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ABOUT MANDEL VILAR PRESS

Advancing Diversity and Conservation in Publishing by bringing underrepresented and diverse literature of the Americas to a larger English speaking readership, MVP serves as a conduit of multicultural exchange and its availability plays a vital role in maintaining a healthy and vibrant democracy.

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MISSION

MVP — The nonprofit publishing arm of Americas for Conservation + the Arts, MVP is one of only a handful of publishers dedicated to connecting the literature of the Americas.  We unite the works of the best writers of Central and South America with the leading ethnic and minority writers of North America.  MVP publishes the best books and translations on the environment, conservation, culture, history, memoir, fiction, science, and politics. Publishing between four to eight titles in fiction and nonfiction each year, MVP focuses on works that are extraordinary and influential - destined to become the classics of tomorrow.

VISION

MVP Making extraordinary literature available is crucial to opening our cultural borders.  Its availability plays a vital role in maintaining a healthy and vibrant democracy with cultural literacy at its core.

MVP books reflect the themes embedded in the mission of AFC+A: environmental awareness and justice; migrations; adaptation; integration and inter-generational and cross-cultural dialogue. MVP and its New Shade of Green Series promote a culture of appreciation and respect for the environment through groundbreaking fiction and nonfiction that deepen our connection to the natural world, serve as a call to action, broaden our understanding of human footprints on the environment, and offer innovative solutions for building social capacity, innovation, and resilience.

AMERICAS NATIONAL LIBRARIES

MVP is committed to launching new groundbreaking national libraries of conservation, literature, and culture for each country of the Americas beginning with Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico and Puerto Rico as well as thematic series on Indigenous Peoples of the Americas and American and World Jewish Literatures. By bringing underrepresented literature to a larger English speaking readership, MVP serves as a conduit of multicultural exchange and a crucial channel for majoritizing minority literature and peoples.

FOUNDERS

Mandel Vilar Press brings together the talents of two experienced editors, Robert Mandel, and Irene Vilar. For two decades their collaboration resulted in the publication of important books and translations on Latin American, Latino, Jewish, and African American literature, art, politics, and culture. Together they created and launched two major Latin American book series, The Americas— at the University of Wisconsin Press between 2000 and 2006 and again later at Texas Tech University Press from 2008 to 2014. In concert with their focus on minority literature, Mandel and Vilar also published many notable books in Jewish studies and African American studies. Their longstanding collaboration now continues with the establishment of Mandel Vilar Press, the publishing arm of the nonprofit organization, Americas for Conservation + the Arts.

AFC+A HISTORY

Americas for Conservation + the Arts -AFC+A- is the mother organization of Mandel Vilar Press. Since 2010, the BIPOC founded and led organization has acted as a bold nonprofit,advancing healthy communities through environmental and cultural stewardship that can best bridge the outdoor and creative inclusion gaps and serve the most underserved.

 

AFC+A's initiatives target BOTH of these breakdowns in equity and inclusion:

 

  • Brown citizens make up 40% of the US population but only 8% of environmental organizations.

  • Less than 1% of what the average US citizen reads is from a book in translation vis a vis most of the social democracies of Europe (Norway, Germany, France, etc) which are reading above 35% in translation. 

  • Only 4% of what is being published in the United States is from a minority voice/writer.


A healthy democracy cannot thrive with a segregated environmental and cultural production workspace.

 

We believe diversity is one of the most important conservation and equity strategies we can pursue at this time.

 

For more information about AFC+A, please visit the website afcanatura.org

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CONSORTIUM DISTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

BOOk trade

Mandel Vilar Press books are distributed to the trade by:
Consortium Book Sales & Distribution
(800) 283-3572
www.cbsd.com

INTERNSHIPS
An internship at Mandel Vilar Press will introduce you to all aspects of a small literary publisher and will give you skills that can also easily transfer to larger publishing houses and other careers, both in the arts and elsewhere.

APPLY NOW

bookstores

Mandel Vilar Press books are available in bookstores across the country, online and downloadable as e-books. 

Indiebound.org 

Find a local independent bookstore near you.

Powell’s
Barnes & Noble
Amazon

If you are having trouble finding a Mandel Vilar Press book, please email us

rights & permissions

Request permission to use a portion of one of our books for your classroom, anthologies, foreign translation rights, film, audio, and all other queries.

Media requests, press kits, review copies, and author and cover images available upon request.

Educators
We provide exam and desk copies to educators.

Submission Guidelines
Email submissions to robert@mandelvilar.org

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