This article is part of Palabras, the Latin Post series highlighting and celebrating Latino authors.

Xicanisma captures the millennia-long experiences of the Chicana feminist, since the time of La Malinche/Malintzin, a Nahua woman who stood beside conquistador Hernán Cortés and played a steering role in the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, until now.

However, it was Chicana novelist, artist and poet Ana Castillo who coined the term "Xicanisma" during the 1980s; at a time when the lives of Chicanas were finally being formalized into writing. Sexism endured within the active Chicano movement created rifts within the ranks and Castillo recognized a need for an isolated term for Chicana feminists.

So, to depart for Chicanismo, Castillo chose to use an 'X,' and she used the newfangled term with great power in her brilliant work "Massacre of the Dreamers: Essays on Xicanisma," a non-fiction publication that was developed out of a need to address a feminism that was focused on Mexican/Chicana/Mexican-American and Mexican indigenous women.

"The moment you give something a name, you acknowledge its existence, you empower it. Since, coining Xicanisma and 'Massacre of the Dreamers,' and a few others books in that era, Chicana feminism has been established in academia and in grassroots organizing," Castillo said to Latin Post. "The literary contribution of the Chicanas of my generation have empowered the subsequent generations of U.S. Latinas with regards to pursuing their education. Also, because of the popularity of MFA programs, the proliferation of writers and poets includes Latinas and gay Latinos. I include gay (and transgender) here because such aspiring writers and academics have also benefited from Chicana feminist thought."

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Castillo spent periods of her life in California and in New Mexico, where she used illustration and writing to tell her story -- using whatever materials were available due to her humble upbringing. In early adulthood, she focused her attention on poetry for self-expression, and began to seek out other forms of writing as a way to contribute to social change and to address injustice. And it was in her mid-20s that she assumed her position as a feminist.

She published a book of poetry ("Otro Canto") before she even finished graduate school, and continued on to write 14 books, including the novels "Watercolor Women/Opaque Men," "The Guardians" and her latest work "Give It to Me." Those three books and others are the exemplary byproducts of her inspirations: La Virgen de Guadalupe; lanopales (the plant, not the food); the legacy of the great pre-Columbian civilizations of Mexico; prayer and meditation; her adobe capilla in the desert; her mother and abuelita; the many of the people whom she's slept with throughout her life (occasionally seasonally); churches and temples worldwide; animalitos; the desert and its skies; the infinity of the night; the Bible; frijoles; chiles and red lipstick.

"'Watercolor Women/Opaque Men' is a novel told in thiree-line free verse. It is an epic account of the life of a 'nameless' woman who is born in the labor camps of this country, works in the fields until she runs away and becomes an artist, mother and makes a living how she can. She is her own woman. The poems also address other women's and men's lives," said Castillo. "'The Guardians' is a novel about an undocumented high school youth left with his aunt on this side of the border. His parents have both disappeared and he ends up going down the wrong path. The inspiration for the story comes from the environment where I have made my home for ten years, which is out in the desert in Southern New Mexico.

"[And] 'Give It to Me' is a novel that came out in 2014. I work hard at challenging myself, and the story was driven by comedic episodes. It's about a woman who is unapologetically herself and owns her sexuality. Not everything is lighthearted in her life, quite often the contrary. Somehow she manages to get through it all to a very promising future," Castillo concluded.

During Latin Post's interview with Ana Castillo, she also discussed writing about one's culture in a nation that doesn't actively pursue that knowledge; the long time marginalization of Mexicans despite fundamental contributions; Chicana academics' reliance on black feminism and the term 'womanism' (coined by Alice Walker); and her own work in the scoop of the Chicano legacy.

"I don't think I am the one to respond to how my work has captured the importance of the Chicano legacy. Sometimes it's categorized as such, along with other poets and artists of my generation. However, I have not stopped writing and publishing. And my works address current issues," Castillo stated. "My newest novel, 'Give It to Me,' takes place during the recent recession and is about a 'fashionista,' a sexually uninhibited woman. Also, the 20th anniversary updated edition of my essays on 'Xicanima' address current issues. 'The Guardians,' a novel I produced a few years back, addressed the U.S./Border undocumented migrant crisis. My legacy, if I should speak to my work that way, is still being formed."

In addition to the recent publication of "Give it to Me" and 20th anniversary release of "Massacre of The Dreamers: Essays on Xicanisma" through the University of New Mexico Press, Castillo continues leave her mark. She's working on the completion of two non-fiction projects, "My Mother's Mexico: New and Collected Essays" and a new book of poetry.

"There are always projects in the works," the author remarked concisely. "No doubt, I'm old school. But, even so, I've come to my writing life on my own and on my own terms. Not having studied writing or literature formally, I remain free to follow my own instincts. Let's see where they take me next."

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