Giving a voice: Marissa Prada's Read or Green Books publishes works dealing with hot-button issues

Marissa Prada has used spoken word as a way to not only express herself, but to heal.

The Albuquerque resident is at the helm of Read or Green Books, which gives an outlet to poets.

Prada will also be one of the performers at New Mexico’s Premier Variety Showcase at Tractor Brewing Company Wells Park on Wednesday, Jan. 10.

The monthly event showcases a handful of local performers and is run by Nick Meyers.

“I met Nick through a friend and he asked me to do the show,” Prada says. “I enjoy performing my spoken word because each one has a message.”

For the past year, Prada has been working to get more awareness not only on the poetry scenes, but gun violence.

Read or Green Books is a female-forward press and was founded during the pandemic.

In three years, they have published over 200 poets and 53 collections of poetry.

The company has released two collections of literature – both are a collective call for an end to gun violence.

Prada says the project emerged after the horrific events in Uvalde, Texas, in 2022, combined continual tragedy after tragedy in the United States, due to gun violence.

Giving a voice: Marissa Prada's Read or Green Books publishes works dealing with hot-button issues

There are 100 submissions for the project, which consequently, split the project into “American Graveyard.”

The first is a 200-page collection with 67 contributors worldwide. The second is “American Graveyard Art Book,” which is a 50-page full color book with images from 14 contributors worldwide.

“Read or Green Books currently runs a ‘Sponsor a Senator,’ where anyone can purchase a book for $15 to be sent anonymously to a senator,” she says. “Our hope is that everyone in Congress will get one of the books.”

Prada says the books contain real-life accounts, memories, trauma, direct and indirect contributors relating to gun violence. The books contain a collective outpouring of frustration, condolences and loss from a worldwide poetry and artist community.

“We hope (the books) find its way to those affected by gun violence, what to do, and those who can affect change to the senseless gun violence,” she says. “I have a poem about Uvalde in the collection that was written in response to the violence. It’s crazy that children have to live with this fear. We send our kids off to school and pray that everything will be alright.”

Prada and Read or Green Brooks was the driving force behind the three-day poetry summit held in Albuquerque in September.

There were 24 spoken word artists from around North America who came to perform and host workshops.

“It’s been years since a big poetry summit was held like this,” Prada says. “This project emerged after Read or Green Books attended and featured at the New York City Poetry Festival last year, where most people had never been to New Mexico. (We) decided to host a summit and give people an opportunity to experience our state, our food, our culture, and how amazing the artists and poets are here. In a time when community needs to count more than ever, and the love and support for issues that are close to our hearts (LGBTQ, gun violence, mental health, women’s reproductive rights, book burning) can truly heal, inspire and save lives.”