Today, The Washington Center for the Book announced that Cascadia Poetics Lab’s very own board member Ricardo Ruiz won the 2023 Washington State Book Award for his poetry collection We Had Our Reasons: Poems by Ricardo Ruiz and Other Hardworking Mexicans from Eastern Washington. A HUGE congratulations to Ricardo!

We Had Our Reasons, published by Pulley Press and printed in both Spanish and English, features poetry and stories by Ruiz and other Mexicans of Eastern Washington, recounting the experiences of migrant workers as they leave Mexico to work in rural communities in the United States. Exploring the multi-generational and multi-faceted impact of migration, the book features stories from both parents and children, documented and undocumented workers, and includes transcripts and biographies of the people featured in the book.

Ricardo Ruiz has been a board member for Cascadia Poetics Lab since October of 2022. From Othello, Washington, Ruiz draws his experience as a first-generation Mexican-American in his work and brings marginalized voices from rural communities to the light. Listen to the Cascadian Prophets podcast episode featuring Ricardo Ruiz HERE.

We are so incredibly proud of Ricardo’s accomplishment, and are honored to have him working with us! We Had Our Reasons is available for purchase everywhere books are sold, so show your support by grabbing your own copy!