Puerto Rican-American author Anjanette Delgado wanted to know how and why love turns into hate when she wrote "The Clairvoyant of Calle Ocho." The question was formed when she was being raised by her mother and an abusive and sadistic father in a Puerto Rican "caserío" and it persisted even after she, her sister and her mother escaped to New York City during the late 1970s.
Buenos Aires, Argentina was home to author-illustrator Lila Quintero Weaver until age five, when she and her family immigrated to a small town in Alabama during 1961, in the heart of Alabama's Black Belt. "Darkroom: A Memoir in Black and White" is an ode to the staying power of that family history and recognition that the ability to read and manipulate language is an "amazing privilege."
Novelist Ernesto Quiñonez published his first book "Bodega Dreams" in 2000. The enthralling work was promptly declared "a New Immigrant Class" by The New York Times. The narrative, with its El Barrio-raised protagonist, has received nods from Barnes & Noble, the Los Angeles Times and Time Magazine, who've praised Quiñonez for his prose, evocation of life and extraordinary ability to detail passion.
Zoraida Córdova, the acclaimed Young Adult novelist, immigrated to the United States from Guayaquil, Ecuador at the age of 6. Her relocation to the multicultural metropolis of New York City made a profound impression on her, and it deeply informed her writing. Her trilogy, "The Vicious Deep," owns Brooklyn as its backdrop, yet each character in the riveting, urban fantasy novels claims a small bit of Ecuador.
Escritora Melinda Palacio is renowned and known best for her chapbook "Folsom Lockdown," her full-length poetry book "How Fire Is a Story, Waiting," and her novel, "Ocotillo Dreams." Those works, in addition to contributions to journals and anthologies, have proven her creative prowess and asserted her as a key player in American & American Latino literature.
When author Natalia Sylvester was young, a teacher told her that there's a story behind every story behind every story. And Sylvester found this to be exceptionally true when applied to the narrative of Latinos and Latino writers in the U.S.
Elvis Valle, author of the historical novella "The Big Cave," looked to personal experiences when composing the fictional work, which gives a face to the terror of civil war and takes readers on a journey of hope, love, tragedy and loss during a time of civil unrest.
"Mañana Means Heaven" author Tim Z. Hernandez pays respect to his heritage and his family each time he writes stories about the people, experiences and realities that he and his family come from.
Daisy Hernandez, author of the must-read "A Cup of Water Under My Bed: A Memoir," was politicized by feminism. The social movement made an impression on the reluctantly controversial NPR contributor, making her starkly aware of her personal identity and the gendered lessons imparted on her during her upbringing.
Sandra López wrote "Esperanza" while juggling a full course load of classes. With little time to devote to the project she had to quickly pen the story, which in many ways spoke to her own experience of "growing up in a poor barrio as the eldest daughter of an absentee father and a single, working mother."
A narrative work that's unapologetic and compelling, addressing immigration, maturation, abandonment, isolation and triumph is not a tale that's easily told. Yet Cecilia M. Fernandez, writer and journalist, shares her story "Leaving Little Havana: A Memoir of Miami's Cuban Ghetto," as if sharing easy conversation a with collection of friends with parallel experiences.
The blending of dreams, waking thoughts and beloved characters fills the pages of Aleman's books. And the dark humor, eroticism and sense of deep-seated longing are fluent and everflowing in the works.
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.
In an interview with Latin Post, Perdomo spoke about his new work, "The Essential Hits of Shorty Bon Bon." The collection's potent images and dulcet characters feel driven by electricity, affixed to a canvas where the three characters "persuade each other of their love, their art, and their sense of freedom."
When it comes to reality -- life off of the page -- the MIT professor, Pulitzer Prize winner and compulsive reader Junot Díaz still flourishes. Díaz recently shared his thoughts on immigration, activism, advocacy and cultural identity in an email interview with Latin Post; the author's answers are as bold and astounding as one might expect from the frank novelist. "I'm an activist before I'm a writer. That's about as much as I can say without sounding ridiculous," said Díaz, who's been extremely vocal about the "sentencia" and stateless Haitians in the Dominican Republic.
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.
Denationalization of Haitians and Haitian-Dominican citizens in the Dominican Republic has exposed the hate, apathy, and possible xenophobia within the community.
