“My first dream was to write a book to become an author. But once I figured out that this would be a lot of pages and words, my enthusiasm waned a little. However, I did enjoy writing and engaging in creative writing. Once I started studying screenwriting more seriously, I saw the form, and what it what it could do, I realized that this could become a job.

When making a movie, the screenplay is an integral part of the process. It's not just a blueprint. It's a piece of art that's being interpreted. Also, I think that's when I found my voice. It fit that medium so clearly to me. So, it connected a lot of dots.”

“When I started writing Soldiers and Kings, I was fully immersed in novels, in storytelling, and thinking about writing as an art form. By the time I was done with it, it felt good to me. I was finally in love with writing again. I wanted to do it, and then that book went and did whatever it did. Maybe the reason that I'm always so hesitant to call myself a writer is partly that I don't get to do it very often.”

“I remember sitting alongside my director, writing on sticky notes to them if something felt off. I remember I rewrote whole scenes mid-rehearsal. I had the stage manager run downstairs across the street, print out new pages, come back, and she would give the cast new pages.”

Few writers capture the layered realities of Latinidad, migration, and belonging with the grace, precision, and moral clarity of Héctor Tobar. The author of six acclaimed books translated into fifteen languages, Tobar’s work traverses the Americas—both geographically and spiritually—bridging journalism and literature in a voice that is both intimate and global.

Elizondo Griest’s work wrestles with the question “Is Art Enough?” More completely, she asks, is it enough to dedicate one’s whole self to the pursuit of art to the exclusion of other things that others value, such as family, friends, or a stable career?

During this moment of national madness, the work of Jason de León, winner of the National Book Award and Professor of Anthropology and Chicana, Chicano, and Central American Studies, forces us to confront the idea that either we are all sacred or none of us is sacred.

Roberto Tejada’s new book of poetry, Carbonate of Copper, explores the notion of limitations, such as borders, as he examines the Rio Grande Valley towns of Marfa, McAllen, and Brownsville, among others, through his writings.

Matt Sedillo is a prolific Chicano poet whose third poetry book is coming out this September, entitled “Mexican Style,” published by Flowersong Press. This new book opens the reader to a whole new expanse of history and art, setting the stage for a revolution of the mind and hopefully leading those feeling marginalized to a profound sense of belonging.