Ricardo Ruiz (BA, English Creative Writing 2021) has just published his first book of poetry, We Had Our Reasons/Teniamos Nuestras Razones: Poems by Ricardo Ruiz and other hard-working Mexicans from Eastern Washington (Pulley Press).
We Had Our Reasons offers a startling look into an American community of Mexican farmworkers. Centered around the town of Othello, located in eastern Washington state, this collection by University of Washington alumni Ricardo Ruiz was written in collaboration with his friends, family members and
coworkers, many of whom are, or were, migrants.
The collection has UW origins. Teaching Professor Frances McCue of the English Department is the founder of Pulley Press, a new poetry publisher that celebrates poets from rural parts of the country. In the winter of 2021, she worked with a group of undergraduate interns on the project and among them was Ricardo Ruiz.