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Tucson author Melani Martinez shares the story of her family's 70-year-old tamal and tortilla factory through her memoir The Molino, revealing how food anchors community and preserves cultural identity in the desert borderlands. Set in Tucson's historic Barrio Presidio, this moving exploration follows three generations of a family business and examines the heartbreaking effects of gentrification on longstanding community institutions. A compelling story of belonging, transformation, and the sacred work of nourishing others in Southern Arizona's changing landscape. Melani “Mele” Martinez is a writer and educator from Tucson, Arizona whose work explores the intersections of memory and cultural identity. Her debut memoir, The Molino (UA Press 2024), is a 2025 Int'l Latino Book Award Honorable Mention. The Molino blends family history with the shifting cultural landscape of Tucson’s barrios, honoring her family’s beloved tamal/tortilla factory and lunch counter, El Rapido, that served Tucson customers for nearly 70 years. Melani holds an MFA in Creative Nonfiction and teaches in the Writing Program at the University of Arizona, where she designs courses that engage borderlands history, folkart, poetics, and storytelling.
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1 Burruel St, Tubac, AZ, United States, Arizona 85646
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