A chorus of essays from a variety of voices, backgrounds, and experiences, exploring what it means to be human and true to yourself. What does it mean to be yourself? To be born here or somewhere else? To be from one family instead of another? What does it mean to be human? Collected by Lori Carlson-Hijuelos, A Path to the World showcases essays by a vast variety of luminaries--from Gary Soto to Nawal Nasrallah to Ying Ying Yu, from chefs to artists to teens to philosophers to politicians (keep your eyes peeled for a surprise appearance by George Washington)--all of which speak to the common thread of humanity, the desire to be your truest self, and to belong. Contributors include: Lori Marie Carlson-Hijuelos, Joseph Bruchac, Jacinto Jesús Cardona, William Sloane Coffin, Pat Conroy, Mario Cuomo, Timothy Egan, Alan Ehrenhalt, Shadi Feddin, Ralph Fletcher, Valerie Gribben, Alexandre Hollan, Molly Ivins, Geeta Kothari, Jeremy Lee, Yuyi Li, Emily Lisker, Kamaal Majeed, Madge McKeithen, Nawal Nasrallah, Scott Pitoniak, Anna Quindlen, Michael J. Sandel, Raquel Sentíes, David E. Skaggs, Gary Soto, Alexandra Stoddard, KellyNoel Waldorf, George Washington, and Ying Ying Yu.

Growing up Latino in America means speaking two languages, living two lives, learning the rules of two cultures. "Cool Salsa" celebrates the tones, rhythms, sounds, and experiences of that double life. Here are poems about families and parties, insults and sad memories, hot dogs and mangos, the sweet syllables of Spanish and the snag-toothed traps of English. Here is the glory--and pain--of being Latino American.
Latino Americans hail from Cuba and California, Mexico and Michigan, Nicaragua and New York, and editor Lori M. Carlson has made sure to capture all of those accents. With poets such as Sandra Cisneros, Martin Espada, Gary Soto, and Ed Vega, and a very personal introduction by Oscar Hijuelos, this collection encompasses the voices of Latino America. By selecting poems about the experiences of teenagers, Carlson has given a focus to that rich diversity; by presenting the poems both in their original language and in translation, she has made them available to us all.
As you move from memories of red wagons to dreams of orange trees to fights with street gangs, you feel "Cool Salsa"'s musical and emotional cross rhythms. Here is a world of exciting poetry for you, y tu tambien.

Claire is a young, struggling New Yorker whose understanding of life is enriched after a group of older and wiser Latina women bring her into a close-knit circle: their Upper West Side tertulia. Once a month, they come together for a Sunday afternoon of revelry, at which delicious food and strong opinions are served up in equal measure.  Through their recollections and counsel, Claire comes to know the colorful, exotic, and sometimes contradictory attitudes that through a prism more poetic and worldly. Humorous and bittersweet, The Sunday Tertulia brings to life cherished Latin traditions and celebrates women's wisdom and spirituality.

Here are the sights, sounds, and rhythms of Cuba, revealed in the evocative works of some of the finest Cuban and Cuban American poets of the twentieth century. In "Burnt Sugar, " bestselling translator Lori Marie Carlson and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Oscar Hijuelos have created an intimate collection of some of their favorite modern poems, all of which are informed by "cubania" -- the essence of what it means to be Cuban. "Cuban" in this sense refers neither to ideology nor to geography but rather to the distinguishing characteristics of Cuban poetry as it has developed over time: clever verbal play, overt rhythmic notes, and an intensity of longing, whether religious, political, or amorous.

Many of these poems have never been translated into English before, and taken together they, as the editors say, "produce a vibrant, satisfying sound and vivid imagery. They allow for some understanding of modern-day preoccupations, contradictions, feelings, and attitudes considered to be Cuban." Stirring, immediate, and universal in its sensibility, "Burnt Sugar" is a luminous collection lovingly compiled by two of the world's foremost authorities on the subject.

Inspired by the life of a glamorous American heroine who divided her time between a lush Caribbean island and a New York lakeside retreat, and set against the vibrant backdrop of the 1920s and '30s, The Flamboyant evokes the romance of early aviation, particularly as it was experienced by women of that courageous generation.

Lenora Demarest -- the only daughter of a wealthy American doctor turned grapefruit plantation-owner -- is a complex ingenue whose sensibilities, ambitions, and desires are often contradictory. She yearns for love and cherishes traditional values, yet longs for independence and seeks to break away from the restrictions of Victorian norms. During the course of her unusual life, Lenora falls in love with George Hanson, a dashing aviator, and also befriends Amelia Earhart. In very different ways, these two individuals help to sharpen her self-understanding and set her on a path of exhilarating single-minded achievement.