I realized as I started this list that I wasn’t certain about the difference between Hispanic & Latinx. So, I did some research. Hispanic is a cultural identity of Americans who trace their roots to Spanish speaking countries. This is different from Latinx, though there is overlap. And that also means a lot of diversity! This short film is a quick primer about what it means to be Hispanic and a little info on the significance of HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH and how it came to be.
This list includes fiction, poetry and podcasting by Hispanic-Americans, as well as work that celebrates the myriad cultures they represent.
POETRY
The Whole Island: Six Decades of Cuban Poetry, a Bilingual Anthology edited by Mark Weiss
Deeply rooted in Cuban culture, many of these poets have been at the center of political and social changes. The poems offered here constitute an essential source for understanding the literature and culture of Cuba. Presented in a beautiful Spanish-English edition.
Ameriscopia by Edwin Torres
Shattering the definition of Latino into a million little pieces, poet Edwin Torres reassembles identity into something that is more likely and at the same time unexpected, complex, and multifaceted. From conversations in cars to fast-beat lullabies, Ameriscopia is a collection that taps into rhythms both distinctive and dynamic.
The Real Horse by Farid Matuk
A sustained address to the poet’s daughter, this collection asks readers to think deeply about our place in the world, multiracial connections and intersectional feminism.
Buzzing Hemisphere : Rumor Hemisferico by Urayoán Noel
Imagines an alternative to the monolingualism of the U.S. literary and political landscape, and proposes a performance attuned to marginalized forms of knowledge, perception, and identity.
Twelve Clocks by Julie Sophia Paegle
This book consists of interconnected poems concerned with various modes of time and their relation to personal and historical events.
FICTION
Lucky Broken Girl by Ruth Behar
In 1960s New York, fifth-grader Ruthie, a Cuban-Jewish immigrant, must rely on books, art, her family, and friends in her multicultural neighborhood when an accident puts her in a body cast.
The Feast of the Goat by Mario Vargas Llosa
It is 1961. The Dominican Republic languishes under economic sanctions, the Catholic church spurs its clergy against the government from its highest ranks down, the country is arrested in bone-chilling fear. Vargas Llosa unflinchingly tells the story of a regime’s final days and the unsteady efforts of the men who would replace it.
Sabrina & Corina by Kali Fajardo-Anstine
Latinas of Indigenous descent living in the American West take center stage in this haunting debut story collection—a powerful meditation on friendship, mothers and daughters, and the deep-rooted truths of our homelands.
Don’t Hate the Player by Alexis Nedd
Sixteen-year-old Emilia, secretly a dedicated gamer, competes with her elite team in a major tournament at the same time she and her best friend are running for class president and vice president.
A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende
In the 1930s, civil war gripped Spain. Thousands are forced to flee over the mountains to the French border. Among them is a pregnant young widow who finds her life irreversibly intertwined with an army doctor. In order to survive, the two must unite in a marriage neither wants, and together embark with 2,200 other refugees in search of a new life.
Telex from Cuba by Rachel Kushner
In Havana, a cabaret dancer meets a French agitator whose seductive demeanor can’t mask his shameful past. Together they become enmeshed in the brewing political underground. When Fidel Castro leads a revolt from the mountains above the cane plantation, K.C. and Everly begin to discover the brutality that keeps the colony humming.
FILMS IN KANOPY
Explore movies in Kanopy for free. Go to nmc.kanopy.com and login using your NMC ID and password.
BEYOND THE LIBRARY: PODCASTS
Wait, Hold Up!
Hosted by Jessica Molina and Yarel Ramos, the Wait, Hold Up! podcast brings a weekly interview with luminaries on the moments that changed their lives. Molina and Ramos also delve into the latest pop culture and politics with refreshing candor. Recent highlights include an episode on changing toxic relationship patterns, immigration reform, and fighting imposter syndrome.
Tres Cuentos
Carolina Quiroga-Stultz hosts this bilingual storytelling podcast that’s dedicated to the traditional narratives of Latin America. It explores the myths, legends, and folktales that are told in the Hispanic, Indigenous, and Afro-Latin American world. It’s a truly beautiful podcast, and lit lovers will enjoy their series interviewing Latino authors across different countries and cultures.
In The Thick
If you’re looking for a daring podcast that doesn’t hesitate to feature difficult conversations, try In the Thick, hosted by award-winning journalists Maria Hinojosa and Julio Ricardo Varela. They don’t hold back when discussing race, identity, and politics with episodes that feature topics such as domestic terrorism, the cycles of trauma, and census suppression