Rudolfo Anaya is the bestselling author of the beloved Bless Me, Ultima, and one of the founding voices in modern Chicano literature. In 2016, he was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Barack Obama. A former professor at the University of New Mexico, he won numerous literary awards, including the Premio Quinto Sol National Chicano literary award, the 2007 Notable New Mexican Award, and the PEN Center USA West Award for Fiction. Bless Me, Ultima was named a Great American Read by PBS, and has been adapted into a feature film, an opera, and several stage plays. Anaya was a lifelong champion of Chicano voices and devoted himself to supporting aspiring writers. He passed away on June 28, 2020.