Featured on the July 9th, 2026 edition of ARIZONA SPOTLIGHT with host Mark McLemore:
“When you listen to Tucson, what do you hear?” That was the question asked on Friday, June 26th, when AZPM held a special event at its new home, the Paul & Alice Baker Building for Public Media. It was a live-before-an-audience edition of Arizona Spotlight. In part 1, you’ll hear a poem from Tucson Poet Laureate Logan Phillips, a story from UA grad and one-time Olympic hopeful Jenica Bosko, and an interview with author, playwright and musician Alejandro Canelos.
In part 2, more highlights from the event, including an essay from nature writer Rebekah Doyle, a poem fromindigenous creative Mariana Rivera, and an interview with acclaimed fiction author Linda D. Addison.
That’s all on this special live edition of Arizona Spotlight.
Attendess to the live event were invited to share on comment cards what they hear when they listen to Tucson:
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- Named the Poet Laureate of Tucson with a term from 2026 - 2029, multi-disciplinary writer Logan Phillips is also a DJ, cultural worker and the author of (Sonoran Strange)[https://www.dirtyverbs.com/store/sonoran-strange]. He holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Arizona where his recent work won a 2021 Academy of American Poets Prize. Born and raised in Cochise County, Arizona to a family of Irish-Slavic ancestry, Phillips lived in and around Mexico City 2006-2011, where he contributed to organizing and hosting the country's first regular poetry slam series.
- Jenica Bosko is a part of Iskashitaa Refugee Network as a Refugee Outreach Coordinator, bringing a deep personal connection to the organization's mission and a fresh perspective shaped by her Tucson roots and studies at the University of Arizona. Raised in Tucson by refugee parents from Kurmuk, Sudan, Jenica grew up learning firsthand the importance of family, food, sovereignty, and community care. She graduated from the University of Arizona with a degree in Anthropology and a minor in Sociology. She sees her work as an extension of the welcome and resilience her own family received, and is committed to ensuring that every family she meets feels seen, supported, and at home in the Southern Desert.
- Alejandro Canelos was born in Nogales, Sonora and raised in Tucson. He earned a BA in Biology from Harvard in 1992. In his spare time, he plays drums professionally (freelance, all styles) and sings tenor II in two choirs. He enjoys hiking, mountain biking, cheering on the UA Wildcats, jazz, and spending time with his family. He wrote and performs in a series of radio dramas heard on Arizona Spotlight called Ten Minute Dramas.
- One day out of the blue I was contacted by a listener named Rebekah Doyle, who was already a published author specializing in nature writing. She submitted some essays about her passion for the Sonoran Desert, and became an occasional contributor to this show. I asked her to share one of her essays with the audience. Doyle has many published articles, stories and essays that spring from her outdoor adventures. Her 5 word motto is “write / bike / hike / paddle / bird.”
- Mariana Rivera became a Indigenous Nations Poets fellow in 2026. She lives in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe of Tucson, Arizona. Contributing to the local poetry and arts community since 2019, Mariana received her start in poetry from the youth-oriented poetry organization Spoken Futures through the Tucson Youth Poetry Slam, then becoming an intern for local open-mic series The Reading Series. Mariana encourages community connection through the arts using the experience gained practicing poetry as a working artist in Tucson in order to work towards giving back to her reservation and community. Mariana’s focus is based on her passion for advocating for the marginalized communities she is part of.
- Back in 2023, I found out that Tucson is home to Linda D. Addison, a writer of all types of poetry and fiction whose work has appeared in more than one hundred story collections, including the modern iteration of “Weird Tales” magazine. Addison is the first African American to win the Bram Stoker Award, which is the top achievement for writers of dark fiction and horror. In fact, she was recently awarded another Stoker for Everything Endless, co-written with Jamal Hodge, which was chosen as the Best Poetry Collection of 2025.
Helping out with this live event were AZPM colleagues Timna Guerchon, Carina Mendoza, Sean Teague, Clarice Bales, David Lee, Tony Paniagua and Laura Holanszky.
