New Imprints Focus on Mexican and Mexican American Culture and the Natural and Built Environment
Yvette Benavides has joined Trinity University Press as an editor-at-large. She will focus on shaping and growing the press’s new Tinta Books imprint which will highlight the history, culture, and current affairs of Mexico and Mexican American life, and she will acquire more broadly in support of the press’s evolving mission.
Benavides, a professor of English and creative writing at Our Lady of the Lake University, is also a writer and journalist with an extensive media presence, from hosting Texas Public Radio’s Book Public podcast to writing and producing radio commentaries that have been recognized with regional and national journalism awards. Regarding her new role with Trinity, Benavides said, “As a kid from the Texas-Mexico border, my insular vantage point was expanded because of books. I could look out toward the United States and then toward Mexico—and beyond—because of books. For me, over many years as a writer, teacher, and editor, the one constant—as a kind of map, compass, and key—has always been books. I’m so grateful to have this opportunity to work with Trinity University Press, guided by a like-minded team that knows well the power books have in all our lives.”
Trinity University Press has also announced the launch of two imprints, Tinta Books and Terra Firma Books. Publishers establish imprints to make clear statements about their editorial areas of interest and publishing commitments. “As a mission-driven organization that has grown considerably over the past ten years, we’re excited to see this evolution in our publishing program and the audiences we serve,” said Tom Payton, publisher and director of the press.
The Terra Firma Books imprint was created in light of the press’s long-standing international reputation for publishing books about nature, landscape, environmental studies, ecology, and climate. In recent years this has expanded to include books on the built environment. Terra Firma titles will explore the relationships between humans and their physical environment, from nature and wilderness to architecture and urban studies.
While the press has periodically published books about Mexico over the decades, the announcement of the Tinta Books imprint reflects a deepened commitment to works focused on the history, culture, and current affairs of Mexico and Mexican American life.
“We feel that there is a profound interest in and need for expanded book publishing focused on Mexico, and Trinity is perfectly suited to do that,” Payton said. “With Benavides leading this effort, we’re excited and honored to be among the first publishers in the country to make this pledge, including bringing forth works by Mexican authors in translation and a particular interest in promoting new and emerging writers.”
“One of our main goals in publishing is to help readers move to a more profound understanding and appreciation of the rest of the world,” Benavides said. “For us, the connection to Mexico is something we already admire and value. We’re excited about strengthening that connection and our mission to bring works by and about Mexicans and Mexican Americans to more and more readers.”
In addition to the Tinta and Terra Firma imprints, Trinity publishes under the general Trinity University Press, Maverick (about Texas), and ArteKids (bilingual Spanish-English early reader board books) imprints.
“This is an exciting time in Trinity’s organizational growth, and we’re preparing for a celebration of our sixtieth anniversary in fall 2022,” Payton said. “We profoundly appreciate those who make our work possible—the authors, readers, funders, booksellers, librarians, journalists, and others. We’re honing our strategies with the intent of focusing more clearly on mission-driven acquisitions, especially in terms of traditionally underrepresented voices and viewpoints. We’re seeking work that has true impact and can help drive meaningful discussion and change, and expanding media formats and related programming to increase audience engagement.”
ABOUT YVETTE BENEVIDES
Yvette is a professor of English and creative writing at Our Lady of the Lake University and has an extensive media presence, from hosting Texas Public Radio’s Book Public podcast to writing and producing radio commentaries that have been recognized with regional and national journalism awards. She has also received prominent grant funding from the Knight Foundation, Scripps Howard, and the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism. She was a Scripps Howard Journalism Entrepreneurship fellow with Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication in 2018. Benavides is the coauthor of San Antonio 365: On This Day in History, and her short stories, essays, articles, and reviews have appeared in the San Antonio Express-News,the Houston Chronicle, Creative Nonfiction, Boulevard, the Bellevue Literary Review, Huizache, Latina, Las Americas Review, and elsewhere. She serves on the editorial boards of Story magazine and Aster(ix) journal. She is based in San Antonio, Texas.
ABOUT TRINITY UNIVERSITY PRESS
Trinity University Press is a nonprofit associated with one of the leading private, liberal arts and sciences universities in the United States. The press is known for publishing distinguished, award-winning books that contribute to culture and knowledge primarily in the following areas: landscape and environment; Texas, Mexico, and the Southwest; social justice; literature; and architecture and urban planning. More at tupress.org.
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