The Mellon Foundation and the Flamboyán Fund for the Arts of the Flamboyán Foundation today announced the second edition of the Boricua Letters Fellows, in which some 20 Puerto Rican writers whose works represent dDifferent genres and styles of writing, including fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and children’s literature.
Letras Boricuas – established in 2021 to identify, elevate and amplify emerging and established voices of Puerto Rican writers in the archipelago and across the diaspora in the United States – provides each scholar with unlimited funds of $25,000 to support them in their work. Now in its second year, this grant has awarded a total of $1,000,000 to 40 authors. In addition to the funds, the second cohort fellows will join the inaugural class at a gathering in Puerto Rico in the spring of 2023 to network and share creative processes and experiences.
Puerto Rican literary heritage, while rich and diverse, has traditionally had few resources and funds in Puerto Rico and the United States. By providing unrestricted funding and building connections between recipients, the Letras Boricuas Fellowship helps amplify Puerto Rican literary heritage while highlighting the vibrancy and diversity of experiences of emerging and established writers – writers who continue their work despite natural disasters, political situations and limited funding opportunities. .
“We celebrate the genius of these 20 remarkable writers and the rich tradition of Puerto Rican literature, poetry and creative expression they develop,” he said. Elizabeth Alexander, President of the Mellon Foundation.
“We are excited to meet both cohorts of writers in person in Puerto Rico next year and experience their powerful words and visions on the island together.”
“At the Flamboyán Fund, we are happy and proud to support, along with our colleagues at the Mellon Foundation, this great group of Puerto Rican writers with this grant. Letras Boricuas is more than a scholarship, it is a recognition of their work and the potential they have to continue contributing to the arts and humanities in Puerto Rico and the Diaspora.Although this is the last cycle of this scholarship, there will be no shortage of opportunities and possibilities it provides to leave a lasting impact on their lives and, therefore, on Puerto Rican culture. Letras Boricuas is an example of what can be achieved through alliances and the union of common goals. Special thanks to the Mellon Foundation for believing in our writers and being part of this wonderful process with us,” said Carlos Rodríguez Silvestre, Executive Director of the Flamboyán Foundation in Puerto Rico.
Letras Boricuas is part of the Mellon Foundation’s commitment to supporting and enriching Puerto Rico’s vibrant ecosystems of culture, knowledge, and memory. By the end of 2022, Mellon’s efforts will add $50 million to that effort, including $10 million in post-Hurricane Fiona funding and additional year-end pledges.
2022 Boricua Literature Fellows:
Fiction
Yolanda Arroyo Pizarro
Ivelisse Housman
Juan Lopez Bauza
Hugo Rios Cordero
ivelise rodriguez
Carlos VazquezCruz
creative non-fiction
Claudia Acevedo Quinones
Jose Lee Borges
Natalia Lima
Poetry
Kattia Chico
Yarisa Colon Torres
Marta Jasmin Garcia
Joserramon “Che” Melendes
Urayoan Noel
Mary Pasteur
Ashley Perez Garcia
painted daisy
Giselle Yepes
Poetry (spoken word)
Bonafide Rojas
Children’s literature
Haydee Zayas Ramos
The 2022 Letras Boricuas Fellows were selected through a nomination and selection process by members of a selection committee of experienced writers and literary experts which included Gegman Lee, Carmen Dolores Hernández, Ernesto Quiñones, Jaquira Díaz, Ruth Sáez and Xavier Valcárcel.
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