A Look at One Book Store’s Efforts to Promote Latine Author Visibility

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Seattle’s indie bookstores are making efforts to showcase Latine literature, but readers still struggle to find consistent representation beyond seasonal displays.

Third Place Books, a local chain with 3 locations, has become a key player in amplifying diverse voices amid this evolving literary landscape. 

Among its dedicated team is Javi Tapia, a bookseller at the Ravenna location. They’ve been at the store for four years, bringing a passion for Latine literature.

“[Latine literature] wasn’t present before,” Tapia said. “The diversity of the staff really matters, to be honest. I wanted to be that person—to be the Latino person that’s going to bring out these books.” 

In addition to maintaining a Latine literature selection, Tapia oversees sections for young adults and kids’ graphic novels, where representation from Latine authors is particularly strong. 

“Those two are killing it in representation from Latino books. There are so many Latino authors in young adult literature, and this is such an important developmental time for kids,” Tapia said.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, over 7% of the population in Seattle is Hispanic or Latino. This can make access to Latine literature crucial for young readers seeking relatable stories and role models. 

“It’s been hard to find places where I see people who look like me. There are only a few places I’ve found through others,” Tapia said.

Like many Seattle bookstores, Third Place Books has a special table of curated books that appear during Hispanic Heritage Month in September. 

But once that month ends, these books are returned to the shelves with others where they can be harder to find. 

“The books kind of disappear,” Tapia said. “I don’t get people asking for these books either.”

This “table system” is a staple in many small independent bookstores, providing a space for new releases and staff picks to be prominently featured. 

At Third Place Books in Ravenna, booksellers often manage these tables and displays, directly shaping what customers encounter and choose to read. 

However, longtime shopper Peggy Rodriguez notes that a visible Latine literature section is often missing at Pegasus Book Exchange —a small independent store in West Seattle.

“If I saw more of those stories available, I’d definitely pick them up,” Rodriguez said. “I’d be intrigued to go down that path of self-discovery by exploring other people’s lives. Some books are right in front of me, and others I have to go looking for. It’s like a mix—sometimes what’s available really shapes my journey.”

Rodriguez said she has read more books in the past year than in her entire life. However, reading and education were not prioritized in her childhood home. She is the first in her family to attend college and law school. Until recently, she thought reading for pleasure wasn’t for her. 

“My education and experiences gave me the luxury and privilege of wanting to read for pleasure,” Rodriguez said.

Third Place Books in Seattle’s Ravenna neighborhood.

Photography: Emma Schwichtenberg

Bookseller Javi Tapia stands with their favorite book from the Young Adult and Graphic Novel section, which they manage, at Third Place Books in Seattle, WA.

Photography: Emma Schwichtenberg

“I look to my neighborhood store to discover a new part of myself, but I haven’t found those reflections in the stories available. I hadn’t even considered it until we started talking. If I saw more of those stories, I’d definitely pick them up,” Rodriguez said. “I’d be intrigued to explore that path of self-discovery through the lives of others.”

Finding contemporary Latin American books can be challenging without insider knowledge, Tapia explained. 

For example, when they go to Elliot Bay Book Company, a large bookstore in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, Tapia already has certain expectations about what they’ll find, but others might not.

“As a bookseller, I have an advantage—I know the authors and the upcoming releases. For instance, if I go to Elliot Bay, I already know what to look forward to,” Tapia said. “But for a reader without that bookstore or publisher background, it requires a lot of personal research.” 

Reyna Fernandez, a University of Washington student, has only purchased one book by a Latine author since moving to Seattle.

“I’ve never seen a Latino section, ever,” Fernandez said. “A lot of Latino literature has never been translated into English. And it’s a systemic issue. In my English classes, it’s very white-dominated, and I feel the same about the bookstores here. The university hasn’t assigned me any Latine literature. Even if the spaces aren’t white-dominated, there still aren’t any Latine voices represented.” 

Small publishers, such as Charco Press from Scotland, strive to bring more Latin American literature into circulation, particularly through indie bookstores like Third Place Books and Elliott Bay Book Company. 

However, despite a surge of young authors publishing new and relevant works in Latin America, bringing these translated works to wider audiences remains challenging. 

José Francisco Robles, an associate professor of Spanish at the University of Washington, explained that bringing these voices to broader audiences presents challenges, particularly for smaller publishing houses.

Bookseller Javi Tapia catalogs books at Third Place Books in Seattle’s Ravenna neighborhood in Washington.

Photography: Emma Schwichtenberg

He said that translating these works—especially from Spanish—requires hiring skilled translators, which incurs costs that are often prohibitive for small presses. 

Many of these publishers struggle to invest in translations without the guarantee of profit, limiting the reach of Latin American literature outside its native language.

“It’s a very local effort because we need to create a niche for this hard-to-find literature—like bookstores that can import books from Latin America,” Robles said. “I think if more companies took similar steps, it could really open up access to new Spanish-language titles.”

Shawn Wong, an author and scholar instrumental in the rise of Asian American literature, highlighted how landmark works like Sandra Cisneros’s 1984 “The House on Mango Street” became breakthrough successes, paving the way for Chicano and Latino writing. 

Similarly, Amy Tan’s “The Joy Luck Club,” which became a bestseller after its release in 1989, forced commercial publishers to recognize the demand for Asian American stories, bringing multicultural literature into the mainstream.

“It took a while for regular mainstream commercial presses to recognize the value of multicultural literature. It took decades, really, for them to suddenly realize, oh, multicultural literature sells,” Wong said.

Wong noted that the shift toward mainstream recognition of Asian American literature accelerated with the success of Crazy Rich Asians in 2013. 

The book’s popularity — and its 2018 film adaptation — demonstrated a strong demand for Asian American stories, prompting publishers and Hollywood alike to invest more in diverse narratives.

“I think it goes through cycles, though,” Wong said. “As soon as something like “Crazy Rich Asians” hits the movie theater… Hollywood realizes, gee, a movie with only Asian people did really well; maybe we can do some more of that.” 

Wong also pointed out how geography — where you are located — can influence the availability of certain literature at local independent bookstores.

“Well, it depends on who you talk to. I work in a college, so, you know, it’s pretty well represented, but at the same time, it’s also dependent on where you live,” Wong said.

He pointed out that while Washington state has a large Latino population, especially of Mexican descent, it’s concentrated on the east side of the state. Bookstores in Western Washington might not have as diverse of a catalog.

Rodriguez echoed this sentiment, pointing out the lack of visibility for people like her in her predominantly white West Seattle neighborhood.

“The books that you have available to you are books that reflect the community that you live in. And so if you’re a member of a marginalized population that happens to live in a predominantly white neighborhood, like, those are the stories that are available to you,” Rodriguez said.

At Third Place Books, Tapia continues to try to feature more Latine stories. 

They took the initiative to create a Latinx Studies section after realizing that many relevant books were previously filed under “Race Studies,” a category that didn’t fully reflect the growing demand for Latino-focused literature.

“I created the Latinx Studies section because we had all these books, and I was like, ‘This needs its own space,’” Tapia said. “It’s our smallest section, but it’s important because there are also a lot of nonfiction books that need to be highlighted.”

They noted that while other stores, like Elliot Bay Book Company, have smaller sections dedicated to similar studies, having a designated area for Latinx literature is a step toward making these voices more visible and accessible.