Huizache Eleven In View

 

UC Davis Hosting Huizache 

Michael Sedano

Back in 2014, La Bloga's Daniel Olivas shared his enthusiasm for a start-up Chicano literary magazine, Huizache (the magazine of Latino Literature), reporting from a launch party at Virginia Espino and Hector Tobar's hillside Los Angeles home (links).

Olivas wrote, "The initial three issues featured a who’s who of Chican@ and Latin@ literature such as Juan Felipe Herrera, Sandra Cisneros, Gary Soto, Cristina García, Héctor Tobar, Lorna Dee Cervantes, Luis J. Rodriguez, Michele Serros, Rigoberto González, Alex Espinoza, Achy Obejas, Conrad Romo, and so many more."

From its inception, Huizache stood for the finest writing. It hearkened back to the two journals that fueled the literary heritage of el movimiento, El Grito and Revista Chicano-Riqueña. After storied careers, both went dark. Huizache deserves a long life and so far it enjoys staying power. Huizache published its tenth issue, in 2023, following the journal's relocation from University of Houston Victoria to University of California Davis. 

That early number's stellar lineup continues to be the journal's métier with a ten-year roster of new, debut, and well-known raza writers, with superb graphic artists to sweeten the appeal of its layouts. 

This tenth edition features a cover design by Malaquias Montoya and literary work by leading figures like Helena Viramontes, Achy Obejas, ire'ne lara silva, Barbara Jane Reyes, Michael Jaime-Becerra, José B. Gonzalez, tatiana de la tierra, complemented by a host of writers new to many readers, and a dust cover poster designed by Malaquias Montoya (link).

A special treat for linguists and gente with a sense of humor are Ramiro Rodriguez' hilarious phonemic puns, including "Chop", "Chair", "Cherry", "Shoes", "Ship", and "Sheep".

Deluxe ancillaries like the fine arte cover and the fold-out color poster, in a printed book-size magazine--245 pages--illustrate the good fortune for readers that the journal-magazine's moved to UC Davis where Huizache editor Maceo Montoya has marshaled support from the College of Letters & Sciences, the English Department, the Chancellor's Office, Chicano Studies Department, and unnamed benefactors. Subscribers get a  bargain receiving both this tenth and the upcoming eleventh issue--Fall 2024--for one payment.(link)

You say potato I say papa, the quondam "Latino Literature" journal now calls itself "The Magazine of a New America", reflecting the widening scope of raza writing no matter who calls it names, and a growing distance from the battle of the name that engaged El Grito and Revista in an interesting but ultimately unproductive canonical agon ya hace many moons (link). It doesn't matter what it's called so long as the writing's excellent and the content speaks to one's alma.

Huizache, since its founding by Dagoberto Gilb, has been all about quality, not nationalism. This is a value carried on by Prose Editor Carribean Fragoza, Poetry Eds Javier O. Huerta and León Salvatierra, with Contributing Poetry Editor Yaccaira Salvatierra. Other masthead positions include Associate Editor Vanessa Diaz, Editorial Daisy Magallanes, Multimedia Specialist José A. Pérez, and Layout Edsigner Stephanie Sauer.

The move to Davis put the kibosh to those lavish issue launch pachangas on Mt. Washington, but the added features borne of significant institutional support make the loss of a few hors d'oeuvres and fascinating conversations a lástima. Southern California supporters have traded the pachangas for lavish readings in cultural landmarks like La Plaza de Cultura y Artes (link).

I had an extensive collection of issues that I "lent" to a book club member relatively new to contemporary Chicana Chicano y más writing. The issues went that-a-way when time passed with no return. Así son las cosas. Ni modo, if the vato read and got informed on the best there is among our writers, then passed along the treasured volumes to other interested readers.

I'm sure any reader will love poet Adriana Sánchez Alexander's light-heartedly dark story about a dead parrot. Viramontes will raise a titter from some with her vignette of a small boy's erection. Code-switching  characterizes latinx literature but the tenth Huizache doesn't have much Spanish- English mezcla, while Barbara Jane Reyes switches with English and a pinay dialect I don't know. Poetry covers a gamut from experimental pieces to Obejas' prose poems, Giaconda Belli's Spanish language poems come with English language translations.

With a move to a technology-rich UC host, Huizache expands access to a wide audience. The magazine offers a $30 2-issue paper subscription (link), and an archived electronic subscription to high-resolution scans of every back issue starting with 2011 and ongoing (link): 

"Digital subscriptions to the complete archive of Huizache are now available for individuals and institutions. The 10 issue strong archive is hosted by digital publishing services platform Exact Editions, and can be read, browsed and searched by subscribers across web, iOS and Android devices."

Chicana Chicano Latina Latino literatures represent the nation's most vital and up-and-coming thriving market. With dozens of independent small press artivists bringing writers to hungry audiences, finding the work in the crowded literary marketplace is problematic. In Huizache, readers find fresh new voices and familiar powerhouses. Let the magazine act like a clearinghouse and accumulator, a simpatico gate-keeper. 

Keep an eye on Huizache's contributors and be assured of meeting quality writers not readily accessible, then follow the writer to their small press niche and buy the longer works. It's how readers make a literature grow and sustain development, constituting only one of myriad reasons readers need to make Huizache a standard part of their media consumption and support for la cultura.

Links In This Column:

 Huizache Magazine. https://huizachemag.org/

Subscriptions: https://huizachemag.org/subscribe/

Reading samples, Index: https://huizachemag.org/read/