The Other Shoe Drops

Upon my return to the U.S. and a mere two days after watching President Obama’s declaration that we are in the midst of “a full blown crisis,” I have the unfortunate task of having to report on not one, but TWO major ways in which this crisis has dealt direct blows to the Latino publishing industry.

Many of you probably know about the first: CRÍTICAS, the magazine published by Library Journal that for the past eight years had been THE source for news on the Spanish language publishing industry in the U.S., and the biggest provider of reviews of Spanish language titles available in this market, was shut down by its parent company, Reed Business Information. On a letter to online subscribers, former Editor Aída Bardales cites “decreased ad support” as the reason behind the decision made by the company, and states that “plans are underway to continue coverage of the U.S. Spanish-language book market through sister publications Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, and School Library Journal.” It is not yet clear what form that coverage will take, but I will of course keep you posted. (To read Bardales’ complete letter, click here.) Adriana López, the magazine’s founder turned guest blogger, posted a nostalgic entry entitled “The Names and Faces Behind Críticas” that gives credit to those who have contributed their talents to the magazine over the years, and made me, for one, long for the days when the Latino industry felt like a budding enterprise full of promise, rather than another helpless victim of the current economic climate.

Which brings me to my second bit of news, as this one too, makes me long for better days, specifically, a time eight years ago, when HarperCollins Publishers’ former CEO Jane Friedman saw the potential of the budding Latino market and launched a new imprint called RAYO. Since then, Rayo’s titles have consistently ranked among the top-selling Spanish language titles sold in the U.S., and won numerous awards. But achievements no longer guarantee employment, and so, on Tuesday, February 10th, I read this article stating that Rene Alegria, Rayo’s Publisher has been let go, along with his fabulous editor, Cecilia Molinari, part of a wave of layoffs by HarperCollins that resulted in the complete dissolution of Collins, their non-fiction imprint, among other disasters. A note at the bottom of the article seems to suggest that Harper plans to continue publishing Rayo titles, although it does not explain exactly how that will be accomplished. Again, I will keep you posted.

A quick look at my bio will make it clear that both of these events weigh heavily on me personally, as I am friends with everyone formerly employed by these two businesses. And it is both in the spirit of friendship, and of “giving credit where credit is due,” that I remind readers that the folks affected by these news are trailblazers whose tremendous dedication and hard work have contributed to making this portion of the business the essential part of the general book market it has become, and that it should continue to be. It is with great sadness that I report on these developments, and that I appeal to you, readers, and ask that you support this industry in any way you can: by subscribing and supporting this blog, by purchasing books by Latino authors, attending Latino authors’ readings, writing letters to decision makers, and any other way you can think of. The sense of urgency I felt when I launched this blog has now reached unforeseen proportions. We should all be stunned, saddened, and outraged by these news, but most of all, we should take action. Do you part, whatever that is. And hold on to your hats, we’re in for a bumpy ride…

A Nerd, a Radio, and a Poem: 2008 in Review

Those who know me are well acquainted with my incurable optimism and can-do attitude. They count on me to see the good side of things and find solutions to problems—and I often do both. Looking back over this past year however, it seemed that I might have my work cut out for me. Because, Obama’s historic win aside, not much “good” seems to have taken place in 2008. When looking back, most will (rightly) recall a year riddled with layoffs, corporate bailouts, bonus and hiring freezes, and a general feeling of hopelessness, even among those who were “lucky” enough to remain employed.

But those of us who care about Latino literature can look back on this past year with a sense of pride, even renewed hope. We can and should remember that something truly great happened in 2008: some of our best and brightest (and in some cases, youngest) Latino authors received an unprecedented and well deserved amount of recognition; the kind hereto reserved only for Hollywood celebrities. It all started with Junot Díaz’s The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao winning the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. In 2008 it seemed as though Junot was everywhere: On bestsellers lists—in both English and Spanish—, and on English and Spanish language media (Who can forget his appearance on the Colbert Report? And, ask a Univison viewer about him and they will say: “Junot has not forgotten where he came from,” or “I was surprised by how good his Spanish is!”). Yes, Junot became a bona fide literary celebrity over the past year. But he was not the only one who would receive that much-deserved praise.

Next, came the PEN USA awards. I had to read the announcement twice to make sure that I had not misread the names of not one, but TWO Latinos on the awards list. Yes, it was true! Daniel Alarcón had won the Fiction Award for Lost City Radio, and my dear friend Juan Felipe Herrera had (finally!) won the Poetry Award for his 187 Reasons Why Mexicanos Can’t Cross the Border! That was the moment when I decided that Latino authors were on a roll in 2008. They were unstoppable. Even a deceased Latino author received praise when Roberto Bolaño’s 2666 made The New York Times’ “Best Books of 2008” list! And so, my optimism preserved, I set out to write a post about all of the accomplishments that have made 2008 a great year for Latino writing.

And then came the sobering reminder that there is still much work to be done, in the form of Melita Marie Garza’s piece for Bloomsberg News, published on the second-to-last day of the year (a portion of which was reprinted in The New York Times on that same day). The article refers to a recent study that reveals a steady decline in the representation of Latino and African- American characters in Newbery Award winners. The article quotes authors such as Sherman Alexie and Julia Alvarez, as well as Pat Scales, the president of ALSC (the Association for Library Services to Children that runs the Newbery Award). I think it is worth reading, so I am sharing it here:

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aCT1f48_Qwzo

You may draw your own conclusions after reading the article, but here is what I propose:

I propose that we use the momentum gained in 2008 to concentrate on providing the same amount of support granted to adult Latino literature to children’s Latino literature. Let’s remember that 1 in 4 children younger than 5 living in the U.S. is now of Latino heritage, and that it is they who will carry our culture and tradition to future generations.

So, a toast to 2008: the year of (adult) Latino literature! And as we share in the joy, let's do everything we can to make 2009 the year of children’s Latino literature. I know we can!