Cincos Puntos Press: Publishing Diverse Titles for 30 Years

By Patrick Flores-Scott

The El Paso, Texas publisher, Cinco Puntos Press, has been on my radar ever since my mother-in-law—who lives in Las Cruces, New Mexico, an hour away from the Cinco Puntos Press offices—handed me a copy of Benjamin Alire Saenz’s YA novel, Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood. I fell in love with that book and went on to read Saenz’s follow-up, Last Night I Sang to the Monster. Now my wife and I regularly read Cynthia Weill’s Opuestos and AbeCedarioto our toddler and Saenz’s A Gift from Papá Diegois our older son’s current go-to bedtime picture book. (Full disclosure: I cry real tears every time Papá Diego shows up to the party.)

Isabel Quintero’sGabi, a Girl in Pieceswas one of 2014’s most lauded books, winning the Morris Award, and showing up on book of the year lists put out by Kirkus…