Touching the Fire: Fifteen Poets of Today's Latino Renaissance (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780385478625)

As we approach the new century, Latino poetry is in the midst of its most vital and productive period. Poetry by Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, and Cuban Americans has changed the course of contemporary American writing forever. And it has done this by emphasizing poetry as the sound of everyday life--showing readers and other writers that the most effective manner of preserving the traditions of a culture comes from the colorful language of daily experience.

Touching the Fire recognizes the excitement of this movement by focusing on a few of its major poets, presenting a substantial portion of each poet's work. Some of these poets--Martin Espada, Lorna Dee Cervantes, and Victor Hernandez Vruz, for example--have been writing and publishing a long time. Some are only starting their careers. But they were all chosen because they best represent the strongest elements of modern Latino poetry--a confidence of language in its many forms, a gift for shattering emotional honesty, and an ear for the rhythms of a vibrant culture.

Featuring the poetry of:

Sandra M. Castillo
Lorna Dee Cervantes
Judith Ortiz Cofer
Victor Hernandez Cruz
Silvia Curbelo
Juan Delgado
Martin Espada
Diana Garcia
Richard Garcia
Ray Gonzalez
Maurice Kilwein Guevara
Juan Felipe Herrera
Dionisio D. Martinez
Valerie Martinez
Gloria Vando

Author: Ray Gonzalez
ISBN-10: 0385478623
ISBN-13: 9780385478625
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Language: English
Published: 01/20/1998
Pages: 316
Format: Paperback
Weight: 1.03lbs
Size: 8.86h x 5.96w x 0.81d

Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 01/01/1998 pg. 104
Booklist 02/15/1998 pg. 971