I accept Denise Chávez donations anywhere in the Albuquerque metro with free pickup — the whole collection: The Last of the Menu Girls, Face of an Angel, Loving Pedro Infante, The King and Queen of Comezón, A Taco Testimony, and the plays. You don't sort or price anything. Bring it all; first printings and signed copies are recognized, and the rest funds New Mexico literacy.
Published June 2026 · By Josh Eldred, New Mexico Literacy Project
Denise Chávez, of Las Cruces, is one of the defining voices of the southern New Mexico borderlands — a novelist, playwright, and the founder of the Border Book Festival who has done as much as anyone to build literary community in the region. Her books are read across the state, and when a collection gets cleared, most people just want it to land somewhere that honors it. That's exactly what I'm for: I take the whole thing, free, and I check every book.
What I take: all of it
The novels & stories
The Last of the Menu Girls (1986), Face of an Angel (1994), Loving Pedro Infante (2001), and The King and Queen of Comezón.
Memoir, food & plays
A Taco Testimony: Meditations on Family, Food and Culture, and the plays and dramatic works.
Any condition
First printings, signed copies, the Arte Público and Farrar, Straus and Giroux editions, worn paperbacks, and reading copies — bring whatever's on the shelf.
You don't have to know what's valuable
Here's the honest picture: most of Chávez's trade editions are common and modest in value — but first printings and signed copies are collected, especially the Arte Público first of The Last of the Menu Girls (1986) and the American Book Award winner Face of an Angel (1994). Small-press first printings can be quietly scarce. You don't have to figure out which printing you have; bring the whole shelf and I'll recognize the first printings and signed copies, set them aside, and keep the reading copies in circulation, with any hidden value identified and handled properly.
Why donate instead of selling it yourself
For a signed first you know is special, selling on your own is fine. For the rest — paperbacks and later printings — listing each book is more work than it's worth. Donating handles it in one call: no research, no pricing, no listings, no shipping, free pickup at your door, reading copies to new readers, and any first printing or signed copy recognized and supporting New Mexico literacy. Here's where donated books go.
How free pickup works
Call or text 702-496-4214 (or schedule online), tell me roughly how much there is and where you are, and we set a time. I come to you and load it all. I cover Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Corrales, the East Mountains, and the surrounding metro, and I handle whole-house and estate cleanouts regularly.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I donate Denise Chávez books in Albuquerque?
Right here — free pickup anywhere in the metro for the whole collection: the novels, the stories, the memoir, the plays. Call or text 702-496-4214.
Are Denise Chávez books collectible?
Most are common, but first printings and signed copies (Last of the Menu Girls 1986, Face of an Angel 1994) are collected. Bring it all and let me check.
Paperbacks too?
Yes — Arte Público and FSG editions, worn paperbacks, reading copies. Just don't throw any of it out first.
Cite This Guide
Eldred, J. (June 2026). Donate Denise Chávez Books in Albuquerque — Free Pickup. New Mexico Literacy Project.
https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/donate-denise-chavez-books-albuquerque
Licensed under CC BY 4.0.