Bruma Publications, part of the PBBI (Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute) at California State University, Fresno, has just published two more books: The Elderley (Os Velhos)by Paula de Sousa Lima, translated by Diniz Borges and Shades of Black and Gray – an Inquiry into the Island of Pico and its History(a historical review of the island of Pico) by Joel Ávila. Both books are published by Bruma Publications and Letras Lavadas.

With its first publication in January 2023, Contos Populares Portugueses da California (Portuguese Folk Tales from California), Bruma Publications has published 18 books in the last two years, 17 in partnership with Letras Lavadas and one with Edições Fraternitas. Most of the books are translations of Azorean authors and poets from Madeira, mainland Portugal, and Cape Verde.

Books of poetry, history, essays and narrative fiction have been published. This series includes authors such as Álamo Oliveira, Vera Duarte, Alberto Pereira, José Pedro Leite, Ângela de Almeida, João Carlos Abreu, Joel Neto, Luís Mendonça, Madalena Férin, Pedro da Silveira, Diogo Ourique, Manuel da Costa Fontes, Paulo Jorge Correia, António Monteiro, Ana Mónica Fonseca and Dulce Maria Scott.

In addition to the two books that have just been published, Bruma Publications has an ambitious program for the near future. In the next 15 months, between March 2025 and June 2026, books by Marcolino Candeias (poetry); Regina Correia (poetry); Carlos Enes (book on Azorean history); Luís Filipe Sarmento (poetry); JH Borges Martins (poetry); Luís Fagundes Duarte (book on Natália Correia); Luís Filipe Borges (Mal-Amanhados: The New Azorean Pirates); João Rasteiro (poetry); Virginia do Carmo (fiction); and Aquiles García Brito (poetry-from the Canaries). Books are also being translated by João de Melo (O Segredo das Ilhas), Henrique Levy (Bento de Goes), Angela de Almeida (A Janela de Matisse), Virgílio Vieira (poetry collection), Alberto Pereira (Ecocardiodrama), JH Santos Barros (poetry collection), Paulo Matos (O Povo no Imaginário Nemesiano), Álamo Oliveira (Marta de Jesus: a verdadeira) and others. There are also publishing projects in partnership with the LPAZ organization, Edições Fraternitas, Poética, and the Lar-Doce-Livro bookshop run by Joel Neto and Marta Cruz.

Bruma Publications will also be publishing a second edition of the extraordinary novel about Azorean emigration, I No Longer Like Chocolates by Álamo Oliveira, a study on the Portuguese in Hawaii by Michael de Matos, as well as some new editions of authors from the diaspora such as Alfred Lewis, among others. Translation projects on the history of the Azores, biographies, and studies on various aspects of the region and the diaspora are also in the pipeline.

For Diniz Borges, translator and director of Bruma Publications: “The translation of history, fiction and poetry from Portuguese into English is essential to connect the Portuguese diaspora in the USA, particularly the Azorean communities, to their cultural roots. Since many in the diaspora, especially the younger generations, do not read Portuguese fluently, English translations serve as a bridge that allows them to engage with the literature, history and identity of their ancestors. Through these works, they can better understand the struggles, traditions and emotions that define Azorean life, fostering a renewed sense of belonging and strengthening the bonds between the islands and their descendants.” Adding that “it’s also a way of connecting our diaspora to the American and Canadian mainstream.”

From Bruma Publications Press Release.