LatinosUSA

1—What do you remember about the beginnings of Masticadores?

Felicitas Rebaque:

First of all, I want to emphasize that Juan Re Crivello contacting me and proposing that we launch Masticadores de Letras with him has been, on a literary and personal level, one of the most rewarding things that has ever happened to me. That’s why I can’t begin this interview without first thanking him.

Image of Felicitas Rebaque

It was the end of 2019, in the midst of the pandemic. Juan and I were already in contact through our blogs, and we occasionally commented on each other’s posts. At that time, I was engrossed in finishing my latest novel, Requiem for My Absent Hand, and one day he asked for my phone number because he wanted to propose that I partner with him to edit his literary blog, Masticadores de Letras, where he gave visibility to the authors who published there. When he told me what my participation would entail, even though it would require time and dedication, I didn’t hesitate: I accepted instantly. It was a great responsibility, but also a challenge in a very interesting project that I was passionate about. I joined in January 2020.

J. Re Crivello:

Back in 2019, I already had a blog for my three writing workshops, and I noticed that the quantity and diversity of the stories needed an outlet. On the other hand, although everyone insisted on publishing them in print, I saw that digital was the way forward.

Image by J. Ré Crivello

And I developed a website for adult writers and one for children. As a teacher, an 11-year-old student told me he wrote and published his own books. I asked him to bring me one. To my surprise, he had published a 20-page book of his stories. That’s how MasticadoresdeLetras (Letter Chewers) was born. And I also decided to create a blog called MasticadoresdeLetras (Letter Chewers) on WordPress. With that ridiculous name, many people told me, “I like it… but I would change the name.”

2—What were the objectives in the first few years?

Felicitas Rebaque:

We wanted to provide quality, current, and diverse content on an ongoing basis, so one of the main objectives was to attract authors whose writing would draw in readers and make Masticadores de Letras a literary reference point.

In that sense, I began inviting writer friends to participate as contributors, receiving a very positive response. Many new writers joined, and we doubled the number of posts in a month.

2020 was a year in which many projects were carried out: I introduced a series called Discovering… in which I presented the writers who were joining. I edited a Children’s and Young Adult Literature section. The first Short Story Prize from Masticadores de Letras was created, and Juan, unstoppable, embarked us on the Fleming publishing project, but it’s best if he tells that himself.

Juan Ré Crivello:

The publishing house was a transitional period. There were six of us partners, including Felicitas. And we published a whopping 60 authors in a very short time. But Masticadores’ growth was even faster. So I had to convince my partners to close the publishing house and focus on digital. And that’s what we did. I remember having a lot of work transferring the books from Amazon to their authors, or going to the notary to close the company. And during that time, six Masticadores were created simultaneously: the first in English, in Italian, in several countries, etc. 2020 was an intense year. And the «de Letras» tag disappeared from Masticadores. Everyone was reading the title like we read Coca-Cola, without thinking about what it meant.

3—When did you realize that it was no longer MasticadoresdeLetras (Letter Chewers) but simply Masticadores (Chewers) for the readers? Explain its trajectory a bit.

Felicitas Rebaque:

The blog evolved and grew very quickly. It was a surprise even to us. We realized that the vast majority of readers were accessing it via mobile devices and referred to the page as Masticadores, so we decided to keep it that way.

During 2020, Masticadores consolidated its position, and in 2021 it became a global phenomenon. By July 2021, we were publishing 24 posts per month; in 2022, 45 posts; in 2023, 107; in 2024, 143; and in 2025, 245 posts per month. This spectacular growth was due to the addition of new contributors, which led us to expand the magazine’s original sections. Six more sections were added, each with its own editor: María José Luque Fernández in the Global section, featuring narrative and poetry; Mercedes G. Rojo in Feminism and the changing role of women in society, and in Letters from the Attic; Jaime Nubiola in philosophy and essays; Fernando Solana Olivares in narrative and essays by Mexican authors; Luis Alberto Jiménez in film criticism and interviews; Avelino Muleiro in philosophy; and Gema Albornoz Ramírez.

As you can see, its content is very varied, and we believe it caters to the tastes and preferences of any reader, from narrative to opinion pieces, including poetry, and a children’s and young adult section for younger authors and readers, which we renamed Letters from the Attic.

J. Re Crivello:

The website visits clearly reflect what has happened in recent years. For example:

— In 2021, we had 180,000 visits; in 2023, 309,000; and in 2024 and 2025 (even before the year’s end), 430,000 visits.

—The number of Masticadores (a Spanish online magazine) in different languages ​​has reached 19. Eight of these are in English.

—We’ve gone from 5 editors to 20. And in terms of writers, we’ve grown from 60 at the end of 2020 to 450 writers worldwide, in 6 languages ​​(Spanish, English, Romanian, Tagalog, Italian, and Catalan).

All this effort, which seems so simple, is an impressive coordination effort. In my case, conversations and comments from 8 countries where we publish appear in a single window on my phone. And at the same time, the email is a constant stream of questions from editors in various countries. With their nuances, their doubts, their successes, and even their difficulties, I, like the conductor of an old orchestra, listen to each symphony and share the solutions. I’ve learned that I must respond quickly, with the ability to listen and observe the ideas that flow, ideas that I believe could be extraordinary in the future. Masticadores and its people create new sounds through their own actions.

Another aspect is how the diversity of writers is managed and encouraged without conflicts arising. Each editor is assigned a group of writers and sets the guidelines and pace. The few conflicts that do arise are considered part of our work and opportunities. Few writers are published by two or three Masticadores simultaneously.

—4 What is the current state of the magazine?

Felicitas Rebaque:

It is gratifying to see that Masticadores is a literary, cultural, and social platform with a wide variety of content that reaches a diverse readership. It also gives visibility to writers, regardless of their background, which is one of Masticadores’ main objectives and one of its most valued assets.

Currently, it is an international digital magazine published in six languages ​​and edited from: Spain, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Italy, the USA, Romania, Canada, the Philippines, and Taiwan.

We adapt to the times and to readers’ preferences. According to Google data, more than 70% of readers access it on their mobile devices, so the length of the content should not exceed 1,200 words. This allows us to maintain a current focus and reach a more diverse audience.

I want to emphasize that behind all these advances is a magnificent group of writers who provide the magazine with content, and the immense work of the editors who, in addition to managing their sections, are in constant and direct communication with their authors; in my case, there are 37 of them. But all of this wouldn’t be possible without the strength and drive of Juan Re Crivello, who works tirelessly and is attentive to everything and everyone.

Juan Ré Crivello:

To coordinate such diversity, it’s worth noting that we’ve gone from 5 editors to 22 in this time. Or from 8, then 30, then 60, to 450 writers. And from one language to 7. This is only possible with good coordination among the editors, but with a degree of freedom for each of them. The discussions between some of the editors and its founder, in my case, myself, have shaped the Mascharadores style. Tolerance and respect are the foundation that allows this seemingly hierarchical world to accept the balance between different responsibilities: director, editorial board, editors, and writers.

We must understand that, being international, we operate on different schedules, have different customs, and have different ideas about what to publish.

There is also an unofficial council of certain writers who feel they should offer their opinions privately on areas for improvement that may arise. In my case, as Editor, I listen to them. It’s the unofficial current of opinion, the murmur of those who love Masticadores and want the best for it. And there are also the private donors, who have allowed us to grow and not rely on advertising as our primary source of funding.

—5 Where is Masticadores headed?

Felicitas Rebaque:

The future I see for Masticadores is more than promising.

We are moving forward to continue growing and to do more and better. Our goal, among others, which Juan will explain, is to continue working with our authors, attract new writers who find the magazine relevant and wish to entrust us with their work, reach even more readers and reach more places, and ensure that Masticadores is recognized as an international cultural reference point.

Juan Ré Crivello:

We have a lot of work planned for 2026, as we want to…

Expand the Editorial Board (and likely establish a donors’ council, comprised of public institutions or companies, to ensure the magazine’s sustainability) and maintain its advertising-free status.

Also, incorporate writers as annual donors with very low contributions, who are and will be the ones who guarantee its autonomy.

Establish a foundation to preserve the legacy, creating its own bylaws.

Maintain our political independence, respecting the diversity of opinions and quality.

Given its current success, we’re expanding LatinosUSA in English with a new team, increasing the number of editors to six, and positioning the magazine similarly to Masticadores in Spanish, which has eight editors. And we have a dream: perhaps to create Masticadores New York.

Thank you all for being part of this adventure.