PALABRITAS Fall2018

by Ruben Reyes Jr., Joselyn Vera, Jeannie Regidor

PALABRITAS is a Latinx literary publication based out of Harvard College with the mission of creating a space for Latinx writers to showcase their work, regardless of prior publishing experience. Thus, our goal is to publish intriguing work by authors that have published before alongside others who've never shared their work publicly. We publish all kinds of creative poetry, short fiction, memoir, personal essay, creative non-fiction, and pieces that don't quite fit a mold. We welcome Latinx authors of any age, background, and experience. Thanks to the painstaking work of our contributors, this issue forces readers to expand their conceptions of Latinidad and Latinx literature. We have work from authors who are black and Asian, racial identities that are often erased in constructions of the Latinx ethnicity. Queer and trans poets challenge the homophobia, transphobia, and gender roles ingrained in many Latinx cultures. We have authors writing in Ecuador and the Czech Republic, forcing us to question “Latinx” as a purely U.S.-based distinction. In short, this debut issue forces us as readers—regardless of whether or not we identify as Latinx—to reconsider our assumptions of what we consider the Latinx identity to be. The tens of thousands of beautiful words in these pages ask difficult questions, offer few answers, but urgently request our attention.

109 pages, Paperback

Published November 29, 2018

Reviews

[Tania · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing stories by several AMAZING authors. There are stories that make me happy, others that make me sad. There are many stories I relate to and many more that I can never truly understand, and I think that this is what highlights the beauty of Latinx culture. The words that form experiences in this publication exemplify that there is no clear-cut mold of what it means to be Latinx. Latinxs have our similarities and, as this publication shows, we have our differences. Reading PALABRITAS has shown me that we need to preserve our similarities and acknowledge and our differences. 100% would recommend this read, whether you are Latinx or not, as it really makes you question your internalized conceptions of what being Latinx means.

[Mona Frazier · Rating 5 out of 5]

What is Latinidad and what does it mean to be Latinx? This anthology of poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction stories explores these terms as well as identity, place, and assumptions. Authors from Ecuador, the Czech Republic, South America, and the United States present pieces that contribute to the exploration of these terms.

The complexity of Latinidad is considered from every piece of creative writing, from the work by debut authors to those who have long bios of publications. These writers speak as Asian Latinas, Chicanas, Mejicanos, first generation to fourth generation Americans, and so much more in-between.

I should mention that I have a short story in this anthology, but in no way does that hinder an honest review. I'm looking forward to the Spring 2019 issue.