{"id":5062328,"date":"2024-12-09T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-12-09T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/walatinonews.com\/?p=5062328"},"modified":"2024-12-09T08:00:00","modified_gmt":"2024-12-09T08:00:00","slug":"a-look-at-one-book-stores-efforts-to-promote-latine-author-visibility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/waln\/2024\/12\/09\/a-look-at-one-book-stores-efforts-to-promote-latine-author-visibility\/","title":{"rendered":"A Look at One Book Store&#8217;s Efforts to Promote Latine Author Visibility"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Don&#8217;t have time to read? Listen to the story below. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/waln\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2024\/12\/Schwichtenberg-Audio-Story.mp3\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Seattle\u2019s indie bookstores are making efforts to showcase Latine literature, but readers still struggle to find consistent representation beyond seasonal displays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Third Place Books, a local chain with 3 locations, has become a key player in amplifying diverse voices amid this evolving literary landscape.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Among its dedicated team is Javi Tapia, a bookseller at the Ravenna location. They\u2019ve been at the store for four years, bringing a passion for Latine literature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201c[Latine literature] wasn\u2019t present before,\u201d Tapia said. \u201cThe diversity of the staff really matters, to be honest. I wanted to be that person\u2014to be the Latino person that&#8217;s going to bring out these books.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In addition to maintaining a Latine literature selection, Tapia oversees sections for young adults and kids\u2019 graphic novels, where representation from Latine authors is particularly strong.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThose 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,\u201d Tapia said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.census.gov\/quickfacts\/seattlecitywashington\" title=\"\">the U.S. Census Bureau<\/a>, 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.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s been hard to find places where I see people who look like me. There are only a few places I\u2019ve found through others,\u201d Tapia said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Like many Seattle bookstores, Third Place Books has a special table of curated books that appear during Hispanic Heritage Month in September.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But once that month ends, these books are returned to the shelves with others where they can be harder to find.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe books kind of disappear,\u201d Tapia said. \u201cI don\u2019t get people asking for these books either.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This \u201ctable system\u201d is a staple in many small independent bookstores, providing a space for new releases and staff picks to be prominently featured.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At Third Place Books in Ravenna, booksellers often manage these tables and displays, directly shaping what customers encounter and choose to read.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, longtime shopper Peggy Rodriguez notes that a visible Latine literature section is often missing at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pegasusbookshop.com\/\" title=\"\">Pegasus Book Exchange<\/a> \u2014a small independent store in West Seattle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf I saw more of those stories available, I\u2019d definitely pick them up,\u201d Rodriguez said. \u201cI\u2019d be intrigued to go down that path of self-discovery by exploring other people\u2019s lives. Some books are right in front of me, and others I have to go looking for. It\u2019s like a mix\u2014sometimes what\u2019s available really shapes my journey.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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\u2019t for her.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMy education and experiences gave me the luxury and privilege of wanting to read for pleasure,\u201d Rodriguez said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/waln\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/DSC_0253-1-1024x678.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5062333\" style=\"width:688px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Third Place Books in Seattle&#8217;s Ravenna neighborhood. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Photography:<\/strong> Emma Schwichtenberg<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/waln\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/DSC_0020-1-1024x678.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5062332\" style=\"width:686px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><em>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.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Photography:<\/strong> Emma Schwichtenberg<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI look to my neighborhood store to discover a new part of myself, but I haven\u2019t found those reflections in the stories available. I hadn\u2019t even considered it until we started talking. If I saw more of those stories, I\u2019d definitely pick them up,\u201d Rodriguez said. \u201cI\u2019d be intrigued to explore that path of self-discovery through the lives of others.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Finding contemporary Latin American books can be challenging without insider knowledge, Tapia explained.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For example, when they go to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.elliottbaybook.com\/\" title=\"\">Elliot Bay Book Company<\/a>, a large bookstore in Seattle\u2019s Capitol Hill neighborhood, Tapia already has certain expectations about what they\u2019ll find, but others might not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAs a bookseller, I have an advantage\u2014I know the authors and the upcoming releases. For instance, if I go to Elliot Bay, I already know what to look forward to,\u201d Tapia said. \u201cBut for a reader without that bookstore or publisher background, it requires a lot of personal research.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Reyna Fernandez, a University of Washington student, has only purchased one book by a Latine author since moving to Seattle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019ve never seen a Latino section, ever,\u201d Fernandez said. \u201cA lot of Latino literature has never been translated into English. And it\u2019s a systemic issue. In my English classes, it\u2019s very white-dominated, and I feel the same about the bookstores here. The university hasn\u2019t assigned me any Latine literature. Even if the spaces aren\u2019t white-dominated, there still aren\u2019t any Latine voices represented.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Small publishers, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/charcopress.com\/\" title=\"\">Charco Press<\/a> from Scotland, strive to bring more Latin American literature into circulation, particularly through indie bookstores like Third Place Books and Elliott Bay Book Company.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, despite a surge of young authors publishing new and relevant works in Latin America, bringing these translated works to wider audiences remains challenging.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jos\u00e9 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/waln\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/DSC_0061-1024x678.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5062337\" style=\"width:678px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Bookseller Javi Tapia catalogs books at Third Place Books in Seattle&#8217;s Ravenna neighborhood in Washington.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Photography: <\/strong>Emma Schwichtenberg<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He said that translating these works\u2014especially from Spanish\u2014requires hiring skilled translators, which incurs costs that are often prohibitive for small presses.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s a very local effort because we need to create a niche for this hard-to-find literature\u2014like bookstores that can import books from Latin America,\u201d Robles said. \u201cI think if more companies took similar steps, it could really open up access to new Spanish-language titles.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shawn Wong, an author and scholar instrumental in the rise of Asian American literature, highlighted how landmark works like Sandra Cisneros\u2019s 1984 \u201cThe House on Mango Street\u201d became breakthrough successes, paving the way for Chicano and Latino writing.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Similarly, Amy Tan\u2019s \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Joy_Luck_Club_(novel)\">The Joy Luck Club<\/a>,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt 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,\u201d Wong said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wong noted that the shift toward mainstream recognition of Asian American literature accelerated with the success of Crazy Rich Asians in 2013.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The book&#8217;s popularity \u2014 and its 2018 film adaptation \u2014 demonstrated a strong demand for Asian American stories, prompting publishers and Hollywood alike to invest more in diverse narratives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think it goes through cycles, though,\u201d Wong said. \u201cAs soon as something like <em>Crazy Rich Asians<\/em> hits the movie theater&#8230; Hollywood realizes, gee, a movie with only Asian people did really well; maybe we can do some more of that.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wong also pointed out how geography \u2014 where you are located \u2014 can influence the availability of certain literature at local independent bookstores.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWell, it depends on who you talk to. I work in a college, so, you know, it\u2019s pretty well represented, but at the same time, it\u2019s also dependent on where you live,\u201d Wong said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He pointed out that while Washington state has a large Latino population, especially of Mexican descent, it\u2019s concentrated on the east side of the state. Bookstores in Western Washington might not have as diverse of a catalog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rodriguez echoed this sentiment, pointing out the lack of visibility for people like her in her predominantly white West Seattle neighborhood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe books that you have available to you are books that reflect the community that you live in. And so if you&#8217;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,\u201d Rodriguez said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At Third Place Books, Tapia continues to try to feature more Latine stories.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They took the initiative to create a Latinx Studies section after realizing that many relevant books were previously filed under &#8220;Race Studies,&#8221; a category that didn\u2019t fully reflect the growing demand for Latino-focused literature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI created the Latinx Studies section because we had all these books, and I was like, \u2018This needs its own space,\u2019\u201d Tapia said. \u201cIt\u2019s our smallest section, but it\u2019s important because there are also a lot of nonfiction books that need to be highlighted.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:15% auto\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/waln\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/IMG_9770-1-826x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5062335 size-full\"\/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Emma Schwichtenberg is a senior at the University of Washington, double majoring in Journalism and Public Interest Communications, and English. She is passionate about using multimedia journalism to amplify diverse voices and cultures within local communities.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cIt\u2019s been hard to find places where I see people who look like me,\u201d said Javi Tapia, a bookseller at a local bookstore in Seattle.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":5062334,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","ghostkit_customizer_options":"","ghostkit_custom_css":"","ghostkit_custom_js_head":"","ghostkit_custom_js_foot":"","ghostkit_typography":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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Schwichtenberg","author_link":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/waln\/author\/emma-schwichtenberg\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"\u201cIt\u2019s been hard to find places where I see people who look like me,\u201d said Javi Tapia, a bookseller at a local bookstore in Seattle.","authors":[{"term_id":6030,"user_id":16,"is_guest":0,"slug":"michigan","display_name":"Emma 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