EditorialThis writing marks the 300thitem to be published in this magazine, “Somos en escrito” (S.e.e.), covering three and one half years of publication. That total counts as one, the 21 chapters of Lipstick con Chorizo by Tommy Villalobos, which were serialized ala Carlos Dickens over several months.
The S.e.e. archive includes a wide range of provocative essays, new fiction and poetry, reviews, photographs, and extracts from varied book subjects showing the breadth and depth of Chicano and Latino literature as it is happening.
Perhaps some of the new material we’ve published and what is to come would not have found an avenue for publication elsewhere—one of the goals I have for S.e.e. is to provide an opportunity, a venue, an outlet for American writers of Hispanic background to publish and thus unveil new talent and new perspectives in writing.
U.S. Latino literature is still subject to the limitations and values imposed by the mass media and massive publishing houses. We don’t have enough of our own print publishers in an industry that is very hard to crack, let alone survive. One small editorial house, Aztlan Libre Press in San Antonio, for example, has printed a handful of remarkable books in the past 2-3 years.
S.e.e. has been made possible by the evolution of technology that enables formatting of such magazines and instantaneous publication—no waiting for an essay or poem to see the light of day. The development of on demand publishing and virtual publishing such as Kindle, Smashwords, Palibrio.com Press, Floricanto Press and many others have opened up the gates to writers who can’t or don’t want to wait for approval by some New York book review section or publishing magnate as to what is acceptable “Hispanic” writing.
That enables me as editor of a virtual magazine to make my own decisions about what to “print” and empowers aspiring writers to forgo the usual route to publication and dare to put their obras to the test in welcoming surroundings—it’s a unique and mutually empowering collaboration.
From the beginning, I set no boundaries as to what S.e.e. can publish, except for children’s literature which demands greater attention in the publishing world, but that’s another realm altogether. Prospective contributors should not feel compelled to write on a “Latino” theme, but certainly to write well on the topic they choose. Otherwise, our subject matter can comprehend the known world.
In seeking out literary pieces for publication, I pose certain critical questions of every item, ones which I believe writers should ask themselves: Is the topic of wide interest? Does the piece open up a new area of discussion or point of view? Is the writing literate and engaging, and his/her text error-free? With regard to mature content, dialogue or description, in a story or essay, does the author treat the material in a way appropriate to the context and intent of the writing as well as the overall values of the Latino community?
Somos en escrito will continue to offer aspiring writers that much sought after chance to publish. The times, the technology, the need and the demand for literature we can call our own places S.e.e. in the unique position of enabling American writers who are products of an amazing social conglomerate we call the Latino community to express themselves in ways not possible before.
With this in mind, we can all look forward to the next 300 obras to be published here. As always, I repeat my sincere invitation to Latino writers, new and established, to venture along with Somos en escrito to build a community resource and ensure that Chicano and Latino writers have their chance to fulfill every writer’s dream, to see their obras in “print”.
Con un gran abrazo a todos,
Armando Rendón, Editor
Labor Day 2013