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Three titles published by the University of Arizona Press were honored May 31 at the ninth annual International Latino Book Awards.

Latino Literacy Now, a Carlsbad, Calif.-based nonprofit, has sponsored the awards for nine years.

"When the awards were first established, not a lot of publishers knew about it," said Holly Dolan, publicity manager for UA Press. "The fact that we're holding our ground against the large commercial publishers with lots of money is big in itself.

"This year's win goes to show that we have a strong presence in the Latino literary circle," Dolan added.

Out of six submitted titles, three won awards in reference and poetry.

"(This) demonstrates the strengths of the work published here," Dolan said. "There's a lot of competition out there."

Author, educator and literacy advocate Pat Mora won the top honor in the best poetry in English category for her latest collection, "Adobe Odes." Released in fall 2006 as part of the award-winning Latino/Latina literary series Camino del Sol, "Adobe Odes" comprises 49 odes inspired by Pablo Neruda's "Odas Elementales."

"Writing 'Adobe Odes' brought me great happiness, as did working with the staff of U of A Press," said Mora in a recent interview from her Santa Fe., N.M., home. "This award heightens the pleasure."

Camino del Sol: A Latino/Latina Literary Series was established by UA Press in 1996 and has released 47 titles by 33 authors.

Charles Tatum's "Chicano and Chicana Literature: Otra voz del pueblo" won second place in the best reference books in English category. The book by the dean of the College of Humanities at the UA brings a new perspective to the ethnic identity of Mexican-Americans.

"How Long She'll Last in This World" by María Meléndez received honorable mention in the best poetry in English category. Meléndez draws from her work as a biology field assistant and a teacher of environmental poetry to present poems that bring new meaning to the natural world and how human beings experience it.

Since 2002, 13 UA Press titles have been honored at the Latino Book Awards.

The nonprofit UA Press, founded in 1959, publishes about 50 books each year, with more than 650 books in print.