The Fabulous Sinkhole and Other Stories is a first collection of short stories by noted film director and writer, JesÏs Salvador TreviÐo. TreviÐoÍs decision to write a collection of short stories arose from his frustration over years Hollywood rejecting his film projects with Hispanic characters and themes. Rather than give up, he channeled his energy into these short stories. Through his interconnected stories, TreviÐo gives us an off-beat, magically real and at times raucous vision of life in the barrios of Arroyo Grande, Texas. Ever the observer of the tragicomic human scene, TreviÐo recreates for the reader the world of adults as overheard and filtered through the understanding of the young. Each adult action creates a wave of repercussions for the children, be it love triangles, petty jealousies or revenge. The rich texture of the narrative and the rich diversity of Hispanic characters all come to a romping, feverish end with a fantasy that features an army of movie stereotypes of Hispanics who have returned as zombies bent on avenging themselves on Hollywood directors and screenwriters.

ñArroyo Grande is an ordinary town where unusual things sometimes happen,î Choo Choo Torres tells his friends. Indeed, this little West Texas town proves to be a place where unusual things often happen. From an enormous crystal skyscraper that mysteriously appears in the middle of the Arroyo Grande SluggersÍ baseball fieldƒa midnight media shower that inspires a pachanga, complete with music and concessions in an abandoned parking lotƒa sudden shift in the whole townÍs circadian rhythms, keeping everyone up at night and asleep during the dayƒa repair shop in town that boasts ñWe Fix Anythingî in the window and even extends the offer to broken heartsƒthis collection of short stories brims with offbeat events. In this, the sequel to The Fabulous Sinkhole and Other Stories, JesÏs Salvador TreviÐo once again populates his hamlet with a lively community. ThereÍs Chicas Patas, a zoot-suited newcomer who speaks a 1940s-era slang; Yoli Mendez, a spunky teen who steals the show by performing quadratic equations in her head; Ed Carillo and Mayor Al Snyder, local politicians who seize every opportunity to campaign; and, a bevy of other interesting and unique citizens of Arroyo Grande.

In the story ñA Natural Thing,î Eric and MonicaÍs lovemaking is interrupted by an odd sound. Eric has a sinking feeling that it has something to do with his grandfather. HeÍs mortified when he sees what has entered the room: A full-grown rooster, its wattles cut, the feathers trimmed except the wings; its legs plucked to pimpled skin, strutting and bobbing its head like it owned the place. Instantly, Eric realizes that Don Epifanio has converted the basement into a cock-fighting ring. When Don Epifanio offered to renovate the basement it seemed like a blessing, something to keep him busy. Why did he bring the old man to New York City from the island, Eric wonders. Now Don Epifanio complains about everything: the cold weather, the even colder disposition of gringos, the difficulty of finding guayabas and other tropical delicacies. What will the neighbors say when they hear and worse, smell the roosters? How can he bring business associates home? What will Monica think about his family? This is the Bronx, not Puerto Rico! In this stirring collection of eleven stories set in Latino communities in the northeast, J.L. Torres crafts deft reflections of Puerto Ricans living on the mainland. A son who follows his fatherÍs wish to be buried in his beloved isla but canÍt seem to meet his fatherÍs other wish to not be covered with the American flag, a right he has as a veteran of World War II and Korea. A Nuyorican visiting his aunt in Cayey is fascinated with a run-down shack where a mysterious woman lives, surrounded by conflicting stories about her life and loves. In the Bronx, Ralph and Lou are unnerved by a spooky sight: eight red kerchiefs tied equidistantly apart on a cyclone fence. TorresÍ characters reveal the circumstances that shape their lives in these thought-provoking stories that explore machismo, family relationships, love, and even santeria.

The assumptions we make about nature writing too often lead us to see it only as a literature about wilderness or rural areas. This anthology broadens our awareness of American nature writing by featuring the flora, fauna, geology, and climate that enrich and shape urban life. Set in neither pristine nor exotic environs, these stories and essays take us to rivers, parks, vacant lots, lakes, gardens, and zoos as they convey nature's rich disregard of city limits signs. With writings by women and men from cities in all regions of the country and from different ethnic traditions, the anthology reflects the geographic differences and multicultural makeup of our cities. Works by well-known and emerging contemporary writers are included as well as pieces from important twentieth-century urban nature writers. Since more than 80 percent of Americans now live in urban areas, we need to enlarge our environmental concerns to encompass urban nature. By focusing on urban nature writing, the selections in City Wilds can help develop a more inclusive environmental consciousness, one that includes both the nature we see on a day-to-day basis and how such nearby nature is viewed by writers from diverse cultural backgrounds.

Praise for the previous edition:Booklist/RBB "Twenty Best Bets for Student Researchers"RUSA/ALA "Outstanding Reference Source"" ... useful ... Recommended for public libraries and undergraduates."

Since the publication of his groundbreaking books Writing Without Teachers and Writing with Power, Peter Elbow has revolutionized how people think about writing. Now, in Vernacular Eloquence, he makes a vital new contribution to both practice and theory. The core idea is simple: we can enlist virtues from the language activity most people find easiest-speaking-for the language activity most people find hardest-writing. Speech, with its spontaneity, naturalness of expression, and fluidity of thought, has many overlooked linguistic and rhetorical merits. Through several easy to employ techniques, writers can marshal this "wisdom of the tongue" to produce stronger, clearer, more natural writing. This simple idea, it turns out, has deep repercussions. Our culture of literacy, Elbow argues, functions as though it were a plot against the spoken voice, the human body, vernacular language, and those without privilege-making it harder than necessary to write with comfort or power. Giving speech a central role in writing overturns many empty preconceptions. It causes readers to think critically about the relationship between speech, writing, and our notion of literacy. Developing the political implications behind Elbow's previous books, Vernacular Eloquence makes a compelling case that strengthening writing and democratizing it go hand in hand.

A celebration of people and pride! Explore the achievements and contributions of Latinos in the United States with this illuminating history. Latinos in the United States are a vibrant mix of people and multiple identities, each unique, varied, and accomplished. Beginning with the Spanish explorers in the sixteenth century, Latinos have been an important part of American society. They’ve fought the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and all wars in between and since, and in the last decade, their businesses have grown at twice the pace of the overall U.S. economy. The most complete and affordable single-volume reference on Latino history available today, Latino Almanac: From Columbus to Corporate America honors the history and the impact of Latinos on the United States. This hefty tome is a fascinating mix of biographies, little-known or misunderstood historical facts, and enlightening essays on significant legislation, movements, current issues, and achievements across a variety of fields, including business, labor, politics, the military, music, sports, law, media, religion, art, literature, theater, film, science, technology, and medicine. A large collection of 650 biographies includes both celebrated and lesser-known Latino stars, such as Dolores Fernández Huerta, labor leader Sonia Sotomayor, Supreme Court justice Juan Felipe Herrera, U.S. poet laureate Roberto C. Goizueta, businessperson, former CEO of Coca-Cola Selena Gómez, actor, singer, producer Rebecca Lobo, basketball player, sports analyst Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, U.S. congressperson Ellen Ochoa, astronaut, engineer Anthony R. Jiménez, entrepreneur María Hinojosa, journalist Dennis Chávez, U.S. senator Oscar Muñoz, businessperson, CEO United Airlines Antonia Novello, surgeon general of the United States Geraldo Miguel Rivera, journalist Lin-Manuel Miranda, playwright, actor, director Alex Rodríguez, baseball player Rodolfo Anaya, novelist Desi Arnaz, television producer, actor, singer Jessica Mendoza, sportscaster, softball player Nydia Velásquez, U.S. congressperson Edward James Olmos, actor Marco Rubio, U.S. senator Rita Moreno, actor, dancer César Chávez, labor leader Marcelo Claure, businessperson, former Sprint CEO Ariel Dorfman, playwright, novelist Miriam Colón, actress, theater owner, producer Joaquín Castro, chair of the Hispanic Congressional Caucus And many, many more! While Latinos are among both the original and newest immigrants, today the majority of U.S. Latinos were born here and most speak English—although most are bilingual to one degree or another. Their influence on the economy and culture continues to increase. Their impact on the United States has been wide-ranging. Salsa has even overtaken ketchup to become the most popular condiment in the United States! Devoted to illustrating the moving and often lost history of Latinos in America, Latino Almanac is a unique and valuable resource. Numerous photographs and illustrations, a helpful bibliography, a timeline, and an extensive index add to its usefulness. Commemorating and honoring Latino achievements, honors, and influence, this important book brings to light all there is to admire and discover about Latino Americans!

"There seemed to be no way out of the custom. Her arguments were always the same and always turned into pleas. 'But, Ama', it's embarrassing. I'm too old for that. I'm an adult, '" Naomi says in Helena Maria Viramontes' story Growing. Ever since Naomi hit high school and puberty, she began to notice that there were too many expectations, and no one instructed her on how to fulfill them." In her tradition-bound family and under the thundering gaze of her father, Naomi struggles to stretch the limitations imposed on her by her family, even as her mind expands along with her changing body. Like Growing, the pieces in this anthology for young adults reveal the struggles of discovering a new self and the trials of leaving behind an old one. This extraordinary collection gathers a wealth of stories and poems that explore the challenges of negotiating identity and relationships with others, struggling with authority, learning to love oneself and challenging the roles society demands of teenagers and adults. Edited by well-known poet and prose-writer Judith Ortiz Cofer, the collection includes work by such leading Latino writers as Pat Mora, Jesus Salvador Trevino, Tomas Rivera, Virgil Suarez, Jose Marti, Viramontes and Ortiz Cofer herself. Included as well are new voices that represent the freshness and vigor of youth: Mike Padilla, Daniel Chacon, and Sarah Cortez. For many students across the United States, this text will serve as their first rewarding introduction to diverse writers of Latino/Latina literature. This beautiful collection gathers a wealth of stories and poems that are studded with the challenges of negotiating identity and learning to love the bodies and worlds in which young adults find themselves. Edited by well-known poet and prose writer Judith Ortiz Cofer, the collection includes work by Pat Mora, Nicholasa Mohr, Tomas Rivera, and Virgil Suarez.

In the opening piece, “Where Lost Things Reside,” rumor has it that Old Man Baldemar has died. Stories about the old geezer’s demise abound: he died of pneumonia; he was hit by a car, even killed by the big C. All Yoli Mendoza knows is that she’s lost the income from helping the perverse recluse with his grocery shopping. Entering the house she has never been allowed in before, she’s shocked to find it’s much larger than it appears from the street. And even odder, it’s full of items, each tagged with a name, city and date. There’s a room full of cell phones, drawers packed with rings, trays and trays of plastic lids … socks, watches, wallets, glasses! Was Baldemar the caretaker of all of the things that have been lost, no matter the time, city or even country? Weird things continue to happen to the characters that renowned author and filmmaker Jesús Salvador Treviño introduced in his captivating debut, The Fabulous Sinkhole and Other Stories. At the theme park where Choo Choo Torres works, people begin to disappear—and then reappear slightly changed; are they moving back and forth between alternate universes? Charlie Villalobos keeps blacking out and losing days; could it be that he exists only in someone’s dreams? And Jeannie de la Cruz has very distinct memories of seeing her partner Gale run over by a speeding taxi in Mexico City; how can she still be alive? Many in these interrelated stories have left Arroyo Grande to follow their dreams, but in the raucous title story they all return to their hometown in a resounding affirmation of the power of community. Weaving magical realism with issues of loss, memory and identity, Jesús Salvador Treviño once again confirms his place as a powerful storyteller in Chicano—and American—literature. “Fabulous Sinkhole is a collection of stories set primarily in Arroyo Grande, Texas, and each one is connected with the title story by a theme of accident versus coincidence. All of them contain lively, accessible language and demonstrate the author's very gifted sense for storytelling." —Booklist on The Fabulous Sinkhole and Other Stories (starred review)

This exciting new cultural history documents how Mexican Americans in twentieth-century film, television, and theater surpassed stereotypes, fought for equal opportunity, and subtly transformed the mainstream American imaginary. Through biographical sketches of underappreciated Mexican American actors, this work sheds new light on our national character and reveals the untold story of a multicentered, polycultural America.