Event

An Evening with Stephanie Elizondo Griest, author of Art Above Everything

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Join Us for an Inspiring Evening with Acclaimed Author Stephanie Elizondo Griest
Friday, June 27, 6 to 8 pm, at K Space Contemporary

K Space Contemporary proudly presents An Evening with Stephanie Elizondo Griest, a celebration of literary achievement. Join us in honoring one of Corpus Christi’s own as she returns home to share insights from her latest book, Art Above Everything.

Stephanie Elizondo Griest—award-winning author, journalist, and globetrotter—grew up in Corpus Christi and has gone on to become a dynamic voice in nonfiction. This special evening offers a rare opportunity to hear from a literary trailblazer whose work has inspired readers across the country and beyond.

Elizondo Griest will read passages from Art Above Everything, reflect on her remarkable journey as a writer, and sign copies of her book (available for purchase on-site). She is the author of six acclaimed books, including Around the Bloc, Mexican Enough, and All the Agents and Saints. Her writing explores themes of identity, borders, and belonging, and has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, Oxford American, and more. She currently teaches Creative Nonfiction at the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill and has received numerous prestigious honors for her work.

Don’t miss this chance to celebrate a Corpus Christi native whose voice and vision continue to shape the literary landscape. This evening promises to be powerful, inspiring, and deeply rooted in the spirit of home.

Free and open to the public. Don’t miss it!
For more about the author, visit www.StephanieElizondoGriest.com

ABOUT THE BOOK: ART ABOVE EVERYTHING

Is the all-encompassing quest to become a self-sustaining artist worth the sacrifices it often requires of us? Throughout her 20s and 30s, inveterate travel writer Stephanie Elizondo Griest could not help worrying if constantly prioritizing her writing over everything else—from postponing children to living nomadically to save on rent—was leading her to fulfillment or regret. After a break-up and serious health crisis in her early 40s, she turned to other women artists for their perspectives on that perennial question: is art enough?

Art Above Everything introduces us to “art monks” around the world: legendary authors, painters, dancers, and musicians who have devoted their lives to their creative pursuits. The journey begins in a classical Indian dance village, where the renown ensemble Nrityagram rehearses from sunup to sundown each day, and continues on to studios and galleries across Rwanda, Romania, Qatar, Iceland, Mexico, New Zealand, Cuba, and the United States. Collectively, these women speak dozens of languages and worship a spectrum of faiths, but their determination to create despite financial hardship, misogyny, societal expectations, and the global rise of political extremism are wholly akin. Through intimate conversations with powerhouses like Rwandan playwright Hope Azeda, who uses theater to bring about national reconciliation in the aftermath of genocide, and Romanian painter Florica Prevenda, who got assigned to a provincial factory during Ceaușescu’s dictatorship but refused to relinquish her brushes, Elizondo Griest reveals the universal ecstasies and agonies of placing art at the core of our existence. No matter whether we create as an act of healing or dissent, Art Above Everything will illuminate how to wield its freedom as a vitalizing force.


K Space Contemporary is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to presenting and promoting contemporary art. Gallery hours are Wednesday - Saturday 11 am to 5 pm and Sunday 12 to 4 pm. We are located at 623 N. Chaparral Street in downtown Corpus Christi, Texas. To learn more about the artist, the exhibition, and other K Space programming, please visit www.kspacecontemporary.org or follow us on Instagram or Facebook @kspacecontemporary.



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