Submarine

How did this place come about and what made it different from the start?
My friend Omar and I at Burnout Records were looking at the space for a bar in the backyard of a house in the Historic Center. There was a small empty alcove and he said to me, “Hey, why don’t you put a mezcal bar there?” That was seven and a half years ago.

What part of the day, space, or creative process do those who work here enjoy the most?
Putting together the new editorial selection, which we usually do once a month, choosing between poetry, essays, novels and short stories, is a process we really enjoy.

If someone is coming in for the first time, what should they not miss? 
We have a literary library that has been built thanks to the donation of several much-loved writers and poets.

What has been an interesting challenge that has made you rethink something about the project?
The main challenge is how to remain relevant by selling books in this digital age. While the oversupply of streaming services is forcing production companies to look to books as the main generators of stories, this has not had much of an impact on book sales or the generation of new readers.

What influence, idea, or reference continues to shape the way you work today?
An interview with Ignacio De Alba reveals that "anarchism is about building libraries." We believe these are important spaces for strengthening the social fabric and fostering community.

What place, project, or person has inspired you recently and why?
The Casa del Lago UNAM project, the way they manage culture, is quite admirable.

If your space could invite someone to collaborate for a day, who would it be and what would you do together?
Like a letter to the Three Wise Men? I'm torn between Mariana Enríquez and Camila Sosa Villada. With Mariana Enríquez, we'd do an invocation with several initiated magicians, followed by a horror reading. With Camila Sosa, a session with mezcal and boleros about unrequited love, followed by a performance of her latest thesis novel about domestication.

Is there an object, corner or detail of the place that has a story that few people know?
The mezcal we sell comes from Matatlán, Oaxaca, and before, the master mezcal maker, Mr. Joel, didn't have a bank account for me to deposit the money for the mezcal, so I sent it to him through the Mexican postal service, hidden in books. We had a wonderful correspondence for six months until his wife, Ermelinda, opened an account at Coppel; now I deposit the money there.

If this project were a city, a book, or a record, which would it be and why?
If I were an album right now, I'd be Alabaster Deplume's "Come with Fierce Grace." If I were a book, I'd like it to be a book of poetry by Ismael Velázquez Juárez.

Answers by Joselo Montes, founder of Submarino.