Pioneering editor Nicolás Kanellos discusses how Arte Público Press got its start in our latest episode of “Artistas in the Capital”
By hola | Published
Before the Latino Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and 70s, Latino writers in the United States faced multiple obstacles, one of them being a lack of Hispanic publishing houses that could connect them with readers. Despite Latin America’s distinguished record for producing Nobel Prize-winning novelists, U.S. Hispanic authors were trapped under the stereotype that Latino immigrants were not interested in literature and reading. In the half century since then, more and more Latino authors have surmounted these obstacles. Along with many of them having become bestselling authors, together they’ve succeeded in incorporating U.S. Latino literature in American culture.
Our guest for this month’s episode of “Artistas in the Capital” is Nicolás Kanellos. An author, editor and university professor, Kanellos has been promoting Hispanic literature in the United States for nearly his entire career. He is the founder of Arte Público Press, the country’s oldest and most established Hispanic publishing house and based in the University of Houston.
Kanellos’ work looks to the future as well as the past. He is the prime mover behind Recovering the U.S. Hispanic Literary Heritage, a national research program preserving the work of U.S. Latino authors dating back to before the American Revolution. This prolific editor also wrote the influential book “Hispanic Immigrant Literature: El Sueño del Retorno,” documenting how literature left by Hispanic immigrants is “worthy of study, remembering and becoming part of the American Legacy.”
About “Artistas in the Capital”
“Artistas in the Capital” is a monthly conversation with local artists, authors, dancers, entrepreneurs and researchers, ranging widely from the local community to the universality of art. Each episode sheds light on important topics and provides a platform for lifting up artists, writers and other D.C. Latino creatives.
The interviews were conducted by interns in Hola Cultura’s Storytelling Program for Experiential Learning (SPEL). SPEL is dedicated to bringing together D.C. high school and college interns with fellows and mentors for story lab sessions and workshops that prepare them for their futures through the production of accurate digital media published on the Hola Cultura website.
Listen now to episode three of “Artistas in the Capital” and hear directly from Kanellos how the U.S. Hispanic literary movement has evolved over the decades.
— Story by María Fernanda Gómez
— Edited by Michelle Benitez
Meet our “Artistas
in the Capital”
podcast team…
Gabriela Méndez
Born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia, Gabriela Méndez packed her things and moved to Washington, D.C. in March of last year.
Méndez is behind most of our graphic designs and helps out with our social media channels. As a Communications Assistant at Hola Cultura, she has also assisted with SPEL recruitment.
Through Pontificia Universidad Javeriana of Colombia, Méndez holds a bachelor’s degree in visual arts with an emphasis in animation and graphic design. She also worked as an animator before moving to D.C. Méndez contributed to two short animated documentary series about historical figures and a short film about pollution in a small village in Colombia.
Méndez is interested in culture and social activism. She likes working on projects that matter to her, such as mental health, feminism and gender equality. Now at Hola Cultura, Méndez says she enjoys the organization’s focus on Latin American culture and civilization, as well as the immigrant experience and how it affects many aspects of our lives.
This visual artist joined Hola Cultura in the fall of 2022 and quickly became part of the communications team supporting last year’s podcast, “Undocu-Life.” She also created the cover art for Hola Cultura’s latest audio program, “Artistas in the Capital.”
Working at Hola Cultura involves a lot of contact with journalists. Though she is not one, Méndez feels a connection with them.
“Even if I’m not a journalist,” says Méndez, “I feel like graphic design and illustration … are just other ways of telling stories and presenting feelings or concepts. They’re different forms of communicating things.”
For instance, Méndez points to her recent work on the branding for the “Artistas in the Capital” podcast. Though the project took her out of her comfort zone, it is also the one she has most enjoyed — and one that came with a lot of creative freedom.
“When you think of a podcast, you don’t think about images. You think about audio,” says Méndez. “It’s really interesting to come up with an idea for how to use visuals to get more people interested in a product that is basically made for listening.”
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