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: I check every book by hand, and readable copies go back to readers.
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.
Why bring the whole shelf
Donating takes one call or text: no research, no pricing, no listings, no shipping. Free pickup in the Albuquerque metro, or the covered 24/7 drop box outside the gate at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, any hour. I check every book by hand, readable copies go back to readers, and no readable book goes to the landfill. Here's where donated books go.
How free pickup works
Call or text 505-250-3804 (or schedule online), tell me roughly how much there is and where you are, and I add you to the next route through your area. 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 505-250-3804.
Can I drop Denise Chávez books off instead of waiting for a pickup?
Yes. The covered 24/7 drop box outside the gate at 5445 Edith Blvd NE takes them any hour, and someone is at the warehouse from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. to help unload a bigger load.
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.