Letras Latinas Publishing Collaborative
- letraslatinasblog2
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
This initiative formally names what has existed for years: a constellation of partnerships between Letras Latinas and independent presses to bring forth literary works by Latinx poets and writers. We are excited to announce the following titles as part of our newest partnerships: When You Were Human by Natalia Treviño with FlowerSong Press, The Spaceships Weren’t Built For Us by Alan Chazaro with Tia Chucha Press and Red Hen Press, Time is a Silly Boy by Alexis N. Garcia with Host Publications, and Patrilineation by Carlos Andrés Gómez with Gunpowder Press as the Alta California Chapbook Prize Winner.
Publication Date: March 31, 2026
When You Were Human by Natalia Treviño is a curated selection provided by Letras Latinas for FlowerSong Press. This collection of poetry offers readers multiple entry points to discover the Virgin Mary— as the miraculous mother of God and as the archetypal spiritual mother of all. By examining how Mary is introduced to us through prayer candles, car air-fresheners, ritual prayer, legend, and high art, this collection attempts to understand the devotions to Mary that unite people all over the world, especially in Mexico. Octavio Quintanilla writes, "Allusive and ekphrastic, Treviño’s language is also measured, devotional, grounded: “how much Mercy // will it take / for all the redemptions / we need,” she asks. How to measure faith? How to measure love? I pray you read this book for answers, although none might be found, but be assured that these poems, like the Holy Mother, will travel into the different countries of your heart as “miracles // do, without papers.”
Publication Date: April 14th, 2026
ISBN: 9781882688654
In These Spaceships Weren’t Built For Us, Alan Chazaro reconsiders the possibilities of space travel as the son of Mexican immigrants—while navigating daily life across rapidly shifting social spaces. From barren gas stations in Central California during the height of the pandemic to faraway jungle planets governed by paleteros, Chazaro imagines the present and future in ways that are bleak and dire, hopeful and beautiful, and seemingly, impossibly unrealized. “Alan Chazaro’s manuscript is a wonderful contribution to U.S. letters—his voice a unique imprint on the art of poetry,” said Luis J. Rodríguez, founding editor of Tia Chucha Press. “We are honored to partner with Letras Latinas and to be the publisher of Chazaro’s work.” For its part, Tia Chucha Press is now honing its mission to focus on Latinx voices and, moving forward, acquiring works of prose as part of its evolving catalogue. Starting with Chazaro’s collection, which is slated for release in 2026, Letras Latinas will curate a Tia Chucha title every two years. Red Hen Press will offer support with distribution, e-books, library sales, and other logistical matters.
Publication Date: March, 2027
Before finding a home with Host Publications, in partnership with Letras Latinas, Time Is a Silly Boy was chosen as a finalist for the Radix 2025 Megaphone Prize, and was described as “incredibly, incredibly tender," by judge Safia Elhillo. These poems delve into a personal and ephemeral archive rich with sonnets, hybrid forms, photographs, and poems as artifacts to consider the alternate clock of trans time.
Founded and coordinated by Emma Trelles, the Alta California Chapbook Prize has been publishing chapbooks by Latinx poets since 2022. Letras Latinas is joining publisher Gunpowder Press to bring our support to the prize. Letras Latinas will provide resources on various expenditures, first and foremost, an in-person reading in Santa Barbara, CA for the winner; and also some consultation on the curation of the final judge. Patrilineation by Carlos Andrés Gómez will be the first chapbook published in this new iteration of the prize. This year's judge, Raina J. León, writes, "In these poems, we confront a truth: we live and breathe and move always vulnerable, always at the edge of or in the process of losing. How do we name our lineages, what we have inherited, and transmute the strength that comes from pain into a strength that, itself, multiples the transformational possibilities of love to others and the self? How do we name the political hypocrisies—all men are created equal—while knowing the threats all around you and holding your child, in all his beauty, in your arms?"
