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The following is a list of Mexican-American writers.


A-C

*
Oscar Zeta Acosta Oscar "Zeta" Acosta Fierro (; April 8, 1935 – disappeared 1974) was a Mexican-American attorney, politician, novelist and activist in the Chicano Movement. He was most well known for his novels '' Autobiography of a Brown Buffalo'' (1972) and ...
* José Acosta Torres, author of collection ''Cachito Mía'' (1973)Marc Zimmerman, ''U.S. Latino Literature: An Essay and Annotated Bibliography'', MARCH/Abrazo, 1992. * Rodolfo Acuña * Ricardo Aguilar, author of short story collection ''Madreselvas en flor'' (1987) * Justo S. Alarcón, Spanish author of stories about Chicanos, ''Chulifeas fronteras'' (1981) * Kathleen Alcala *
Alurista Alberto Baltazar Urista Heredia (born August 8, 1947), better known by his nom de plume Alurista, is a Chicano poet and activist. Early life and education Urista was born in Mexico City and attended primary school in Morelos. He went to the Unit ...
*
Rudolfo Anaya Rudolfo Anaya (October 30, 1937June 28, 2020) was an American author. Noted for his 1972 novel ''Bless Me, Ultima'', Anaya was considered one of the founders of the canon of contemporary Chicano literature. The themes and cultural references of ...
, author of children's book '' Bless Me, Ultima'' *
Gloria E. Anzaldúa Gloria Evangelina Anzaldúa (September 26, 1942 – May 15, 2004) was an American scholar of Chicana feminism, cultural theory, and queer theory. She loosely based her best-known book, '' Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza'', on her li ...
, author of '' Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza'' and co-author of '' This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color'' *
Ron Arias Ronald Francis Arias (born November 30, 1941) is an American former senior writer and correspondent for ''People magazine'' and ''People en Español''. He is also a highly regarded author whose novel ''The Road to Tamazunchale'' has been recogni ...
* Jimmy Santiago Baca, author and poet * Raymond Barrio, author of '' The Plum Plum Pickers'' (1969) * Irene Beltrán Hernández, author of ''Across the Great River'' (1989) * Aristeo Brito, author of ''El diablo en Texas'' (''The Devil in Texas'', bilingual ed. 1991) * José Antonio Burciaga * Nash Candelaria * Daniel Cano, author of ''Pepe Ríos'' (1991) * Norma Elia Cantú * Celso A. de Casas, author of ''Pelón Drops Out'' (1979) *
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 known for her experiment ...
, author of '' So Far from God'' * Rafael C. Castillo * Lorna Dee Cervantes * Angelico Chavez * Denise Chávez, an author and playwright *
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'' (1983), and her subsequent short story collection, '' Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories'' (1991). Her work e ...
* Lucha Corpi, author of ''Delia's Song'' (1988) * Margarita Cota-Cárdenas, author of ''Puppet: A Chicano Novella'' (in Spanish; 1985)


D-J

*
Alicia Gaspar de Alba Alicia Gaspar de Alba is an American scholar, cultural critic, novelist, and poet whose works include historical novels and scholarly studies on Chicana/o art, culture and sexuality. Biography Gaspar de Alba was born on July 29, 1958 in El Paso ...
, author of ''
Desert Blood ''Desert Blood: The Juarez Murders'' is a 2005 mystery thriller by author Alicia Gaspar de Alba based on the violence, kidnapping and femicides that occurred in Ciudad Juarez in 1998. Plot Ivon Villa, a lesbian professor living in Los Angeles ...
'' * Adina Emilia De Zavala *
Lorenzo de Zavala Manuel Lorenzo Justiniano de Zavala y Sanchez (October 3, 1788 - November 15, 1836), known simply as Lorenzo de Zavala, was a Mexican and later Tejano physician, politician, diplomat and author. Born in Yucatán under Spanish rule, he was clo ...
* Abelardo Delgado, author of ''Letters to Louise'' (1982) * Mike Durán, author of ''Don't Split on My Corner'' (1991) * Sergio Elizondo, author of story collection ''Rosa, la flauta'' (1980) and the novels ''Muerte en una estrella'' (1987) and ''Suruma'' (1991) * Roberta Fernández * Fernando A. Flores, author of ''Death to the Bullshit Artists of South Texas, Vol.1'' (2014) * Gregory Thomas Garcia * Lionel G. Garcia, author of ''Leaving Home'' (1985), ''A Shroud in the Family'' (1987), ''Hardscrub'' (1989), ''Brush Country'' (2004), ''The Day They Took My Uncle and Other Stories'', and * Julian S. Garcia * José L. Garza, author of collection ''Writing and Art'' (1989) * Xavier Garza *
Diana Gabaldon Diana J. Gabaldon (; born January 11, 1952) is an American author, known for the ''Outlander'' series of novels. Her books merge multiple genres, featuring elements of historical fiction, romance, mystery, adventure and science fiction/fantas ...
* Dagoberto Gilb * Laurence Gonzáles, author of ''Jambeaux'' (1979), ''The Last Deal'' (1981), and ''El Vago'' (1983) *
Rodolfo Gonzales Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales (June 18, 1928 – April 12, 2005) was a Mexican-American boxer, poet, political organizer, and activist. He was one of many leaders for the Crusade for Justice in Denver, Colorado. The Crusade for Justice was an urb ...
* Genaro González, author of ''Rainbow's End'' (1988) and the story collection ''Only Sons'' (1991) * Jovita González Mireles, author of '' Caballero: A Historical Novel'' *
Rigoberto González Rigoberto González (born July 18, 1970) is an American writer and book critic. He is an editor and author of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and bilingual children's books, and self-identifies in his writing as a gay Chicano. His most recent projec ...
* Stephanie Elizondo Griest *
José Ángel Gutiérrez José Angel Gutiérrez, is an attorney and professor at the University of Texas at Arlington in the United States. He was a founding member of the Mexican American Youth Organization (MAYO) in San Antonio in 1967, and a founding member and past pr ...
*
Jaime Hernandez Jaime (sometimes spelled Xaime) Hernandez (born 1959) is the co-creator of the Alternative comics, alternative comic book ''Love and Rockets (comics), Love and Rockets'' with his brothers Gilbert Hernandez, Gilbert and Mario Hernandez (comics), M ...
*
Juan Felipe Herrera Juan Felipe Herrera (born in December 27, 1948) is an American poet, performer, writer, cartoonist, teacher, and activist. Herrera was the 21st United States Poet Laureate from 2015 to 2017. Herrera's experiences as the child of migrant farmers ...
*
Maria Hinojosa Maria de Lourdes Hinojosa Ojeda (born July 2, 1961) is a Mexican-American journalist. She is the anchor and executive producer of ''Latino USA'' on National Public Radio, a public radio show devoted to Latino issues. She is also the founder, pres ...
* Rolando Hinojosa * Arturo Islas * Francisco Jiménez


K-M

* Gary Keller, author of collection ''Tales of El Huitlacoche'' (1984) * Luis Leal, writer, author, and
UCSB The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a public land-grant research university in Santa Barbara, California with 23,196 undergraduates and 2,983 graduate students enrolled in 2021–2022. It is part of the U ...
professor *
Alexis Madrigal Alexis Madrigal (born 1983/84) is an American journalist. He's currently the new co-host of KQED's Forum. In 2010, Madrigal began working for ''The Atlantic''. In 2014, he was promoted to deputy editor of TheAtlantic.com. He joined '' Fusion'' l ...
, author of "Powering the Dream" (2010) * Patricia Santos Marcantonio * Patricia Preciado Martín, author of collection ''Days of Plenty, Days of Want'' (1988) * Al Martinez, Pulitzer Prize-nominated journalist; author of ''Ashes in the Rain: Selected Essays'' (1990) * Eliud Martínez, author of ''Voice Haunted Journey'' (1991) *
Elizabeth Martínez Elizabeth "Betita" Martínez (December 12, 1925 – June 29, 2021) was an American Chicana feminist and a long-time community organizer, activist, author, and educator. She wrote numerous books and articles on different topics relating to socia ...
, author of ''500 Years of Chicano History in Pictures'' (1991) * Max Martínez, author of ''Schooland'' (1988) and the collections ''The Adventures of the Chicano Kid and Other Stories'' (1982) and ''A Red Bikini Dream'' (1989) * Hugo Martínez-Serros, author of the collection ''The Last Laugh and Other Stories'' (1988) * Rubén Martínez *
Bill Melendez José Cuauhtémoc "Bill" Melendez (November 15, 1916 – September 2, 2008) was an American character animator, voice actor, film director and producer. Melendez is known for working on the ''Peanuts'' animated specials. Before ''Peanuts'', he p ...
*
Maria Cristina Mena Maria Cristina Mena (later María Cristina Chambers; April 3, 1893 – August 3, 1965) was the author of eleven short stories, five children's books, and a nonfiction article. She is best known for her short stories, published mainly in ''The Cent ...
* Miguel Méndez * Jim Mendiola *
Pat Mora Pat Mora (born January 19, 1942 in El Paso, Texas) is an American poet and author of books for adults, teens and children. Her grandparents came to El Paso from northern Mexico. A graduate of the University of Texas at El Paso, she received Honor ...
*
Cherríe Moraga Cherríe Moraga (born September 25, 1952) is a Chicana writer, feminist activist, poet, essayist, and playwright. She is part of the faculty at the University of California, Santa Barbara in the Department of English. Moraga is also a founding m ...
, co-author of This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color and author of A Xicana Codex of Changing Consciousness *
Alejandro Morales Alejandro Morales is an Emeritus Professor of Chicano and Latino (demonym), Latino Studies at the University of California, Irvine, and an award-winning Mexican-American writer of fiction and poetry. He has published seven ground-breaking novels ...
, author of ''Old Faces and New Wine'' (1981), ''Death of an Anglo'' (1988), ''Reto en el Paraiso'' (1983), ''The Brick People'' (1988), and ''The Rag Doll Plagues'' (1991) * Angela Morales, author of The Girls in My Town (2016) * Alejandro Murguía


N-R

*
Julian Nava Julian Nava (June 19, 1927 – July 29, 2022) was an American educator and diplomat. A member of the Democratic Party, Nava served as the United States Ambassador to Mexico from 1980 to 1981. Life Julian Nava was born in Los Angeles, Califor ...
* J. L. Navarro, author of the collection ''Blue Day on Main Street'' (1973) * Josefina Niggli *
Daniel Olivas Daniel Anthony Olivas (born April 8, 1959, in Los Angeles, California) is an American author and attorney. Biography Daniel Olivas was raised near downtown Los Angeles, the middle of five children and the grandson of Mexican immigrants. He at ...
, author of ''The Courtship of María Rivera Peña'', ''Crossing the Border: Collected Poems'', and ''How to Date a Flying Mexican'' * Berta Ornelas, author of ''Come Down from the Mound'' (1975) *
Sheila Ortiz Taylor Sheila Ortiz Taylor (born September 25, 1939) is a lesbian Chicano, Chicana writer, poet, novelist, literacy critic, and former professor who was born in Los Angeles, California. She is Mexican Americans, Mexican-American and has produced multiple n ...
, author of ''Spring Forward/Fall Back'' (1985) * Miguel Antonio Otero * Américo Paredes, author of '' With His Pistol in His Hand'' * Joe Perez * Cecile Piñeda * Mary Helen Ponce, author of ''The Wedding'' (1989) and the collection ''Taking Control'' (1987) * Estela Portillo Trambley (1936–1998), author of ''Trini'' (1986), the play ''The Day of the Swallows'' (1971) and the collection ''Rain of Scorpions and Other Writings'' (1975) for which she became the first woman to receive the Quinto Sol Literary Prize. She also held the President Chair in Creative Writing at
UC Davis The University of California, Davis (UC Davis, UCD, or Davis) is a public land-grant research university near Davis, California. Named a Public Ivy, it is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The institut ...
. * Katherine Quintana Ranck, author of ''Portrait of Doña Elena'' (1983) *
Adriana E. Ramírez Adriana E. Ramírez is an American writer and critic of Mexican and Colombian descent. Her writing addresses the history and culture of violence in Colombia, Mexico, and the United States. In 2015, she won the PEN/Fusion Emerging Writers Prize fo ...
, author of ''Dead Boys'' (2016) *
John Rechy John Francisco Rechy (born March 10, 1931) is a Mexican-American novelist and essayist. In his novels, he has written extensively about gay culture in Los Angeles and wider America, among other subject matter, and is among the pioneers of moder ...
Nicolas Retana, author, "The Mexican Men Chronicles." *
Alberto Ríos Alberto Álvaro Ríos (born September 18, 1952) is a US academic and writer who is the author of ten books and chapbooks of poetry, three collections of short stories, and a memoir. Rios was named Arizona's first state poet laureate in August 20 ...
* Isabella Ríos, author of ''Victuum'' (1976) *
Tomás Rivera Tomás Rivera (December 22, 1935 – May 16, 1984) was a Mexican American author, poet, and educator. He was born in Texas to migrant farm workers, and worked in the fields as a young boy. However, he achieved social mobility through educatio ...
, author of '' ...y no se lo tragó la tierra'' *
Alfredo Rodríguez Alfredo Rodríguez (25 October 1936 – 3 October 2005) was a Cuban pianist who played Afro-Cuban music as well as Latin jazz. Born in Havana, his musical career began in New York, where he struggled to establish himself, playing with dozens of ...
, author of ''Estas tierras'' (1983; Palabra Nueva prize winner) * Joe Rodríguez, author of ''Oddsplayer'' (1988) * Luis J. Rodriguez *
Robert Rodriguez Robert Anthony Rodriguez (; born June 20, 1968) is an American filmmaker, composer, and visual effects supervisor. He shoots, edits, produces, and scores many of his films in Mexico and in his home state of Texas. Rodriguez directed the 1992 ac ...
*
Richard Rodriguez Richard Rodriguez (born July 31, 1944) is an American writer who became famous as the author of '' Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez'' (1982), a narrative about his intellectual development. Early life He was born on July 3 ...
* Orlando Romero (author), author of ''Nambé-Year One'' (1976) * María Amparo Ruiz de Burton *
Rudy Ruiz Rudy Ruiz is a writer, advocate, and social entrepreneur. Ruiz is known for writing ''The Resurrection of Fulgencio Ramirez'' and ''Valley of Shadows'', magical realism novels which received critical acclaim and literary awards. In 2014, Ruiz auth ...
, author of ''Seven for the Revolution'', ''The Resurrection of Fulgencio Ramirez'', and ''Valley of Shadows'' *
Pam Muñoz Ryan Pam Muñoz Ryan is an American writer for children and young adults, particularly in the Multicultural genre. Biography Muñoz Ryan was born in Bakersfield, California. She is half Mexican with Basque, Italian, and Oklahoman cultural influences ...
, author of ''Esperanza Rising'' *Ricardo A Bracho


S-Z

* Benjamin Alire Sáenz, author of '' Everything Begins and Ends at the Kentucky Club'' * Floyd Salas *
Rubén Salazar Ruben Salazar (March 3, 1928 – August 29, 1970) was a civil rights activist and a reporter for the ''Los Angeles Times,'' the first Mexican Americans, Mexican-American journalist from mainstream media to cover the Chicano community. Salazar wa ...
* Raúlrsalinas (Raúl R. Salinas), poet and author of ''Un trip through the mind jail y otras excursions'' (1980) * Alex Sánchez * Erika Sánchez, author and poet * Ricardo Sánchez, author of ''Canto y Grito Mi Liberacion'' (1973, 1995), ''Hechizospells'' (1976), and ''Amerikan Journeys::Jornadas Americanas'' (1994), among other titles. *
Ricardo Sanchez Ricardo Sanchez (born September 9, 1953) is a former lieutenant general in the United States Army. His career was most notable for his service as commander of Multi-National Force – Iraq and V Corps. Early life and education Sánchez was bor ...
, author and United States Army general * Saúl Sánchez, author of the collection ''Hay Plesha Lichans to di Flac'' (i.e., "I Pledge Allegiance to the Flag") (1977) *
Hope Sandoval Hope Sandoval (born June 24, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter who is the lead singer of Mazzy Star and Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions. Sandoval has toured and collaborated with other artists, including Massive Attack, for whom she san ...
* John Phillip Santos, author, journalist, and filmmaker * Danzy Senna *
Shea Serrano Shea Serrano is an American author, journalist, and former teacher. He is best known for his work with the sports and pop culture websites, '' The Ringer'' and ''Grantland'', as well as his books, including '' The Rap Year Book'', '' Basketball ...
* Michelle Serros, author of ''Chicana Falsa'' and ''How to Be a Chicana Role Model''. * Beverly Silva, author of ''The Cat and Other Stories'' (1986) * Adela Sloss Vento *
Roberto Solis Roberto Solis is a convicted murderer, armored car robber, and criminal. He has more than 30 aliases including Pancho Aguila, a pen name he used in prison while writing poetry. He disappeared in October 1993. Criminal background Solis served ...
* Octavio Solis, award-winning playwright and director *
Gary Soto Gary Anthony Soto (born April 12, 1952) is an American poet, novelist, and memoirist. Life and career Soto was born to Mexican-American parents Manuel (1910–1957) and Angie Soto (1924-). In his youth, he worked in the fields of the San Joaqui ...
, author of ''Baseball in April: Stories'' and ''Buried Onions''. * Mario Suárez * Luis Talamantez, poet and activist * Joseph V. Torres-Metzgar, author of ''Below the Summit'' (1976) *
Jesús Salvador Treviño Jesús Salvador Treviño (born March 26, 1946 in El Paso, Texas) is an American television director of Mexican descent. He is alternatively credited under a number of names: ''Jesus Salvador Trevino'', ''Jesus Trevino'', ''Jesus Travino'', ''J ...
* Marisela Treviño Orta *
Sergio Troncoso Sergio Troncoso (born 1961) is an American author of short stories, essays and novels. He often writes about the United States-Mexico border, working-class immigrants, families and fatherhood, philosophy in literature, and crossing cultural, psyc ...
, author of ''The Last Tortilla and Other Stories'', '' From This Wicked Patch of Dust'' and '' Crossing Borders: Personal Essays'' *
John Trudell John Trudell (February 15, 1946December 8, 2015) was a Native American author, poet, actor, musician, and political activist. He was the spokesperson for the Indians of All Tribes' takeover of Alcatraz beginning in 1969, broadcasting as ''Radi ...
, musician, author, poet and Political activist * Sabine Ulibarrí * Jorge Ulica (a.k.a. Julio G. Arce), satirist, published his ''Crónicas diabólicas'' from 1916 to 1926 * Martin Guevara Urbina * Luís Alberto Urrea, author of ''The Devil's Highway'' and ''Nobody's Son''. * Gina Valdés, author of ''There Are No Madmen Here'' (1981) *
Luis Valdez Luis Miguel Valdez (born June 26, 1940) is an American playwright, screenwriter, film director and actor. Regarded as the father of Chicano film and theater, Valdez is best known for his play '' Zoot Suit'', his movie '' La Bamba'', and his cre ...
* Richard Vasquez, author of ''Chicano'' (1970) and other novels * Robert Vasquez, author of ''At the Rainbow'' (1995) *
Félix Varela Félix Varela y Morales (November 20, 1788 – February 18, 1853) was a Cuban Catholic priest and independence leader who is regarded as a notable figure in the Catholic Church in both his native Cuba and the United States, where he also served. ...
* Alfredo Véa, Jr. * Alma Luz Villanueva *
José Antonio Villarreal José Antonio Villarreal (30 July 1924 – 13 January 2010) was an American Chicano novelist. Villarreal was born in 1924 in Los Angeles, California, to migrant Mexican farmworkers. Like Juan Manuel Rubio in ''Pocho,'' Villarreal's father fought ...
*
Victor Villaseñor Victor Villaseñor is an American writer, best known for the national bestselling book ''Rain of Gold''. Villaseñor's works are often taught in American schools. He went on to write ''Thirteen Senses: A Memoir'' (2001 in literature, 2001), a co ...
* Helena Maria Viramontes, author of ''Under the Feet of Jesus''. *
Gwendolyn Zepeda Gwendolyn Zepeda (born December 27, 1971 in Houston, Texas) is an American author. Zepeda is Houston's first Poet Laureate, serving a two-year term from 2013 to 2015. She was succeeded by Leslie Contreras Schwartz. History Her father was Mexica ...
* Raquel Zepeda Fitzgerald, author of “The Eye of Osiris” and eleven other books.


See also

*
Chicano literature Mexican American literature is literature written by Mexican Americans in the United States. Although its origins can be traced back to the sixteenth century, the bulk of Mexican American literature dates from post-1848 and the United States ann ...
*
Chicano poetry Chicano poetry is a branch of American literature, and specifically Mexican-American literature, written by and primarily about Mexican Americans and the many Mexican-American ways of life in U.S. society. The term "Chicano" is a political and cul ...
*
Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States ''The Society for the Study of the Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States'' (''MELUS'') is a scholarly society established in 1974. MELUS publishes a quarterly academic journal, ''MELUS''. The aim of the Society is "to expand the definition of ...
*
Before Columbus Foundation The Before Columbus Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded in 1976 by Ishmael Reed, "dedicated to the promotion and dissemination of contemporary American multicultural literature". The Foundation makes annual awards for books published in ...


References


External links

*Marc Zimmerman, ''U.S. Latino Literature: An Essay and Annotated Bibliography'', MARCH/Abrazo, 1992. *Teresa McKenna, "Chicano Literature", in ''Redefining American Literary History'', Ed. A. LaVonne Brown Ruoff and Jerry W. Ward, MLA, 1990.


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Mexican American Writers
List A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to: People * List (surname) Organizations * List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America * SC Germania List, German rugby unio ...
Mexican American writers The following is a list of Mexican-American writers. A-C * Oscar Zeta Acosta * José Acosta Torres, author of collection ''Cachito Mía'' (1973)Marc Zimmerman, ''U.S. Latino Literature: An Essay and Annotated Bibliography'', MARCH/Abrazo, 1992. ...