We are Chimayo Press, an independent educational publishing company based in Los Angeles. Since 2005, we’ve been committed to publishing niche books that create compelling conversations, deepen relationships, and celebrate the human spirit.
Compelling Conversations: Questions and Quotations on Timeless Topics are in use by English Language Learners in over 50 countries. Originally designed for community college students (ages 18-87!), the fluency-focused English textbook has been adopted by American adult schools, international high schools, English language schools, online tutors, and intensive English language programs, university ESL programs, and conversation clubs.
Our second title, Compelling American Conversations: Questions and Quotations for Intermediate American English language Learners (2012) explicitly emphasizes American English, American cultural literacy, and democratic values.
The primary audience remains newcomers to the United States, recent and not-so-recent immigrants, who may be studying at an American high school, adult school, community college, or university. The authors strongly believe that all immigrants deserve a quality education that allows them to express themselves, develop their English language skills, and deepen their critical thinking skills. A narrow, life-skills only language program can sometimes reinforce the tyranny of low-expectations. From our perspective, too many language programs too often teach students to mostly listen and seldom speak – and often underestimate the academic and professional abilities of many American immigrants.
Therefore, we deliberately chose to emphasize speaking skills and fluency in the Compelling Conversations series.
We also include academic vocabulary and more philosophical questions because American immigrants deserve the same level of sophisticated materials which international English as Foreign Language (EFL) students enjoy in the stronger international high schools.
Compelling Conversations Japan book cover
Focused vocabulary for both practical and academic purposes
Paraphrasing American proverbs – and others from around the world
“Agree/Disagree and explain” reaction exercises to classic and modern quotations often used to prepare for TOEFL and IELTS exams
This new collection of reproducible ‘Search and Share’ activities and worksheets for English teachers gives your students a choice and a voice. Each one-page lesson encourages curiosity, deepens research skills, expands word knowledge, and sparks student discussions. How? We ask our English students to find contemporary sources, summarize information, evaluate evidence, and reflect on their relevant experiences with a conversation partner or in a small group. Students answer sets of 10 questions, cite sources, share information, learn new vocabulary, and express their opinions.
Preserving cultural knowledge
Reducing cultural amnesia
From our perspective, there is something profoundly disturbing in dumbing down of curriculum materials for English language learners in the United States. Chimayo Press and the Compelling Conversations series seek to introduce higher expectations for verbal skills and more authentic materials and topics to the intermediate and advanced English language classrooms – especially in ELL and ESL classrooms here in the United States. Students should be able to not only listen and understand, but speak and be understood.
Further, the authors hope American English language learners begin asking more questions, speak more in their workplaces, and create their own compelling conversations – outside the ESL and EFL classrooms. We also believe that actually speaking English – and being able to hold meaningful conversations in English – adds to the quality of life across globe.
We also want to help bring people together, across the globe, to share quality conversations in English, the lingua franca of our time. Compelling Conversations – Vietnam: Speaking Exercises for Vietnamese Learners of English& Quotations for Advanced Vietnamese English Language Learners (2018) provides culturally relevant exercises, text and photos from that beautiful nation. This special EFL title, adopted by American Vietnam University and APU International Schools for their advanced English students, was inspired by Eric’s directing a summer high school English program in 2009. Chimayo Press hopes to release additional ESL and EFL books, including specialized editions of Compelling Conversations for business professionals in the future.
Chimayo Press
1-855-ESL-Book (toll free in the United States and Canada)
1-855-375-2665 (toll free in the United States and Canada)
Additional 1-310-390-0131 (international)
Have you taught English abroad for three years or more? Do you have an exciting idea for an ESL/ EFL book? If so, please send an email to Eric@CompellingConversations.com with a brief description and we will get in touch with you.
“Dogs are our link to paradise. They don't know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden where doing nothing was not boring; it was peace.”
— Milan Kundera (1929-2023), Czech novelist and French citizen