Literary anthologies serve a practical purpose, whether as a text in an introductory course or as a tool for those interested in familiarizing themselves with the formal and historical range of materials on a particular subject. The anthologies listed here represent the formal range of literary texts (from performance art to prose fiction) and also the historical range (from pre-Columbian to the present). Though there is some overlap among these texts, each offers a constellation of readings, an opportunity to see and interpret a pattern of writing. Pablo Neruda is quoted as having said that art is indivisible from its context, historical and political. These anthologies help one understand not only the literary contributions of Latino/a writers, but also the historical and political forces too often and incorrectly rendered invisible. The Norton Anthology of Latino Literature and El Coro are both especially good: the former because of its range and the strength of its introductory and supporting materials; the latter because it reflects the insights and concerns of its editor, the important contemporary Latino poet Martín Espada. Those interested in developing a sense of historical breadth will find Nicolas Kanellos’s anthology Herencia particularly helpful.
Angels of the Americlypse: An Anthology of New Latin@ Writing, ed. by Carmen Giménez Smith and John Chávez. Counterpath, 2014.
El Coro: A Chorus of Latino and Latina Poetry, ed. by Martín Espada. Massachusetts, 1997.
Herencia: The Anthology of Hispanic Literature of the United States, ed. by Nicolas Kanellos. Oxford, 2002.
Latino Boom: An Anthology of U.S. Latino Literature, [comp.] by John S. Christie and José B. Gonzalez. Pearson/Longman, 2006.
The Norton Anthology of Latino Literature, gen. ed., Ilan Stavans; [ed.] by Edna Acosta-Belén et al. W. W. Norton, 2011 (CH, Mar’11, 48-3738).
Ramirez, Elizabeth C. Chicanas/Latinas in American Theatre: A History of Performance. Indiana, 2000.
La Voz Latina: Contemporary Plays and Performance Pieces by Latinas, ed. by Elizabeth C. Ramirez and Catherine Casiano. Illinois, 2011.
U.S. Latino Literature Today, [ed.] by Gabriela Baeza Ventura. Pearson/Longman, 2005.
The Wind Shifts: New Latino Poetry, ed. by Francisco Aragón. Arizona, 2007.