New Immigrant Literatures in the United States
by
Alpana S. Knippling (Editor)
During the last 50 years, the United States has become the home of immigrants from many Asian and Caribbean countries, and it has continued to receive people from European countries as well. Writers from these immigrant groups have greatly enriched American literature and society since World War II, and their works reflect their experiences as newcomers to the United States. Furthermore, their writings reflect their cultural heritage and tell the story of their ancestral lands. This reference is a comprehensive guide to immigrant literatures in the United States during the last five decades. Broad sections of the volume are devoted to Asian-American, Caribbean-American, European-American, and Mexican-American literatures. Within each section, individual chapters treat particular immigrant groups. Previously underrepresented groups, such as Pakistani Americans, Korean Americans, and Mexican Americans, are given special attention; and whenever possible, the volume discusses writings by immigrant women. The chapters are written by expert contributors. Each chapter provides a thorough historical and critical overview and extensive primary and secondary bibliographies. Many of the contributors place immigrant literature within larger socio-cultural contexts, commenting on immigration policies, problems of language and translation, and work in new media, such as film and television.
Call Number: DVC - Pleasant Hill Library - Stacks PS153.M56 N475 1996
Making Face, Making Soul - Haciendo Caras
by
Gloria Anzaldúa (Editor)
A bold collection of creative pieces and theoretical essays by women of color. New thought and new dialogue: a book that will teach in the most multiple sense of that word: a book that will be of lasting value to many diverse communities of women as well as to students from those communities. The authors explore a full spectrum of present concerns in over seventy pieces that vary from writing by new talents to published pieces by Audre Lorde, Joy Harjo, Norma Alarcon and Trinh T. Minh-ha. "At one level or another, all the work in the collection seeks to find ways to understand and articulate our multiple identities and senses of place... . Making Face/Making Soul is an exciting collection of dynamic, important writings that all women of color and white feminists will learn from, enjoy, and return to again and again and again." - Sojourner "... the pieces are stunning in what they risk and reveal... " - The San Francisco Chronicle
Call Number: DVC - Pleasant Hill Library - Stacks PS509.F44 M35 1990
Arab-American and Muslim Writers
Arab-American and Muslim Writers discusses the authors from this rich heritage that have made lasting contributions to the American literary landscape. Authors such as Claire Messud, Mohja Kahf, Samuel Hazo, Malcolm X, Amiri Baraka, and Kahlil Gibran are among the many profiled in this offering, which also covers the now-canonical works frequently assigned in classrooms today.
Call Number: DVC - Pleasant Hill Library - ESL Collection PS153.A73 L39 2010
On Sacred Ground: The Spirit of Place in Pacific Northwest Literature - eBook
by
Nicholas O'Connell
On Sacred Ground explores the literature of the Northwest, the area that extends from the Pacific Ocean to the Rocky Mountains, and from the forty-ninth parallel to the Siskiyou Mountains. The Northwest exhibits astonishing geographical diversity and yet the entire bioregion shares a similarity of climate, flora, and fauna. For Nicholas O Connell, the effects of nature on everyday Northwest life carry over to the region's literature. Although Northwest writers address a number of subjects, the relationship between people and place proves the dominant one, and that has been true since the first tribes settled the region and began telling stories about it, thousands of years ago. Indeed, it is the common thread linking Chief Seattle to Theodore Roethke, Narscissa Whitman to Ursula K. Le Guin, Joaquin Miller to Ivan Doig, Marilynne Robinson to Jack London, Betty MacDonald to Gary Snyder. Tracing the history of Pacific Northwest literary works--from Native American myths to the accounts of explorers and settlers, the effusions of the romantics, the sharply etched stories of the realists, the mystic visions of Northwest poets, and the contemporary explosion of Northwest poetry and prose--O Connell shows how the most important contribution of Northwest writers to American literature is their articulation of a more spiritual human relationship with landscape. Pacific Northwest writers and storytellers see the Northwest not just as a source of material wealth but as a spiritual homeland, a place to lead a rich and fulfilling life within the whole context of creation. And just as the relationship between people and place serves as the unifying feature of Northwest literature, so also does literature itself possess a perhaps unique ability to transform a landscape into a sacred place."
Call Number: online eBook
Asian-American Writers
by
Allison Amend
Authors such as Gish Jen, Jhumpa Lahiri, Chang-rae Lee, Ha Jin, Amy Tan, and Maxine Hong Kingston are among the established authors and newly emerging voices profiled in Asian-American Writers. This new volume also discusses their acclaimed works to assist students studying these authors and their writings.
Call Number: online eBook
A Selection of Audiovisual Materials
In Black and White: Six Profiles Of African American Authors Series
This six-part series introduces students to six of America’s most highly acclaimed contemporary writers: Charles Johnson, Toni Morrison, Gloria Naylor, Alice Walker, John Edgar Wideman, and August Wilson. With works ranging from plays to poetry to essays, short stories, and novels, the works of these multi-award-winning authors has helped to define the 21st century literary canon. 6 parts, 22–31 minutes each.
The Stories of Maxine Hong Kingston
When Maxine Hong Kingston was growing up in California, she listened to her parents’ stories and memories of their native China. In her highly acclaimed memoirs, The Woman Warrior and China Men, she linked those tales of tradition to the story of her own American experience, blending childhood memory, meditation, and magic. They are the most widely taught books by a living American author on college campuses today. In this program with Bill Moyers, Kingston discusses new images of America as a "melting pot" where the dutiful notions of the Puritans blend with the Chinese Monkey Spirit to produce a new American consciousness.
Inner Borderlines: Visions of America Through the Eyes of Alejandro Morales
In April 2013, Spanish film maker Luis Mancha went to the University of California, Irvine to interview Alejandro Morales, an under-read Chicano author whose works present a vision of Southern California and America so different from the image that the United States projects abroad that Mancha felt compelled to make this documentary film. In it we follow Morales’ journey around Southern California as he tries to understand issues concerning the Latino population in California and the U.S. He and other Chicano/Latino academic experts discuss the first immigrants to California; how California was taken over by Anglo-Americans; how the city of Irvine came to be and its juxtaposition to Santa Ana; Barrios and “white flight;” Chicano literature; institutionalized racism and university barriers to ethnic studies programs; gang violence and the incarceration system; and future relations between the U.S. and Mexico. Also featuring Leo Chavez, María Herrera-Sobek, Francisco Lomelí, Belinda Campos, Raúl Fernandez, Mario García, Ellen McCracken, and Eleanor Guzman.
Lorna Dee Cervantes and Shirley Geok-lin Lim
Lorna Dee Cervantes began writing poetry at the age of eight and founded her own press to publish the works of Mexican-Americans. Dr. Shirley Geok-lin Lim, an English professor and Fulbright Distinguished Lecturer, uses her Chinese/Malaysian roots to bring a unique Asian-American perspective to her writing. In this program, Bill Moyers and the two poets discuss topics that revolve around the theme of otherness. Readings by Ms. Cervantes feature “Summer Ends Too Soon,” “California Plum,” and “Coffee”; readings by Dr. Lim showcase “My Father’s Sadness,” “Lament,” and others. Filmed at the Biennial Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival
A Selection of Reference Books
Ethnic American Literature - eBook
by
Emmanuel S. Nelson (Editor)
Unlike any other book of its kind, this volume celebrates published works from a broad range of American ethnic groups not often featured in the typical canon of literature. * Highlights the most important print and electronic resources on multicultural literature through a detailed bibliography * Features entries from 50 contributors, all of whom are experts in their fields * Includes cultural works not often highlighted in traditional textbooks, such as Iranian American literature, Dominican American literature, and Puerto Rican American literature
Call Number: online eBook
The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Multiethnic American Literature
by
Emmanuel S. Nelson (Editor)
This comprehensive encyclopedia is the the first to offer a broad introduction to the spectacularly diverse range of ethnic American writers. While many of the over 1,100 alphabetically arranged entries focus on individual writers, others cover seminal works, ethnic stereotypes, literary genres, the writings of particular ethnic groups, places that are prominent in ethnic histories, major historical events, key pieces of legislation affecting ethnic populations, and various other topics that form the social context surrounding multiethnic American literature.
Call Number: DVC - Pleasant Hill Library - Reference PS 153 .M56 G74 2005 5 vols
Lesbian and Gay Voices: an annotated bibliography and guide to literature for children and young adults
by
Frances Ann Day; Nancy Garden (Foreword by)
With a foreword by Nancy Garden, the highly acclaimed author of Young Adult Fiction, this thoughtfully written annotated bibliography reviews picture books, young adult fiction, short stories nonfiction works and biographies for young readers. Entries specify the age level appropriateness of each work as well as literary awards received for the work. Each annotation is followed by a list of topics in the work which the user will find cross-referenced in the topic index. With additional recommendations on books for librarians, educators and parents, and a set of suggested guidelines for evaluating books, this user-friendly guide is valuable as both a reader resource and as collection development tool. The guide also provides author profiles of selected writers who have made outstanding contributions to this field of literature. This information is complemented by inspiring author quotes, photographs, and lists of their books categorized by age level appropriateness. The up-to-date information on helpful resources for teens and their families found here along with a select bibliography and additional indices make this comprehensive guide a powerful and important reference tool for helping young gay and lesbian readers.
Call Number: DVC - Pleasant Hill Library - Reference PS169.H65 D24 2000
Native American Literatures
by
Kathy J. Whitson
The earliest Native American writers wrote tribal histories or autobiographical accounts. Today, Native American writing is steeped in the oral traditions of many peoples and reflects a facility with language that is equally at home in prose or poetry. "Native American Literatures" is a sourcebook that can enhance any reader's appreciation of both the writers and their works. Cross referencing allows readers to move easily among the listings, guiding them to other examples of an author's works and from character to character within a given novel.
Call Number: DVC - Pleasant Hill Library - Reference PS153.I52 W47 1999
Latina and Latino Voices in Literature
by
Frances Ann Day
This revised edition of an award-winning resource celebrates the lives and works of 35 Latina and Latino authors who write for today's young readers. Expanded to include 12 additional authors, updated information on the original 23 authors profiled, and 135 new titles, this comprehensive reference tool helps teachers, librarians, and parents stay current on one of the most dynamic areas of contemporary literature. Both established and emerging voices are profiled. Personal quotes and photographs introduce each biographical essay, presenting information gathered through interviews, personal communications, and research. A complete list of all books and works written by the author is included along with publication information. Annotations are provided for most of the titles, along with information on major themes, awards won, and recommended age levels. Evaluating Books for Bias provides helpful guidelines for examining and selecting books from a pluralistic perspective. Appendices offer further helpful information about the field, including special awards honoring books by Latinas and Latinos, a calendar of holidays and special days celebrated by the Latino community, and listings of related resources and organizations. The author has also compiled ideas for classroom activities and ways for librarians to extend the literary experience. A title index and extensive topic index--including themes, curricular areas, and genres--help in planning story sessions and study units. This is a multipurpose resource for anyone who wants to help young readers connect with contemporary literature in a meaningful way.
Call Number: online eBook
The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Latino Literature
by
Nicolás Kanellos (Editor)
From East L.A. to the barrios of New York City and the Cuban neighborhoods of Miami, Latino literature, or literature written by Hispanic peoples of the United States, is the written word of North America's vibrant Latino communities. Emerging from the fusion of Spanish, North American, and African cultures, it has always been part of the American mosaic. Written for students and general readers, this encyclopedia surveys the vast landscape of Latino literature from the colonial era to the present. Aiming to be as broad and inclusive as possible, the encyclopedia covers all of native North American Latino literature as well as that created by authors originating in virtually every country of Spanish America and Spain. Included are more than 700 alphabetically arranged entries written by roughly 60 expert contributors. While most of the entries are on writers, such as Julia Alvarez, Sandra Cisneros, Lorna Dee Cervantes, Oscar Hijuelos, and Piri Thomas, others cover genres, ethnic and national literatures, movements, historical topics and events, themes, concepts, associations and organizations, and publishers and magazines. Special attention is given to the cultural, political, social, and historical contexts in which Latino literature has developed. Entries cite works for further reading, and the encyclopedia closes with a selected, general bibliography.
Entries cite works for further reading, and the encyclopedia closes with a selected, general bibliography. The encyclopedia gives special attention to the social, cultural, historical, and political contexts of Latino literature, thus making it an ideal tool to help students use literature to learn about history and cultural diversity.
Call Number: DVC - Pleasant Hill Library - Reference PS153.H56 G74 2008
Hispanic Literature of the United States
by
Nicolás Kanellos
Providing a detailed historical overview of Hispanic literature in the United States from the Spanish colonial period to the present, this extensive chronology provides the context within which such writers as Sandra Cisneros, Rodolfo Anaya, and Oscar Hijuelos have worked. Hispanic literature in the United States is covered from the Spanish colonial period to the present. A detailed historical overview and a separate survey of Hispanic drama provide researchers and general readers with indispensable information and insight into Hispanic literature. An extensive chronology traces the development of Hispanic literature and culture in the United States from 1492 to 2002, providing the context within which such Hispanic writers such as Sandra Cisneros, Rodolfo Anaya, and Oscar Hijuelos have worked. Topics include an overview and chronology of Hispanic literature in the United States, a who's who of Hispanic authors, significant trends, movements, and themes, publishing trends, an overview of Hispanic drama, adn the 100 essential Hispanic literary works. Biographical entries describe the careers, importance, and major works of notable Hispanic novelists, poets, and playwrights writing in English or Spanish. A comprehensive, up-to-date bibliography lists primary sources. Essays detail the most important past and current trends in Hispanic literature, including bilingualism, Chicano literature, children's literature, exile literature, folklore, immigrant literature, Nuyorican literature, poetry, and women and feminism in Hispanic literature. More than 100 exceptional illustrations of writers, plays in performance, and first editions of important works are included.
Call Number: DVC - Pleasant Hill Library - Reference PS153.H56 K36 2003
Biographies
Use biographies to learn more about the lives and careers of writers.
Gale eBooks has reference encyclopedias that you can view online, which are useful for giving you a brief overview and important aspects of your topic.