. His experiences inspired him to write The Tecate Journal: Seventy Days on the Rio Grande. An instructor at LCC, Bowden will be TAMIU’s next visiting writer for the Voices in the Monte Writers Series. He will arrive in April and discuss his craft as a creative writer with the university community. “I really enjoy being at the university,” Bowden said. “I enjoy speaking to students. I learn more from students than they learn from me.” “Youth is exciting. You all [young individuals] have nothing to lose,” Bowden added. “If you hear bad news today, sure you’ll be disappointed, but you’ll bounce back right away tomorrow. I like to tell students that they’re at the best time in their life when in college.”Bowden already has ideas for future projects.”I might write a creative non-fiction on my experiences when I played professional baseball for a mining town. I might go to Mexico to play baseball now to see how people react.. Another idea is hitchhiking…I used to hitchhike my whole life. I would like to write about why people don’t hitchhike anymore and contrast that to my experiences.”Bowden had the following words of wisdom for beginner or advanced writers.”Write about what you’re passionate about,” he said. “Don’t write for fame or money. You have the odds stacked so high against you. Write whatever you have passion for.”For more information on Bowden’s visit, contact Writing Center director Kimberly R. Thomas by telephone at 326-2885 or email at kthomas@tamiu.edu.