We Had Our Reasons
by Ricardo Ruiz
These poems, vivid and pointed, guide the reader through the thoughts and struggles that come with the decision to leave one’s home in Mexico, and travel to this remote, rural community of the United States.
We Had Our Reasons is a collection of poems created by Ricardo Ruiz in collaboration with other members of his Mexican farm community in Eastern Washington. Through the book access is provided to readers; stories that have gone untold for generations are now shared, evoking conversation at home and within the community due to the commonality of experiences. A glimpse into the multi-generational effects of migration is seen through the recounting of the stories of both parents and their children – both documented and undocumented. Ricardo’s raw and unapologetic style cuts right into the emotions of each moment divulged in short, punching, powerful pieces.
Biographies and transcripts follow the poems, showcasing the origins of the stories and the people in the book. The book, from Pulley Press, is created with a documentary method, a poetry “pulley.” A pulley can assist in shifting and moving objects. It allows a clothesline to spin across its wheel and shuttle clothes into the sun. A “poetry pulley” is the mechanism that a publisher might use to reel in the poems made by rural poets with their friends, neighbors, co-workers, and family, and then glide these poems into the hands of readers.
About the Author
Poet Ricardo Ruiz is the son of Mexican immigrants who worked in the fields and potato factories of Othello, Washington and his works often draw from his experience as a first-generation Mexican-American and a Disabled Combat Veteran.
About the Translator
Brianna Salinas is a Spanish <> English literary translator with a BA in English and an MA in Hispanic Studies, both from the University of Washington, Seattle, and a second MA in Literary Translation from the Complutense University in Madrid. To date, she has translated the subtitles for two Spanish films, a selection of sonnets by Alfonsina Storni, and a book of poetry by Ricardo Ruiz — winner of the 2023 Washington State Book Award for Poetry. Through translation, Brianna strives to amplify the voices of women and other underrepresented communities and ensure that they are heard, and heeded, beyond the linguistic boundaries of their original expression.
“Abilingual collaboration between several Mexican and Mexican American authors. Ruiz describes this collection as a “poetry pulley” that “reel[s] in the poems made by rural poets with their friends, neighbors, co-workers and family,” including several Mexican immigrants and his own brother, who works for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The poems are presented in both English and Spanish, with shared bylines between Ruiz and his collaborators and some of Ruiz’s solo work mixed in. Many of the 13 contributors—most of whom are identified by their first names only—work agricultural jobs; some lack documents, and a few survived human trafficking. The book’s various sections address the stress of migration, the anxiety of deportation, and the difficult reality of pursuing the American dream. One of the uses of poetry is to provide catharsis that journalism and even memoir can’t facilitate.”