Lengua Fresca

by Augenbraum, Harold

• ISBN13: 9780618656707
• ISBN10: 0618656707
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-11-16
• Publisher: Mariner Books

Summary

Brazen, bold, nervy, and fresh: an unexpected take on Latino literature, spotlighting some of the culture's most exciting experimental and emerging voices. An entertaining, provocative and often exhilarating collection, Lengua Fresca celebrates some of the most original and cutting-edge work to emerge from the cultural collide that is Latino life in the United States. Featuring an eclectic mix of Latino writing including fiction, journalism, essays, comics, and even cultural ephemerathis unique anthology showcases literature found in unexpected places. Selections include stories from Junot Diaz and Ana Lydia Vega; graphic pieces from the Hernandez brothers (creators of the groundbreaking comix Love and Rockets) and Lalo Alcaraz (creator of La Cucaracha); and essays by Michele Serros and Dagoberto Gilb on pop culture topics such as The George Lopez Show and Taco Bell. The growth of Spanglish, the lingua franca of Hispanic communities, is highlighted as well. Compiled by the editors of the classroom favorite Growing Up Latino, Lengua Fresca offers an unconventional window on a vibrant, quickly expanding culture.

Table of Contents

Introduction	xiii
VOCES
Chango	3	(19)
Oscar Casares
The Visitor	22	(1)
Rane Arroyo
Don Quixote en Spanglish	23	(6)
Ilan Stavans
Tia Olivia Serves Wallace Stevens a Cuban Egg	29	(2)
Richard Blanco
Agua Pa' La Gente	31	(2)
Hip Hop Hoodios
Killer Cronica	33	(8)
Susana Chavez-Silverman
Pelos en la lengua	41	(4)
Giannina Braschi
FRONTERAS
Exiles	45	(2)
Juan Felipe Herrera
La Extranjera	47	(8)
Stephanie Elizondo Griest
La Cucaracha	55	(8)
Lalo Lopez Alcaraz
The KKK Comes to Hoppers	63	(4)
Hernandez Bros
Menu	67	(3)
The People of Paper	70	(11)
Salvador Plascencia
Tomato Potatoe, Chalupa Shaloopa	81	(10)
Dagoberto Gilb
Practice Tattoos	91	(13)
Michael Jaime-Becerra
Godoy Lives	104	(15)
Daniel Chacon
Lexicon of Exile	119	(2)
Aleida Rodriguez
Tijuana Cop	121	(9)
Luis Alberto Urrea
The Mission	130	(9)
Culture Clash
MELODRAMAS
Invasions, 1916	139	(10)
Nelly Rosario
Trace Elements of Random Tea Parties	149	(6)
Felicia Luna Lemus
An Island of Illusions	155	(22)
Luisita Lopez Torregrosa
Mother Jones	177	(2)
Lila Downs
Ashes	179	(15)
Cristina Henriquez
Good as Yesterday	194	(22)
Manuel Munoz
Loving Che	216	(4)
Ana Menendez
Contributors	220	(6)
About the Editors	226