Reflect and create cultura pa’ La Raza
Palabras del Pueblo
We seek to create a space for Xicano/a/x writers to connect, learn, and write towards their community rather than outsiders/gatekeepers. Our goal is to be low-cost and accessible to our community, which gets sidelined in other spaces.
This is not an exclusive Hispanic or Latino Workshop.
On notification of acceptance, payment must be made within a week (7days).
WORKSHOPS
CLASSES
INSTRUCTORS
PRESENTERS
“Original and with an innate understanding of their writer’s needs, the team at Palabras del Pueblo are always a pleasure to work with.”
Summer Student 2025
Palabras del Pueblo is an online writing workshop that centers la Raza and encourages writers to see our own gente as an audience. We aim to remain financially accessible while providing tools, inspiration, and connections for Xicanx and other writers to develop their work and create opportunities for each other. This is not an exclusive Hispanic or Latino Workshop.
We are a project of Maiz Poppin Press
Also in association with El Partido Nacional de la Raza Unida.
Frequently Asked Questions
Whether you’re curious about workshop features, application processes, or even press, we’re here to answer any questions.
What happens at Palabras del Pueblo?
Each workshop takes place online via Zoom and includes 4 to 15 students over two weekends. Classes run at the same scheduled time and participants remain with the same instructor for all four sessions. There is no switching instructors or moving between classes.
Each day of the workshop includes a one-hour presentation on topics connected to writing and Xicanismo.
During the session, the instructors will lecture on the craft of writing and conduct writing exercises. Some classes will also include sharing work and peer feedback. There are no “one on one” or private lessons by the instructor.
Please be aware that the timezone used for the workshop is Pacific time.
Do you take all that apply?
No. The application isn’t a sign up sheet.
Palabras staff choose who is accepted into the workshop, not the instructors. Effort put into completing the application increases your chances, as does professionalism (no glib remarks, emoji, or incomplete sentences). There is no writing sample needed other than completing the application.
We also welcome writers who have never been in a writing workshop. We are serious about the writing of our community and the application is the first step to show us you are as well.
I’m not Xicanx, can I still apply?
We take a limited number of qualified applicants that are not Xicanx who are connected to our community and add value to the space.
The workshop is not meant for cultural exchange or to provide access to accomplished writers for all, but for our community to develop our own narratives on our terms. The application has a space for non-Xicanxs to explain their connection to our community and what they will add to the space of the workshop.
Please do not email us asking if you can apply since you do not want to “take space away from a Xicanx writer.” Apply or don’t.
I’m only one quarter Xicanx or I’m the only one in my area, I don’t speak Spanglish, my Caló is rusty, I’ve been called pocho, I’m 7 feet tall and don’t fit the phenotype, can I still apply?
Just apply. No one will call you names.
I didn’t get my first class pick and got offered my second pick, why?
Some workshop classes are competitive to get in and fill up quickly. Applying early and making your application as good as it can be increases your chance to be in your first choice of classes.
Be prepared to be placed in your second choice.
Will the instructor be editing my 300 page manuscript in the workshop?
No. This is a 4 day workshop in a class shared by other participants. If the class features editing your writing, it will be on writing that is short. Developmental editing on a manuscript costs thousands of dollars from an editor and this doesn’t happen in a workshop.
Do you have scholarships? Do you take trade?
Yes. A small number of sponsored spots are available for certain classes (see the application for details).
We price the workshop to be affordable, but a few reduced-price spots are available for students with financial need.
We cannot accept trade.
Who has taught or presented at Palabras del Pueblo before?
Luis J. Rodriguez, Lorna Dee Cervantes, Matt Sedillo, Karen Cordova, Ernesto Mireles, Dave Weinstock, Rios de la Luz, Ernest Hogan, E.G. Conde, Juan G. Berumen, E.C. Dukes, Ronnie Dukes, M.M. Olivas, Pedro Iniguez, Estella Gonzalez, Diosa X, Angel Dominguez, Amalia Ortiz, Sonia Gutierrez, Osmani R. Ochoa, and Elizabeth Jimenez-Montelongo.
Who is Palabras del Pueblo?
Palabras del Pueblo is a project of Maiz Poppin’ Press, a small press dedicated to expanding the revolutionary imagination of our community, and is proudly associated with El Partido Nacional de la Raza Unida.
The workshop is organized by writers/editors Scótt Russell Dúncan and Jenny Irizary, who have edited many books together, including the first Xicanx sci-fi anthology, El Porvenir, ¡Ya!: Citlalzazanilli Mexicatl, the Xicanxfuturism Codices I & II. Both were assistant editors of Somos Xicanas.
Scott is author of Old California Strikes Back, one of a handful of works by Mexican Californios on their own condition.