Chicano poetry is a

subgenre Genre () is any style or form of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...

of Chicano literature that stems from the cultural consciousness developed in the Chicano Movement. Chicano poetry has its roots in the reclamation of '' Chicana/o'' as an identity of empowerment rather than denigration. As a literary field, Chicano poetry emerged in the 1960s and formed its own independent literary current and voice.

History

Poetics of the Chicano Movement

The Chicano Movement inspired the development of a poetic current among the

Mexican Americans Mexican Americans are Americans of full or partial Mexican descent. In 2022, Mexican Americans comprised 11.2% of the US population and 58.9% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexican Americans were born in the United State ...

who embraced Chicana/o identity. Chicanos and Chicanas both addressed

marginalization Social exclusion or social marginalisation is the social disadvantage and relegation to the fringe of society. It is a term that has been used widely in Europe and was first used in France in the late 20th century. In the EU context, the Euro ...

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one Race (human categorization), race or ethnicity over another. It may also me ...

and vanquished dreams in the United States. Many Chicana/o poets retold the history of Mexican Americans that differed from the dominant narrative of mainstream

Anglo-Americans Anglo-Americans are a demographic group in Anglo-America. It typically refers to the predominantly European-descent nations and ethnic groups in the Americas that speak English as a native language, making up the majority of people in the world ...

. The surge of creative literary activity among Chicana/o authors in the 1960s and 1970s became known as the ''Florecimiento'', or Renaissance."Contemporary Chicano/a Literature" Contemporary Literary Criticism Select. 2008 Detroit: Gale.

Chicano poets in the Chicano Movement

Chicano poets focused on the effects of

on the Chicana/o community and the perseverance of Chicanos to maintain their cultural, political, and social identity. Nephtalí De León was one early pioneer, writing a poetry book ''Chicanos'' in the early 1960s as well as the poems "Hey, Mr. President, Man!," "Coca Cola Dream," and "Chicano Popcorn." Chicano poets reframed the Pachuco figure of the 1940s, who was historically looked down upon by the Mexican American community. One of the most notable poems to do this was “El Louie” by José Montoya. For Chicano poets, this was true to a lesser extent for the

Pachuca Pachuca (; ), formally known as Pachuca de Soto, is the capital and largest city of the east-central Mexico, Mexican States of Mexico, state of Hidalgo (state), Hidalgo, located in the south-central part of the state. Pachuca Municipality, Pach ...

figure, who was embraced mainly as a lover to the Pachuco. Abelardo "Lalo" Delgado's poem "Stupid America" written in the 1960s discussed the poor treatment of Chicanos and their erasure as artists, poets, and visionaries who are not permitted by the American mainstream to reach their potential. Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales' poem " Yo Soy Joaquin" was widely influential, being adapted into a 1969 film by Luis Valdez of the same name. The poem reviewed the exploitation of the Chicano: : Yo soy Joaquín, : perdido en un mundo de confusión: : I am Joaquín, lost in a world of confusion, : caught up in the whirl of a gringo society, : confused by the rules, scorned by attitudes, : suppressed by manipulation, and destroyed by modern society. : My fathers have lost the economic battle : and won the struggle of cultural survival.

Chicana poets in the Chicano Movement

Chicana poets challenged the role of women in the community through their poetry and spoke to a variety of issues. Chicana feminist poets used poetry to express their views of aggressive masculine pride or

machismo Machismo (; ; ; ) is the sense of being " manly" and self-reliant, a concept associated with "a strong sense of masculine pride: an exaggerated masculinity". Machismo is a term originating in the early 1940s and 1950s and its use more wi ...

, which had excluded them from the movement. This included the poem "Machismo Is Part of Our Culture" by Marcela Christine Lucero-Trujillo. In the

interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period, also known as the interbellum (), lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days) – from the end of World War I (WWI) to the beginning of World War II ( ...

, unmarried

Mexican American Mexican Americans are Americans of full or partial Mexico, Mexican descent. In 2022, Mexican Americans comprised 11.2% of the US population and 58.9% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexican Americans were born in the Unite ...

women were often mandated by their families to be accompanied by a male when going out, who would watch over them throughout the night. A woman's purity was linked to the family's reputation and a chaperone was sent to watch on their daughter's activities. Women sought freedom yet also sought to be good daughters to their families. Chicana feminist poets addressed this in their work, such as "Pueblo, 1950" (1976) by Bernice Zamora, who discussed the consequences young, unmarried, Mexican-American women would face from a simple kiss: :I remember you, Fred Montoya :You were the first ''vato'' to ever kiss me :I was twelve years old. :my mother said shame on you, :my teacher said shame on you, and :I said shame on me, and nobody :said a word to you. Chicana poet Inés Hernández-Ávila valorized the

in her poem "Para Teresa." Other poets who reframed the Pachuca figure were Alurista, José Montoya, and raúlrsalinas. Poems the reframed the Pachuca also included “Los Corts (5 voices)” and “and when I dream dreams” by Carmen Tafolla, and “Later, She Met Joyce” by Cherríe Moraga. An example of Chicana poetry is “La Nueva Chicana” by poet Viola Correa, :Hey :She that lady protesting injustice, :Es mi Mamà :The girl in the brown beret, :The one teaching the children, :She’s my hermana :Over there fasting with the migrants, :Es mi tía. :These are the women who worry, :Pray, iron :And cook chile y tortillas. :The lady with the forgiving eyes :And the gentle smile. :Listen to her shout. :She knows what hardship is all about :All about. :The Establishment calls her a radical militant. :The newspapers read she is :A dangerous subversive :They label her name to condemn her. :By the FBI she’s called :A big problem. :In Aztlàn we call her :La Nueva Chicana.

Chicana/o poetics, post-Chicano Movement

While the Chicano Movement itself experienced a decline by the late 1970s, poets who embraced Chicana/o identity continued to carry the consciousness of the movement forward through their poetry. Trinidad "Trino" Sánchez's "Why Am I So Brown?" (1991). The poem was inspired by the daughter of one of his friend's experience of colorism for her darker skin color, when she came home asking her father the question. The latter part of the 20th century saw the emergence of Juan Felipe Herrera as a dominant force in the genre. In Herrera's works, cultural expression is shown from the 1960s to the present. His poetry is most known for being willful, expressing a unique voice.

Themes

Chicana/o poets continue to address experiences of racism in the United States. A strong undercurrent among Chicana/o poets is planting the community's roots in

Mesoamerica Mesoamerica is a historical region and cultural area that begins in the southern part of North America and extends to the Pacific coast of Central America, thus comprising the lands of central and southern Mexico, all of Belize, Guatemala, El S ...

n civilizations and how the

indigenous people There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...

of those civilizations continue to live through the Chicano people who are predominantly of

mestizo ( , ; fem. , literally 'mixed person') is a term primarily used to denote people of mixed European and Indigenous ancestry in the former Spanish Empire. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also refer to people who are culturall ...

(mixed) ancestry. For example, Chicana poet

Lucha Corpi Lucha Corpi is a Chicana poet and mystery writer. She was born on April 13, 1945, in Jaltipan, Veracruz, Mexico. In 1975, she earned a B.A. degree in comparative literature from the University of California, Berkeley. In 1979, she earned an M.A ...

published a collection of poetry authored "LLuvia/Rain." This work creates a framework on cultural remembrance with an emphasis on the sensuality of rain referencing the Nahua god of rain ( tlaloc). Chicana poets continue to expand on the theme of marginalization beyond only focusing on racism and marginalization. Chicana poets also focus on themes of

sexual abuse Sexual abuse or sex abuse is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using physical force, or by taking advantage of another. It often consists of a persistent pattern of sexual assaults. The offender is re ...

misogyny Misogyny () is hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against Woman, women or girls. It is a form of sexism that can keep women at a lower social status than Man, men, thus maintaining the social roles of patriarchy. Misogyny has been wide ...

, and the creation of a complex Chicana identity. The great thematic diversity of the field is owed to the many reflections of Chicano/a poets.

Awards

* In 2012, Juan Felipe Herrera was named the Poet Laureate of California. * In 2015, Carmen Tafolla was named the Poet Laureate of Texas. * In 2015, Juan Felipe Herrera became the first

Chicano Chicano (masculine form) or Chicana (feminine form) is an ethnic identity for Mexican Americans that emerged from the Chicano Movement. In the 1960s, ''Chicano'' was widely reclaimed among Hispanics in the building of a movement toward politic ...

and Latino more broadly to be appointed

United States Poet Laureate The poet laureate consultant in poetry to the Library of Congress, commonly referred to as the United States poet laureate, serves as the official poet of the United States. During their term, the poet laureate seeks to raise the national consc ...

. * In 2016, Laurie Ann Guerrero was named the Poet Laureate of Texas. * In 2020, Emmy Pérez was named the Poet Laureate of Texas. * In 2023, ire’ne lara silva was named the Poet Laureate of Texas.

Important publishers

A handful of U.S. publishers specialize in Chicano poetry, including the following: * Arte Publico Press * Aztlan Libre Press * Bilingual Review Press * Chiricú * Cinco Puntos Press * University of Arizona Press

List of major Chicano poets

* Gloria E. Anzaldúa *

Ana Castillo Ana Castillo (born June 15, 1953) is a Chicana novelist, poet, short story writer, essayist, editor, playwright, translator and independent scholar. Considered one of the leading voices in Chicana experience, Castillo is most known for her experi ...

Lorna Dee Cervantes Lorna Dee Cervantes (born August 6, 1954) is an American poet and activist, who is considered one of the greatest figures in Chicano poetry. She has been described by Alurista as "probably the best Chicana poet active today." Early life Ce ...

Sandra Cisneros Sandra Cisneros (born December 20, 1954) is an American writer. She is best known for her first novel, ''The House on Mango Street'' (1984), and her subsequent short story collection, ''Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories'' (1991). Her wo ...

* Carlos Cumpian * Ray Gonzalez * Daniel Olivas * Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales * Juan Felipe Herrera * Javier O. Huerta * Tino Villanueva

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chicano Poetry American poetry Mexican-American literature Chicano literature