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In 1977 I knew Tomas Rivera only as a name. I had read his novel, "... y no se lo trago la tierra" and I had talked about his work and career with friends. One cold winter day, after talking to Rolando Hinojosa about a keynote speaker for the First Midwest Latino Conference on Higher Education, I called Tomas and invited him to be that speaker. He accepted. Why did he come to the frozen corn fields of DeKalb, Illinois? He came because he knew the Midwest as a migrant worker. He came because he knew that Chicanos and Hispanics lived and worked throughout the United States. He came because he wanted to reach out to Chicanos and contribute to their life. He came because he knew that the human voice, the personal contact, was magic. He came because he knew the power of words and of communication, and he knew that an individual can make a difference. We are all better because Tomas came to DeKalb, and because he contributed so much. I remember Tomas as a strong but gentle man who loved life and loved people. This volume in honor of Tomas is a small contribution, a small repayment, for all that Tomas gave us. All of the contributors to this special volume of homenaje to Tomas Rivera have their own memories of Tomas. Each has been touched by his life and his works in different ways, yet each remembers. Their contributions to this volume are their way of honoring that memory and that man, Tomas Rivera. -- from the preface by Vernon E. Lattin

From East L.A. to the barrios of New York City and the Cuban neighborhoods of Miami, Latino literature, or literature written by Hispanic peoples of the United States, is the written word of North America's vibrant Latino communities. Emerging from the fusion of Spanish, North American, and African cultures, it has always been part of the American mosaic. Written for students and general readers, this encyclopedia surveys the vast landscape of Latino literature from the colonial era to the present. Aiming to be as broad and inclusive as possible, the encyclopedia covers all of native North American Latino literature as well as that created by authors originating in virtually every country of Spanish America and Spain. Included are more than 700 alphabetically arranged entries written by roughly 60 expert contributors. While most of the entries are on writers, such as Julia Alvarez, Sandra Cisneros, Lorna Dee Cervantes, Oscar Hijuelos, and Piri Thomas, others cover genres, ethnic and national literatures, movements, historical topics and events, themes, concepts, associations and organizations, and publishers and magazines. Special attention is given to the cultural, political, social, and historical contexts in which Latino literature has developed. Entries cite works for further reading, and the encyclopedia closes with a selected, general bibliography. Entries cite works for further reading, and the encyclopedia closes with a selected, general bibliography. The encyclopedia gives special attention to the social, cultural, historical, and political contexts of Latino literature, thus making it an ideal tool to help students use literature to learn about history and cultural diversity.