Everything Begins and Ends at the Kentucky Club

Benjamin Alire Saenz

Oct 2023 · Tantor Media Inc · Narrated by Lee Osorio

About this audiobook

Benjamin Alire Sáenz's stories reveal how all borders-real, imagined, sexual, human, the line between dark and light, addict and straight-entangle those who live on either side. Take, for instance, the Kentucky Club on Avenida Juárez two blocks south of the Rio Grande. It's a touchstone for each of Sáenz's stories. His characters walk by, they might go in for a drink or to score, or they might just stay there for a while and let their story be told. Sáenz knows that the Kentucky Club, like special watering holes in all cities, is the contrary to borders. It welcomes Spanish and English, Mexicans and gringos, poor and rich, gay and straight, drug addicts and drunks, laughter and sadness, and even despair. It's a place of rich history and good drinks and cold beer and a long polished mahogany bar. Some days it smells like piss. "I'm going home to the other side." That's a strange statement, but you hear it all the time at the Kentucky Club.

About the author

Benjamin Alire Sáenz is a highly regarded writer of fiction, poetry, and children's literature. He's been a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and PEN Center's prestigious award for young adult fiction. Sáenz is the chair of the creative writing department of University of Texas at El Paso.

Lee Osorio is an actor and narrator based in Atlanta, Georgia. Visit leeosorio.com to learn more.