Author Demetria Martinez, whose first novel, "MotherTongue," won the 1994 Western States Book Award for Fiction, will give a reading from her book March 7 at UNLV.

Set in Albuquerque in 1982, "MotherTongue" is the story of a love affair between a Chicana and a Salvadoran refugee. The Salvadoran civil war and the sanctuary movement are among the topics dealt with in the book.

The reading will take place at 3:15 p.m. in the Fireside Lounge in the Moyer Student Union. A reception and book signing will follow the reading.

Martinez, who lives in Tucson, Ariz., currently is working on a book of poetry titled "Beauty Marks," and on a second novel, "Mexican Rubies."

The reading at UNLV is sponsored by the women's studies program and the foreign language department.

For additional information, call 895-4032.