arrival of first wave of Latin American immigrants
This is a timeline for UNS. For anyone wanting to do a deep dive into the history of British Latin American and British Latinx writing this article by Karina Lickorish Quinn, ‘Mapping British Latinx Writing’ is a great place to start: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/blar.70021
19th Century
arrival of first wave of Latin American immigrants
1970s
Significant influx of Latin Americans from Argentina and Chile,
followed by Mexican, Peruvian, Ecuadorean, Venezuelan and more over the following decades.
2000
First Latin American community and development organisations: LAWRS, PRAXIS -Salvador Allende community group and writers’ groups.
2018
Invisible Presence
Leo Boix and Nathalie Teitler run an ACE funded community- based writing group for British Latinx and Latin American writers. Culminates in a sold out bi-lingual event at the Roundhouse London.
http://www.roundhouse.org.uk/whats-on/2018/last-word-2018-/estamos-presente/
https://shorturl.at/2TaoV
2018 – Ongoing
Latin Spanish Book and Zine Fair: literature festival aimed at Spanish speaking audience (UNS takes part 3 years)
2019
Un Nuevo Sol: British Latinx Writers anthology (flipped eye)
1st major anthology of British Latinx writers in English, receives international coverage and acclaim.
Described by Bernardine Evaristo as a significant force in global literature.
https://flippedeye.net/product/un-nuevo-sol-british-latinx-writers/
International distribution. Reviews in World Literature Today and coverage in the New Statesman and Guardian, La Tundra, Sage Academic journal, University of South Carolina, Notre Dame, PEN, Washington Post.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/09213740231180262
Sold out event at the Southbank, London plus international online events.
2019 – Present
UNS runs literary salons for networking, sharing of Work. For British Latinx writers of all genres and global majority writers also invited to attend.
2020
Magma Resistencia (Un Nuevo Sol) Launch at the Tate
First journal to combine UK Latinx, US Latinx, Latin American poets and poets inspired by Latin American themes.
Edited by Leo Boix and Nathalie Teitler
https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/magma-issue-launch
2022
UNS begins collaborations with Notre Dame University,
United States, The Writers Centre United States and Letras Latinas
https://writer.org/curated-conversations-a-latinx-poetry-show/
2022 – 2023
Roundhouse schools project with Un Nuevo Sol Leo Boix works with St Gabriels’ School and a Camden school where the majority of students are Latinx
2022 – 2024
The Bridge
Un Nuevo Sol offers over 2 years of international online literature workshops free to any global majority writer, focusing on global majority tutors with British Latinx and US based Latinx tutors. This reaches thousands of writers during the COVID epidemic, illustrating how an online collective can function & embedding British Latinx writers within a larger context.
Bridge of Fire
Un Nuevo Sol commissions the first ever extensive UK and US Latinx collaborations in poetry with an online reading, publications and short cross-arts films with visual artists from Latin America.
And a sold-out Southbank event to celebrate the short cross -arts films made.
This is the first time that the three points- Latin America, US Latinx and British Latinx have been combined to create innovative art. One of the hallmarks of Un Nuevo Sol.
Excerpts of the commissioned collaborations are published in Granta magazine.
Online celebratory reading covered by international journal Asymptote
2023
Un Nuevo Sol present cross arts literature films at Winchester Literature Festival
Un Nuevo Sol presents LGBTQ event at the London Spanish Book and Zine festival
2024
Wet Grain poetry Journal publishes first issue of British Latinx poetry in partnership with UNS
Tangled Tongues bi-lingual community literature group run by Soledad Santana and Anahi Saravia Herrera hosts event in partnership with UNS
Community based film ‘The Box’, raising the profile of British Latinx community launched by Ana Torre in partnership with UNS
March, 2024
Writing Ourselves Visible, Literary Leicester Festivaln UNS writers, Karina Liquorish Quinn, Leo Boix and Gael Le Cornec
July, 2024
The Forensic and The Fantastic: Latinx poets at the British
Library. PTC in collaboration with Writers Mosaic and UNS
https://www.poetrytranslation.org/event/the-forensic-and-the-fantastic-latinx-poets/
Latinx Showcases PTC , Ledbury Poetry Festival, the British
Library, UNS, Latin America House and the University of San Andrés
September, 2024
V & A East event In Between: Latinx takeover Artists, DJs and performers including UNS Britisih Latinx writers
https://www.queenelizabetholympicpark.co.uk/whats-on/inbetween-latinx-takeover-va-east
19 March 2025
UNS presents an evening of Latinx poetry with Patrick Romero McCaferty, Leo Boix, Sim Perreira and Patrizia Longhitano at Hundred Years Gallery.
17 June 2025
Leo Boix launches his second collection with Chatto and Windus, Southernmost Sonnets at the Cervantes Institute
July
UNS website launches.
October
UNS directory launch- the first directory of British Latin
American and British Latinx/Latine writers in all languages and genres (with links to more extensive Latin American directory of writers who work predominantly in Spanish). All writers have a strong publishing or performance record and are suitable for festivals/commissions etc.
January, 2026
Launch of Wasafiri British Latinx issue edited by UNS Director Leo Boix and Associate Director, Karina Likourish Quinn marking a significant moment for British Latinx writers.
2027
Second UNS anthology which will include both UK and US Latinx writers, as well as Latin American writers translated by British Latinx writers. Expected to have over 100 writers in the first anthology of its kind.
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