Jim Kristofic/Courtesy photo
COUNTY NEWS RELEASE
The staff at Mesa Public Library is pleased to present House Gods: Sustainable Building and Renegade Builders, a not-so-typical author talk with Jim Kristofic. The program is part of the library’s ongoing Library Conversation series and will be livestreamed via Zoom on Thursday, March 10 from 7 to 8pm. Attendees can look forward to a fascinating discussion of the author’s latest work, which chronicles his experiences with sustainable builders and architects across the Southwest.
In House Gods, Kristofic pursues the techniques of sustainable building and the philosophies of its practitioners. What emerges is a strange and haunting quest through adobe mud and mayhem, encounters with shamans and stray dogs, solar panels, tragedy, and true believers. It is a story about doing something meaningful, and about the kinds of things that grow out of deep pain. One of these things is compassion—from which may come solace. This is where he meets the House Gods who are building to the sun so that we can live on Earth. Forever.
Kristofic has authored several books, including his memoir, Navajos Wear Nikes, which was a finalist for the Spur Award from Western Writers of America and was named a 2011 Southwest Book of the Year. He grew up on the Navajo Reservation in northeastern Arizona and has worked on and off the reservation for more than ten years as a river guide, journalist, ranch hand, National Park ranger, and oral historian. He has written for The Navajo Times, Arizona Highways, Native Peoples Magazine, and High Country News. Kristofic currently resides in Taos, New Mexico, but considers Diné Bikéyah—the Navajo Reservation— his true home.
This program is free to the public and will be conducted online via the Zoom platform. To obtain access to the program and your meeting link, registration is required. Please register through the event page at LosAlamosLibrary.org or call (505) 662-8257 for assistance. As a hub of community engagement, the library has worked to foster a lively and engaging stream of virtual programming throughout the pandemic and hopes you’ll join in the growing audience for these popular programs!