Sometimes called "The Latina Terry McMillan" and "The Godmother of Chica Lit," Alisa Valdes published her first novel, "The Dirty Girls Social Club," over a decade ago, and she hasn't stopped since. Eleven years, 11 novels, four novelitas, three anthologies and one memoir later, Valdes has been published in 11 languages and been named one of the 25 Most Influential Hispanics in the United States by Time Magazine.
Twenty years after the publication of her first memoir, Esmeralda Santiago has become one of the most recognized names and voices in Latino literature, and her works have laid the foundation for Puerto Rican identity in prose, particularly as an immigrant and a woman.
Rich Villar, the Puerto Rican/Cuban author of the poetry collection "Comprehending Forever," has been waging a war with words since he was young, supported in battle by teachers and parents who saw poetry as a vital competent of a well-rounded education.
Globalization, and its exchange of ideas about norms, culture, and industry among global peers, could be the key to saving us all, according to the creator of the interculturally conscious virtual community Via Pangaea. Liesa M. Wise, a registered pro-bono investment advisor, with a complex background that includes everything from paralegal certification to TEFL certification, launched the website in July 2013 with the intention of creating a dialogue among "people of all stripes and persuasions, getting along through their version of life."
Editors at Bomb Magazine published a terrific literary exchange between the stellar Haitian-American author Edwidge Danticat and the Dominican frontrunner for well-written and finely-crafted fiction, Junot Díaz. The introduction to the article made a compelling statement, remarking that if Marvel Comics had gotten their hands on Oscar Wao (the lead from The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao), then he "would have been a hero." A novel idea... in fact, one might imagine the same might occur if Marvel got its hands on Díaz. However, Díaz would undoubtedly disagree.
George Zimmerman, the "innocent" man who is best known for his part in the fatal shooting of teenager Trayvon Martin, is having his ethnic identity questioned, as many immediately classified him as "white" before and during his trial, and some are now referring to him as "white Hispanic."
