Born in the Río Grande Valley of south Texas, independent scholar and creative writer Gloria Anzaldúa was an internationally acclaimed cultural theorist. As the author of Borderlands / La Frontera: The New Mestiza, Anzaldúa played a major role in shaping contemporary Chicano/a and lesbian/queer theories and identities. As an editor of three anthologies, including the groundbreaking This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color, she played an equally vital role in developing an inclusionary, multicultural feminist movement. A versatile author, Anzaldúa published poetry, theoretical essays, short stories, autobiographical narratives, interviews, and children's books. Her work, which has been included in more than 100 anthologies to date, has helped to transform academic fields including American, Chicano/a, composition, ethnic, literary, and women's studies.This reader-which provides a representative sample of the poetry, prose, fiction, and experimental autobiographical writing that Anzaldúa produced during her thirty-year career-demonstrates the breadth and philosophical depth of her work. While the reader contains much of Anzaldúa's published writing (including several pieces now out of print), more than half the material has never before been published. This newly available work offers fresh insights into crucial aspects of Anzaldúa's life and career, including her upbringing, education, teaching experiences, writing practice and aesthetics, lifelong health struggles, and interest in visual art, as well as her theories of disability, multiculturalism, pedagogy, and spiritual activism. The pieces are arranged chronologically; each one is preceded by a brief introduction. The collection includes a glossary of Anzaldúa's key terms and concepts, a timeline of her life, primary and secondary bibliographies, and a detailed index.

Acknowledgments ixIntroduction: Reading Gloria Anzaldúa, Reading Ourselves . . . Complex Intimacies, Intricate Connections 1Part One. "Early" WritingsTIHUEQUE 19To Delia, Who Failed on Principles 20Reincarnation 21The Occupant 22I Want To Be Shocked Shitless 23The New Speakers 24Speaking in Tongues: A Letter to Third World Women Writers 26The coming of el mundo surdo 36La Prieta 38El paisano is a bird of good omen 51Dream of the Double-Faced Woman 70Foreword to the Second Edition (of This Bridge Called My Back) 72Sexuality, Spirituality, and the Body: An Interview with Linda Smuckler 74Part Two. "Middle" WritingsEnemy of the State 97Del Otro Lado 99Encountering the Medusa 101Creativity and Switching in Modes of Consciousness 103En Rapport, In Opposition: Cobrando cuentas a las nuestras 111The Presence 119Metaphors in the Tradition of the Shaman 121Haciendo caras, una entrada 124Bridge, Drawbridge, Sandbar, or Island: Lesbians-of-Color Hacienda Alianzas 140Ghost Trap/Trampa de espanto 157To(o) Queer the Writer-Loca, escritora y chicana 163Border Arte: Nepantla, El Lugar de la Frontera 176On the Process of Writing Borderlands / La Frontera 187La vulva is una herida abierta / The vulva is an open wound 198The New Mestiza Nation: A Multicultural Movement 203Part Three. Gallery of Images 217Part Four. "Later" WritingsForeword to Cassell's Encyclopedia of Queer Myth, Symbol, and Spirit 229How to 232Memoir-My Calling; or, Notes for "How Prieta Came to Write" 235When I write I hover 238Transforming American Studies: 2001 Bode-Pearson Prize Acceptance Speech 239Yemayá 242(Un)natural bridges, (Un)safe spaces 243Healing wounds 249Reading LP 250A Short Q&A between LP and Her Author (GEA) 274Like a spider in her web 276Bearing Witness: Their Eyes Anticipate the Healing 277The Postmodern Llorona 280Speaking across the Divide 282Llorona Coyolxauhqui 295Disability & Identity: An E-mail Exchange & a Few Additional Thoughts 298Let us be the healing of the wound: The Coyolxauhqui imperative-la sombra y el sueño 303Appendix 1: Glossary 319Appendix 2: Timeline: Some Highlights from Gloria Evangelina Anzaldúa's Life 325Bibliography 337Index 351