We are a little late in acknowledging Hispanic Heritage Month. 2Leaf Press is still engaged in its transition with our new distributor, University of Chicago Press, and as a result, we have fallen a bit behind schedule. However, since its founding in 2012, 2Leaf Press has always celebrated the long and important presence of Hispanic and Latino Americans, having published ten titles by Latinos, four of which were bilingual editions. The press has worked closely with Latinos in some of our literary projects, including 2LP TRANSLATIONS and NUYORICAN WORLD SERIES, as we continue to add Latino writers to our roster. This is simply because 2Leaf Press’ mission is to promote multicultural literature, and as many diverse writers as possible whose stories educate, entertain and inspire.
- PAPOLíTICO, Poems of a Political Persuasion by Jesús Papoleto Meléndez
- Our Nuyorican Thing: The Birth of A Self-Made Identity by Samuel Diaz Carrion (NUYORICAN WORLD SERIES)
- Boricua Passport by J.L. Torres (NUYORICAN WORLD SERIES)
- Incessant Beauty, A Bilingual Anthology by Ana Rossetti (Bilingual: Spanish/English) (2LP TRANSLATIONS)
- Birds on the Kiswar Tree by Odi Gonzales (2LP TRANSLATIONS)
- Providencia, A Book of Poems by Sean Frederick Forbes
- Last of the Po’Ricans y Otros Afro-Artifacts by Not4Profit (NUYORICAN WORLD SERIES)
- Broke Baroque by Tony Medina
- ¡Hey Yo! ¡Yo Soy! 40 Years of Nuyorican Street Poetry, A Bilingual Edition by Jesús Papoleto Meléndez (NUYORICAN WORLD SERIES)
There is an interesting story as to why Hispanic Heritage Month is during the odd dates of September 15 – October 15. It started out as Hispanic Heritage Week, established by legislation sponsored by Rep. Edward R. Roybal (D-Los Angeles) and signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson in 1968. It was expanded to cover a month and was enacted into law on August 17, 1988 on the approval of Public Law 100-402. September 15 was chosen as the starting point because it is the anniversary of the independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua, which declared independence in 1821. In addition, Mexico, Chile and Belize celebrate their independence days on September 16, September 18, and September 21, respectively.
Since its founding, there are a number of Hispanic Heritage Month events sponsored by the government, including Library of Congress, National Archives, National Gallery of Art, and the Smithsonian, as well as numerous local organizations around the country. We hope these events continue to inspire recognition of the multiple and distinct cultures that fall under the umbrella of Latino/Hispanic heritage, as well as encourage folks like you to read the works of 2Leaf Press’ Latino writers year round.
