Red Hot Salsa: Bilingual Poems on Being Young and Latino in the United States; Lorie Marie Carlson

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

--from "My Graduation Speech," by Tato Laviera

A new collection of bilingual poems from the bestselling editor of Cool Salsa

Ten years after the publication of the acclaimed Cool Salsa, editor Lori Marie Carlson has brought together a stunning variety of Latino poets for a long-awaited follow-up. Established and familiar names are joined by many new young voices, and Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Oscar Hijuelos has written the Introduction.

The poets collected here illuminate the difficulty of straddling cultures, languages, and identities. They celebrate food, family, love, and triumph. In English, Spanish, and poetic jumbles of both, they tell us who they are, where they are, and what their hopes are for the future.

April 1, 2005

About the Author

Lori Marie Carlson was born in Jamestown, New York. She went to college at Indiana University, earning a MA in Hispanic Literature. She has taught at several universities.

Carlson has written several books for children and young adults, including Cool Salsa and Sol a Sol. The Sunday Tertulia is her first novel for adults.