Donate Pat Mora Books — Free Albuquerque Pickup

I accept Pat Mora donations anywhere in the Albuquerque metro with free pickup — the whole collection: the poetry (Chants, Borders, Communion, Agua Santa), the memoir House of Houses, the nonfiction Nepantla, and the many children's books (Tomás and the Library Lady, A Library for Juana, Doña Flor, A Birthday Basket for Tía). 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

Pat Mora is a poet and children's author of the borderlands — and a literacy hero in the truest sense: she founded Día (El día de los niños / El día de los libros, "Children's Day / Book Day"), the national celebration that puts books into the hands of kids every spring. Several of her picture books, like Tomás and the Library Lady, are about the transforming power of a library card. That makes a Mora collection especially close to what we do. When one 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

You don't have to know what's valuable

Here's the honest picture: most of Mora's trade and children's editions are common and modest in value — but first printings and signed copies are collected, especially the early Arte Público poetry like Chants (1984) and signed first editions of her award-winning picture books. 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 route the children's books straight into kids' hands — which is exactly the mission, 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 — picture books, paperbacks, later printings — listing each book is more work than it's worth, and these belong in a child's hands anyway. Donating handles it in one call: no research, no pricing, no listings, no shipping, free pickup at your door, children's books to classrooms and young readers, and any signed or first printing 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 Pat Mora books in Albuquerque?

Right here — free pickup anywhere in the metro for the whole collection: the poetry, the memoir, and the children's books. Call or text 702-496-4214.

Are Pat Mora books collectible?

Most are common, but first printings and signed copies (Chants 1984; signed picture-book firsts) are collected. Bring it all and let me check.

Children's picture books too?

Yes — they're exactly what classrooms and young readers need, and they go straight back into circulation. Just don't throw any of it out first.