I received an e-mail from José Luis Rico two days ago in which he announced that Bonobes Editores has been awarded a grant from an arts agency in Mexico that is somewhat the equivalent of the National Endowment for the Arts in the United States. The manuscript of my poems that José and Robin Myers have been working on for the past year is likely to published in the next six to nine months and I’m looking forward to having my poetry available in a Spanish edition, which will include the English originals.
This recognition of my poetry in Mexico stands in contrast to its neglect in my birth country. Since I cannot control the quirky tastes and curious preferences of the current fashion show in American poetry, all I can do is continue to write poems that are worthy of translation, and wait for audiences here to catch up with readers in Mexico.
Some of you may have seen, by the way, an announcement that Mantis Editores was going to publish this collection. Such appeared to be their intention, but when I gave two readings in Mexico City last May, I learned that Mantis Editores had not received the grant it had applied for, and so was not able to publish my book. Fortunately, the host of one of my readings liked my work so much that he called a friend at Bonobes Editores and encouraged them to pursue the possibility of publishing my book. They contacted me and we proceeded from there, with the good news about their application arriving as I mentioned above. I especially want to thank Amelia Suarez at Bonobes Editores for her confidence in my writing.
About Bill Mohr