Composed and Compiled by the students in ENL 352 U.S. Latinx Literature, Fall 2023

Including, but not limited to: Isabelle Briggs, Sienna Figueroa, Faith Hansford, Anthony Maradiaga, Evelin Mendez Merida, Alison Pinto, Rachel Pullino, Valeria Rodriguez, Luna Spalding-Aguirre, Darlenys Tolentino, and Ben Vargas

Elizabeth Acevedo is the daughter of two immigrants from the Dominican Republic and identifies as Afro-Latina. Acevedo's poem "A Daughter Named Nina" is about the weight of a name given to a child. I know that my own name was given to me with a purpose and that helps me see how the name in Acevedo’s poem holds the weight of culture.

 

 

A Daughter Named After Nina

BY ELIZABETH ACEVEDO

voice of incoming 2 express train

 

pray herself altar

 

 

contort mouth shotgun:

 

sawed off           a saw

 

 

soften tongue songbird

 

hands mosaicked mirrors

 

 

donning skin like battle gear

 

dawning skin like evening gown

 

 

this name pinned on her shoulders;

 

a heavy mantle. an incantation.

 

 

Acevedo, Elizabeth. “A Daughter Named after Nina.” Poetry (March 2021). www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/155521/a-daughter-named-after-nina.

Books by Elizabeth Acevedo at SSU Library

Francisco X Alarcón's poetry emphasizes the sacrifice that immigrants have made to leave everything behind in search of a better life, leaving their countries with nothing but hope to their name, to seek a place that does not accept them. The disadvantages they face on top of the hate they receive is enough to make them want to give up. Alarcón reassures those who have lost everything that great things are to come. He reminds them to let the strength in their actions speak for them, and that their sacrifices will be worth it.

 

 

 

 

Excerpt from 

To Those Who Have Lost Everything

BY FRANCISCO X. ALARCÓN

crossed

in despair

many deserts

full of hope

 

carrying

their empty

fists of sorrow

everywhere

Alarcón, Francisco. “To Those Who Have Lost Everything” Poetry Foundation, 2019. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/53881/to-those-who-have-lost-everything

Books by Francisco X. Alarcón at SSU Library 

Isabel Cañas' The Hacienda is an intriguing fictional horror novel set only a few years after the Mexican War of Independence. The novel not only gives a historical perspective of how the war affected the country, but also how it affected people on a very personal level. One such example is found in Beatriz, the protagonist of the novel, who lost both family and a place to call home in the war and is still dealing with the trauma she obtained from such losses. That trauma leads to her desire to have a home, somewhere where she can be safe and never have to fear again. However, her deep desire blinds her to the dangers that lie in Hacienda San Isidro only once it is too late is that her desire for a home has taken her directly into danger once more. Cañas researched the culture of early 19th century Mexico and is honoring the ideas and traditions of that time with respect. One such example is the gender roles and stereotypes of women that they should remain in the house and be married off at a certain age. In Beatriz's own words, "And at twenty, I faced a ticking clock: marry soon, when I was seen as fresh and virginal and desirable, or marry not at all" (20). However, just because Cañas acknowledges these cultural values of 19th century Mexico does not mean that Beatriz adheres to all of them. Beatriz has ambition, cunning, and is willing to weaponize herself in a way that aligns herself as a femme fatal more than following the strict marianismo ideals that Latina women are "meant" to idealize. Cañas' novel offers the reader an exciting view into the life of a 19th century woman fighting for her life in a supernaturally cursed house, while also touching on the traditions and cultures of Mexico. It is certainly worth a read, especially for someone who is a fan of suspense and horror novels.

 

Books by Isabel Cañas at SSU Library 

Jenzo Duque, a Colombian American author, calls out the exploitation of tourism culture that many colonized Latin American countries are forced into in this poem, which is published as a duo with another poem, “One of the Good Ones.” This poem covers themes of displacement and colonization as it identifies how the very same beaches that tourists lounge and shop on are also the ones where Spanish colonizers landed and began their conquests of stealing land and displacing Indigenous populations. Duque places criticism not at the Colombian people he writes about, who work in this industry to survive, but at the colonizers and the tourists – who think they can enjoy the land without realizing who it was stolen from. He reminds us that being a tourist is not an innocent act, especially if you can ignore how the industries you’re feeding into are built on the backs of the displaced, slaughtered, and forgotten. This poem also allows us to remember how displacement and colonization continue to affect people both who remained in the colonized places as well as those who left.

Excerpt from 

How Can You Write Revolution if Palenqueras Still Pose for Pesos

BY JENZO DUQUE

why is it that no matter the nation
color or creed sanded beaches bear
colonial tongues have usurped its grains
and displaced our history’s shade
still spilling from the firmament

i have never set foot on a coastline
where the tanned palms of its poorest
didn’t try to sell me something:
twisted braids with which we scale
the heights of disenfranchisement
machete-scarred coconuts whose
wet mouths agape reek of milk and rum
shellfish buckets brined in the same salt
water that spanish galleon’s kissed
as they grazed the shoulders
of sleeping peoples now seized

Duque, Jenzo. “How Can You Write Revolution If Palenqueras Still Pose for Pesos.” Wax Nine Records, 28 July 2021, www.waxnine.com/journal/jenzo-duque/

A census is a procedure that systematically surveys a population and records various details of individuals in this nation. Mortification is a feeling of great embarrassment and shame. To be humiliated on the very soil you stand on, simply for being who you are, is a trend I’m seeing quite a lot these days in this world. Do people understand the amount of dehumanization that goes on within this society, that will continue to go on without voices to provoke change? This poem speaks on the lack of humanity and dignity given to a particular group of individuals for their heritage and skin color. Please take a read and open your eyes to the reality of humanity in this modern society.

Excerpt from 

Mortification by Census 

Launch Audio in a New Window

BY RODNEY GÓMEZ

brown but which kind?

no entry for oleander

no entry for ocean spume

 

this cell by which various selves are collocated

this cell by which various selves are evaluated

 

to geocode the soul

part sweat stain       part hunger

Gómez, Rodney. “Mortification by Census.” Poetry Foundation, 2021. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/160029/mortification-by-census

Tato Laviera's poem "Commonwealth" is a significant piece of Latinx literature because it speaks to Puerto Rican heritage, identity, and some of the challenges faced by the community. Laviera writes about the state of “limbo” created by the status of Puerto Rico being neither an autonomous nation nor a state. It is a demonstration of the cultural struggles surrounding identity due to the history of colonialism that is shared by so many within the Latinx community.

Excerpt from 

 

Commonwealth 

BY TATO LAVIERA 

 

no, not yet, no, not yet

i will not proclaim myself,

a total child of any land,

i’m still in the commonwealth

stage of my life, wondering

what to decide, what to conclude,

what to declare myself.

Laviera, Tato. “Commonwealth.” The New York Times, 13 Feb. 2010, [From AmeRícan, Arte Público Press, University of Houston (artepublicopress.com)] www.nytimes.com/2010/02/13/nyregion/13poem.html?smid=url-share.

Books by Tato Laviera at SSU Library 

Tato Laviera’s poem “my graduation speech” is a very insightful take on being bilingual and the importance of Spanglish, which mixes English and Spanish together. Laviera writes about switching from one language to write in another and how confusing it can be for someone to have to do this constantly. There are instances of sentences not making sense when translated, showing that the barrier between English and Spanish can affect someone’s ability to communicate. Laviera ends the poem with the quote “¡ay, virgen, yo no sé hablar!”, stating that this confusion makes him feel as if he doesn’t know how to speak at all, which is important to many bilingual people who struggle with the same feeling.

Excerpt from

my graduation speech

BY TATO LAVIERA

i think in spanish

i write in english

 

i want to go back to puerto rico,

but i wonder if my kink could live

in ponce, mayagüez and carolina

 

tengo las venas aculturadas

escribo en spanglish

abraham in español

abraham in english

tato in spanish

"taro" in english

tonto in both languages

Laviera, Tato. “My Graduation Speech” Benedición: The Complete Poetry of Tato Laviera (Arte Público Press, 2014) https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/58189/my-graduation-speech

Books by Tato Laviera at SSU Library 

Born in Gijón, Spain, Alejandro Ordoñez initially pursued Economics. However, he discovered that this path didn't fulfill him. Driven by his passion for writing, he made the courageous decision to leave behind his career in Economics and fully immerse himself in the world of writing. His first book published in 2017 Ojalá Te Enamores, introduced me to the world of Spanish poetry. Growing up, the resonance of Spanish held a profound significance for me, as its words seemed to convey emotions and sentiments in a way that English couldn't quite capture. My mother, in particular, would always express her love for me in Spanish, deepening my connection to the language. Upon discovering his book, the first poem titled the same, "Ojalá Te Enamores," struck a chord within me compelling me to continue reading. In those words, I could hear my mother's voice and feel the warmth of her love. Ordoñez invites readers to vicariously experience the depth of such emotions. The weight of his prose beautifully encapsulates a love that is profound, genuine, and something everyone deserves. Love is a beautiful force that transcends boundaries, and this notion is depicted so beautifully in his words. I believe it should be universally felt by everyone, and through his writing, he achieves just that. Witnessing how words can artfully carry such a profound and beautiful essence fills my heart with gratitude, knowing that a Hispanic creator like Alejandro Ordoñez is the mastermind behind this creation.

Ordoñez, Alejandro. Ojalá Te Enamores. Nube de Tinta, 2017.

Born in 1952 in Hormigueros, Puerto Rico, Judith Ortiz Cofer was a Puerto Rican American author. Due to her father’s Military career, she spent much of her life traveling between Puerto Rico and New Jersey before settling in Georgia when she was 15. Cofer's vast expanse of works draws influence from her identity as both a Puerto Rican and American woman and the twoness of the identities that she experienced throughout her life.
In the poem, “El Olvido” (1987), the speaker is calling out the dangers of forgetting about one's heritage and roots. Considering Cofer's background as a Puerto Rican American who grew up in both places, the poem's themes of struggle with identity and conformity is something that many Latino/a Americans can relate to. The poem reads as a story or cautionary tale of someone who ignored or forgot their roots, heritage and morals, in order to conform.

In the lines, "It is dangerous to spurn the clothes you were born to wear for the sake of fashion;" Cofer points to the struggle to conform that Latino/a Americans face when living in a place where they are the minority and face ethnicized oppression. Whoever the speaker is speaking to here has disregarded their heritage in order to fit in better with the norms. The lines "Dangerous to disdain the plaster saints before which your mother kneels praying with embarrassing fervor that you survive in the place you have chosen to live: a bare, cold room with no pictures on the walls, a forgetting place where she feels you will die of Loneliness and exposure" show the results of the person in this poem forgetting their roots. The line also shows how unsafe it truly is for Latino/a Americans to live in a place where they are forced to conform. The mother spoken about in this line serves as a representation for the many parents of Latino/a Americans that face discrimination and persecution by the oppressive systems woven into the foundations of the U.S that target minorities like the Latino/a community. The doubleness of their identity is something that many Latino/a Americans have to always consider when living in the U.S. The experience of being at a crossroads and feeling like you have to choose between being American or being Latino is a grating experience because there really is no way to be one single identity in a white-dominated society when adopting the "American way" serves to ostracize Latino/a culture.

Works Consulted

Acosta-Belen, Edna. "Judith Ortiz Cofer." New Georgia Encyclopedia, 12 September 2003, https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/judith-ortiz-cofer-1952-2016/.

El Olvido

BY JUDITH ORTIZ COFER

It is a dangerous thing

to forget the climate of your birthplace,

to choke out the voices of dead relatives

when in dreams they call you

by your secret name.

It is dangerous

to spurn the clothes you were born to wear

for the sake of fashion; dangerous

to use weapons and sharp instruments

you are not familiar with; dangerous

to disdain the plaster saints

before which your mother kneels

praying with embarrassing fervor

that you survive in the place you have chosen to live:

a bare, cold room with no pictures on the walls,

a forgetting place where she fears you will die

of loneliness and exposure.

Jesús, María, y José, she says,

el olvido is a dangerous thing.

Judith Ortiz Cofer, “El Olvido” from Terms of Survival. Copyright © 1987 by Judith Ortiz Cofer. Reprinted by permission of Arte Público Press.

Source: Terms of Survival (Arte Público Press, 1987)

Ortiz Cofer, Judith. “El Olvido.” Terms of Survival, Arte Público Press, 1987.  https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/54128/el-olvido

Books by Judith Ortiz Cofer at SSU Library 

“The River on Our Face” by Emmy Pérez, a self-described Chicanx poet and writer, is a poem about the Río Grande River. Of course, it is about more than that. It is at once about an ancient natural fixture, a place where natural life thrives, and it is also about a border, something restrictive, something that kills and that has been tainted by border patrol and violence. It is a poem with weight in its light and repetitive structure. It is a poem that uses the Spanish terms for the nature it describes and incorporates the indigeneity and Mexican-ness of the river and the land and history that it is connected to. It is also a personal reflection on the water and how this river touches so many in so many figurative and literal ways.

 

Excerpt from 

The River on Our Face

BY EMMY PÉREZ

With el río grande~bravo

                 in our face

This river

                 at its mouth

                 at its source

With you at its source

                 its sources

With you at the snow

                 the evergreens

The million earth holes

                 of water emerging

                 emerald

Snakes, Gloria Anzaldúa's

                 grave

With this river

                 on our face

Perez, Emmy. “The River on Our Face.” Poetry Foundation, 2016. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/91471/the-river-on-our-face

In this piece Noel Quiñones highlights real issues Latinx people face who may feel like they do not identify as “Latino” since they feel like they do not represent the culture as much as they should. In this spoken word poem, he mentions Confession 3: “I’ve worn so many of my family member’s stories that I confuse my childhood for theirs.” This is powerful in the sense where as a Latino child you often reflect on the early life of your parents and wonder if you will be raised that way as well, and you think about it so much to the point you almost are ready for it. In confession 6, he writes: “My skin, always mistaken for home, my last name an invitation to strangers who say ‘your parents should’ve taught you.’” This is very important and relatable to people of Latinx descent who can’t speak the language very well; they are often judged for it when in reality it is not their fault. This poem is very powerful in many ways, and it is highly relatable to many members of the Latinx community.

Quiñones, Noel, “8 Confessions of My Tongue” Button Poetry, June, 2017. https://buttonpoetry.com/noel-quin%CC%83ones-8-confessions-tongue/

In this poem by Luis Daniel Salgado we can see how he describes his maturity throughout various examples, from the most simple of eating bugs, to the grand idea of the world consuming him. Slowly but surely, he shows us how he comes to recognize his mother's age and the idea that he had about her being forever present and there to help him. His biggest clues to get to this conclusion were his mother's wrinkles and the wisdom that she carries, how she doesn't focus on her physical appearance as much because she says "that is a young woman's game." I think this is a great example of how many of us get the realization that our parents won't be here forever and that all their effort to raise us and to help us become who we are today included to one day be able to share this knowledge with us, as one day their parents did with them.

 

Excerpt from 

Mi Casa

BY LUIS DANIEL SALGADO

When I was a boy

I was either a child eating bugs

or a child being eaten by bugs, but

now that I am older am I a man

who devours the world or am I a man

being devoured by the world?

Salgado, Luis Daniel. "Mi casa." Poetry Magazine, October, 2023, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/155481/mi-casa

Yesika Salgado is a 39-year-old poet who writes about her culture, family, identity, and body. Her poem “Brown Girl” expresses her frustration with stereotypes and gender roles in her culture. She expresses her love for reading and writing, but people in her community believe she should focus on cooking and cleaning to help her mom. This poem speaks to many Latinx women by speaking of Salgado herself. Her story resonates with many individuals; on YouTube, a comment read, “I'm a Korean male, but this got me tears welling nose dripping. I can relate to this in so many ways. Love the beautiful words. Thank you for your poetry.” Growing up low-income and even homeless at times, my own family’s expectations for college were not met when I, too, gave in to my love for reading and writing. Salgado’s experiences are her own but the emotions behind them are not unique to her alone. Her poem connects us to her stories, allowing us to see things from her perspective, whether or not we are from her communities.

Salgado, Yesika. “Brown Girl.” Corazón, 2017. https://buttonpoetry.com/yesika-salgado-brown-girl-100k-views/