© 2026
Donate
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
We are updating our website. Some features may be unavailable during this time. For more information, including currently known issues, visit here.

Tucson playwright Elaine Romero being celebrated on the national stage.

AZPM | By Mark McLemore
Published July 21, 2026 at 10:06 AM MST
elaine romero portrait
Julius Schlosburg
Tucson playwright, professor and 2026 Guggenheim Fellow Elaine Romero.
Tucson playwright Elaine Romero being celebrated on the national stage.

Featured on the July 23rd, 2026 edition of ARIZONA SPOTLIGHT with host Mark McLemore:

  • What to expect from the first-ever Meza Festival (MAY-za) – bringing “global to local” through a wide range of musical performances, from Mariachi to hip-hop and beyond.
Arizona spotlight sitting 1.0
AZPM Staff
Festival organizer Simba Rusita, hip-hop artist Young Me The OG, mariachi player Giselle-Paris Aubrey and AZPM reporter Thatcher Warrick Hess sit in the recording studio after the Arizona Spotlight conversation on July 16, 2026.
Meza Festival talk in hallway
Courtesy of Simba Rusita
Hip-hop artist Young Me The OG, AZPM reporter Thatcher Warrick Hess, mariachi player Giselle-Paris Aubrey and festival organizer Simba Rusita gather after the Arizona Spotlight conversation on July 16, 2026.
Meza festival flyer
Courtesy of Simba Rusita
The official flyer for the 2026 MEZA festival.

  • This month’s storyteller Zack Gordon shares how making Turkish coffee can be a reflection on how one lives life.
zach gordon 3
courtesy Zach Gordon
Imnage from Zach Gordon's visit to Turkey.
zach gordon 2
courtesy Zach Gordon
Image from Zach Gordon's visit to Turkey.
zach gordon 1
Zach Gordon working in a ceramicsa studio.

  • And how the talents of Tucson playwright Elaine Romero are being recognized on the national stage through a Guggenheim Fellowship.

VIDEO: Elaine Romeo on AZPM's Speaking Personally.

elaine romero 4
Courtesy of Borderlands Theater
From "Dirt", a part of "Barrio Stories", written by Elaine Romero.
ekaine romero 3 hero
Courtesy of Kitchen Dog Theater
An image from Elaine Romero's play "¡Curanderas! Serpents of the Clouds", directed by Christopher Carlos and staged by the Kitchen Dog Theater in Dallas, Texas.
elaine romero 2 spotlight
courtesy 1st Stage Theater
From "Secret Things", written by Elaine Romero, produced by 1st Stage Theater in
Tysons, Virginiam, directed by Alex Levy.
elaine romero 1
Courtesy of Kitchen Dog Theater
An image from Elaine Romero's play "¡Curanderas! Serpents of the Clouds", directed by Christopher Carlos and staged by the Kitchen Dog Theater in Dallas, Texas.
romerofest poster unsized
courtesy Arizona Theatre Company
The work of playwright Elaine Romero is being highlighted by more than a dozen performing arts companies in March of 2021 during "RomeroFest".

Arizona Spotlight
Arizona Spotlight airs every Thursday at 8:30 am and 6:00 pm and every Friday at 8:00 pm on NPR 89.1 FM / 1550 AM. You can subscribe to our podcast on Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, or the NPR App. See more from Arizona Spotlight.
Tags
ArizonaEntertainmentDowntown TucsonTucsonArizona SpotlightMusicCulture
Mark McLemore
Mark McLemore is the host of Arizona Spotlight on NPR 89.1, a weekly radio show with a very wide beat.
See stories by Mark McLemore