38 Latinx Writers to Read for Hispanic Heritage Month

This Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15th to October 15th), we’re celebrating the voices that tell our most compelling stories and connect us to our roots. The timing was deliberately chosen to align with these significant independence celebrations. Hispanic Heritage Month starts on September 15th because it’s the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September 18, respectively, making mid-September a particularly meaningful time for honoring Hispanic heritage. 

From South Texas storytellers to nationally recognized novelists and poets, these writers remind us that Latinx literature is as diverse as the borderlands themselves.

Latinx Texas Writers

1. Xavier Navarro Aquino – Aquino’s debut Velorio (2022) was hailed as a groundbreaking post-hurricane novel. Living and teaching in Texas, he continues to shape conversations around Puerto Rican identity and diaspora.
2. jo reyes boitel – Jo reyes boitel is a poet, playwright, and PhD candidate at Texas Tech University. Her latest book, the matchstick litanies (2023), is a poetry collection about her childhood in the RGV.
3. David Bowles – An award-winning writer and translator, Bowles brings Indigenous Mesoamerican traditions to contemporary readers. He has authored many novels and picture books, including Hearts of Fire and Snow (2024), co-authored by Guadalupe García McCall.
4. Ariana Brown – Ariana Brown is a queer, Black Mexican American poet from San Antonio, TX. She is the author of the poetry collections We Are Owed (2021) and Sana Sana (2020).
5. Reyes Cárdenas – Reyes, a Chicano poet from central Texas and former machinist, authored Anti-Bicicleta Haiku (1976), Survivors of the Chicano Titanic (1981), Chicano Poet: 1970–2010 (2013), and others. His work blends pop culture, politics, and Chicano identity, reflecting barrio life’s ironies and truths.
6. Rubén Degollado – Degollado’s The Family Izquierdo (2022) earned national praise for its vivid portrait of a Mexican American family across generations. His fiction captures the rhythms and struggles of Valley life.
7. Fernando A. Flores – With Valleyesque (2022), Flores cemented his reputation as a master of surreal, border-punk storytelling. Host Publications is re-releasing the 11th anniversary version of his debut short story collection, Death to The Bullshit Artists of South Texas, in September 2025.
8. Marcela Fuentes – Fuentes’ debut novel Malas (2024) is set on the border and steeped in myth and family tension. Already acclaimed, it introduces her as a writer to watch closely. Sign Up for Marcela Fuentes’s lecture on Oct 4 & 11– Twists, Turns, and Call-backs: How to Shape Your Story
9. Violeta Garza – A Gemini Ink alum and community literary force, Violeta Garza brings both poetry and performance together in her work. Her debut poetry collection, Brava, is out now! (2025). 
10. Reyna Grande – Memoirist and novelist Reyna Grande bridges Mexican and U.S. experiences with luminous honesty. Her novel, A Ballad of Love and Glory (2022), was a 2023 International Latino Book Award Winner.
11. Laurie Ann Guerrero – Former San Antonio and Texas Poet Laureate, Guerrero is the author of four poetry collections, including A Crown for Gumecindo (2015) and A Tongue in the Mouth of the Dying (2013).
12. Saúl Hernández – Hernández is a dynamic presence in San Antonio’s literary scene. He is the author of the award-winning poetry collection, How to Kill a Goat & Other Monsters (2024).
13. Gume Laurel III – A poet and young adult author whose work is steeped in the rhythms and culture of the Rio Grande Valley, His books include The Final Diadem (2025), Solar Punks (2025) and The Brujos of Borderland High (2024).
14. Domingo Martinez – Author of the acclaimed memoir The Boy Kings of Texas (2012), Martinez writes with raw humor and vulnerability about growing up on the border. He’s a South Texas voice whose work continues to resonate with readers nationwide.
15. Guadalupe Garcia McCall – An award-winning author, poet, and educator, McCall’s notable works include Under the Mesquite (2011) and Summer of the Mariposas (2021).
16. Jasminne Mendez – An award-winning author of several books for children and adults, including the 2024 Pura Belpré Honor Award-winning book, Aniana del Mar Jumps In (2024), Mendez is currently touring with her latest young adult novel in verse, The Story of My Anger (2025).
17. Amalia Ortiz – A Tejana writer, musician, actor, and activist, Ortiz’s latest project is Las Hijas de la Madre, a queer Chicanx punk band. She is the author of the poetry collections Rant.Chant.Chisme (2015) and The Canción Cannibal Cabaret (2019). 
18. Sebastian H. Páramo – Author of Portrait of Us Burning (2023) and founder of The Boiler, Paramo is an essential voice in Texas poetry. His work explores family, identity, and the fiery landscapes of the self.
19. Emmy Pérez – Former 2020 Texas Poet Laureate, Emmy Pérez is a cornerstone of the Rio Grande Valley’s literary community. Her work, including the collection With the River on Our Face (2016), is deeply rooted in the history and landscape of the border. Sign Up for Pérez’s Lecture, Writing in the Land! 
20. Octavio Quintanilla – Poet, artist, and 2025 Texas State Poet Laureate, Quintanilla released The Book of Wounded Sparrows (2024), a testament to the healing power of language and image.
21. Anamely Salgado Reyes – In her debut novel My Mother Cursed My Name (2024), Reyes weaves magical realism and intergenerational storytelling. Following a young Mexican American girl and her grandmother’s lingering spirit, the book has already marked Reyes as a bold new voice.
22. Rudy Ruiz – Rudy Ruiz draws on his Mexican heritage and borderland roots to tell stories full of magic, resilience, and love. His latest novel, The Border Between Us (2024), continues his award-winning exploration of migration, family, and survival.
23. ire’ne lara silva – ire’ne lara silva is the author of 11 poetry collections and was the 2023 Texas Poet Laureate. Her newest collection, the light of your body, comes out in March 2026. She is a cornerstone of Texas Latinx literature.
24. Carmen Tafolla – San Antonio’s first Poet Laureate, Tafolla continues to uplift her communities through her words. Her 2024 young adult novel Warrior Girl (2023) inspires young readers with a story of strength and self-discovery.
25. Edward Vidaurre – Edward Vidaurre is a Salvadoran-American poet who resides in McAllen, TX. He is a four-time Pushcart Prize-nominated poet, publisher and editor-in-chief of FlowerSong Press. He is the author of multiple poetry collections, including By Throat, By Miracle: New and Selected Poems (2023) and El Viejo (2025).
26. Ursula Villarreal-Moura – Her novel Like Happiness (2023) was one of the most talked-about Latinx releases of the year. Villarreal-Moura’s sharp, intimate prose dissects love, memory, and what it means to belong.
27. Stalina Villarreal – A poet and translator from the Rio Grande Valley, Stalina Villarreal is the author of Watcha (2024), an ekphrastic collection of poems based on artwork by Latinx artists.
28. Vanessa Angélica Villarreal – Villarreal’s work, including her essay collection, Magical/Realism (2024), explores what it means to be a Mexican-American woman, a daughter, and a survivor. Her poetry and essays are both raw and beautifully crafted.
29. Joaquín Zihuatanejo is an award-winning poet and spoken word artist. Zihuatanejo’s books, including Occupy Whiteness (2024), blaze with passion and vulnerability. He inspires communities with work rooted in identity, memory, and cultural pride. Sign Up for His Big Texas Author Talk This September!

Beyond Texas: Notable Latinx Writers with New Books

1. 1. Elizabeth Acevedo
      Acevedo is the New York Times bestselling author of young adult novels, including The Poet X (2018), which won the 2018 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. She is also the author of Clap When You Land (2020) and her recent adult novel Family Lore (2023), and others.
   2. Isabel Allende – The legendary author returns with My Name is Emilia Del Valle (2025). She has been called “the world’s most widely read Spanish-language author,” having sold over seventy-seven million books, and has received numerous honors, including induction into the American Academy of Arts and Letters and Chile’s National Literature Prize.
   3. Ana Castillo is a Chicana novelist, poet, short story writer, essayist, editor, playwright, translator, and independent scholar. She is best known for her novels and her feminist perspective in her works, including So Far from God (2005). Her latest short story collection is Doña Cleanwell Leaves Home (2023).
   4. Denise Chávez is a Chicana author, playwright, stage director from Las Cruces, NM, who celebrates the border corridor of southern New Mexico and West Texas in her work. She is the author of Loving Pedro Infante (2002) and the collection of stories, Street of Too Many Stories (2025), among others.
   5. Sandra Cisneros is a Mexican-American writer born in Chicago in 1954, best known for her influential novella The House on Mango Street (1984), which has sold more than six million copies and been translated into over twenty languages. Her latest poetry collection is Woman Without Shame (2022).
   6. Angie Cruz is a Dominican-American novelist and the author of several acclaimed novels, including Dominicana (2019), which was the inaugural book pick for GMA book club and shortlisted for The Women’s Prize. Her latest novel is How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water (2022).
   7. Liana De la Rosa is a USA Today bestselling historical romance author who writes diverse characters in the Regency and Victorian periods. She is the author of The Luna Sisters, a Latinx Victorian era series, and Gabriela and His Grace (2025).
   8. Sonora Reyes is an award-winning and bestselling author born and raised in Arizona who writes fiction celebrating queer and Mexican stories. They are the author of The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School (2022) and the forthcoming The Golden Boy’s Guide to Bipolar (2025).
   9. Dani Trujillo is a Chicana and Indigenous author of Pueblo and Mexican descent who is redefining love stories to showcase diverse Indigenous and Mexican communities. She is the author of romance novels, including her debut Lizards Hold the Sun (2023).

Whether you’re searching for bold new voices from South Texas or international icons with brand-new books, these writers reflect the strength and diversity of Latinx literature today.