Mellon, Flamboyán award $600K to 2025 Letras Boricuas cohort
The Mellon Foundation and the Flamboyán Arts Fund have named 24 Puerto Rican writers as the 2025 Letras Boricuas Fellows, awarding each a $25,000 unrestricted grant for work in fiction, poetry, playwriting, spoken word and creative nonfiction.
The fellows, based on the island and in the diaspora, make up the fourth cohort since the program launched in 2021. The initiative, created to support Puerto Rican writers and invest in the island’s historically underfunded literary sector, has now supported 84 writers and distributed more than $2 million in grants.
This year’s expansion from 20 to 24 fellows reflects growing demand for literary support, program organizers said.
“Being a Letras Boricuas Fellow has had an immense impact on my work this year,” said writer Ana Teresa Toro, a previous recipient. “I’ve been able to dedicate more time to writing thanks to some financial breathing room, and connecting with other voices I hadn’t known before has enriched me both as a reader and as a Puerto Rican.”
Program leadership said ongoing funding is necessary to sustain Puerto Rican cultural production.
“Expanding Letras Boricuas allows us to support more writers with the freedom to create,” said Carlos Rodríguez-Silvestre, executive director of the Flamboyán Foundation. He added that direct financial support strengthens artistic work, identity and community ties.
Mellon Foundation President Elizabeth Alexander said the new cohort includes “writers, translators, anthologists and performers from across the diaspora,” adding that their work reflects the breadth of contemporary Puerto Rican literature.
The fellows represent 13 cities and a range of forms and themes. Selections were made through a nomination and review process led by writers and literary experts.
