El Coro: A Chorus of Latino and Latina Poetry

by Martin Espada (Editor)

Overview

A rich collection of poetry that celebrates the experience of contemporary Latinos and Latinas. Here we find the open expression of anger and grief, self-mocking humor, protest, quiet assertion of dignity, and raucous celebration. Among the poets represented are former farm workers and gang members, a practicing physician, an ex-tenant lawyer, a professional chef, a Vietnam veteran, and more. 128 pp.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781558491113
Publisher:	University of Massachusetts Press
Publication date:	12/09/1997
Pages:	184
Product dimensions:	6.03(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.58(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Martin Espada's Imagine the Angels of Bread was awarded the American Book Award by the Before Columbus Foundation and was nominated earlier for a National Book Critics Circle Award. Espada has published five books of poetry and also edited Poetry Like Break: Poets of the Political Imagination from Curbstone Press. He is professor of English at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

University of Massachusetts Press

Editorial Reviews

Naming this one of the Outstanding Books of the Year, the Gustavus Myers Center wrote in its award citation: "The cultural arts play a major role in sustaining a people's dignity, and in strengthening their abilities to combat bigotry. The poems selected by Martin Espada demonstrate this well. The Myers tribute is to the numerous Latino/a writers living and/or working in New England whose poems are shared. Espada introduces the historical, sociopolitical, and literary context in which to read the poems. A near equal number of women and men poets from at least ten countries of origin are included in this collection. Some writing is intensely personal; some overtly political; and some provocatively combine the two. The Myers Review Panel found the collection aesthetically, politically, linguistically, and otherwise outstanding."

Gustavus Myers Center

"Forty-three poets are represented in this new anthology of Latino verse...Concern with racism, nature, feminism, anger, roots, cultural identity, family, and sexuality sour out of these poems, which reward the reader with their diversity, lyrical strength and richness."

Virginia Quarterly Review

Espada (English, Univ. of Massachusetts) has compiled a successful assortment of 43 Latino poets writing in English, unusual in that a high number live in New England. To eschew favoritism, he arranged an entire generation of contributors alphabetically, mixing well-established names like Gary Soto with several younger lesser-knowns. A mixture of styles is also included: sonnets, prose poems, and concrete poetry are all here. Although most of the selections were previously published locally, their treatment of the themes of the Latino experience, the indignity of racism, and the quest for the preservation of cultural identity make them deserving of a wider audience. Julio Marzan sums it up the best: "Next spring I will be/ Forty years a foreigner." Espada, himself a poet of some renown (Imagine the Angels of Bread, LJ 6/1/96) and a contributor to this volume, has provided a good, useful vehicle for disseminating that broader cultural awareness. Recommended.Lawrence Olszewski, OCLC Lib., Dublin, Ohio

Library Journal