New Latin American Writing in the U.S. (9/30/10; NeMLA 4/7-10/2010, New Brunswick, New Jersey)

full name / name of organization: 
Bernabé Mendoza / NeMLA: Northeast Modern Language Association
contact email: 

In light of the recent critical reception of such authors as Roberto Bolaño and Junot Díaz, this panel seeks to ask, what constitutes a Latin American author today in the U.S.? How is s/he read? Fifty years after what was labeled as the "boom," how are we approaching new Latin American texts? Do we still adhere to a boom aesthetic, which insists on a fascination with local color and exoticism? Other questions to be considered include (but are not limited to): What do recent critiques reveal about our understanding and expectations of literary works written by Hispanic writers (writing in English, Spanish, or 'Spanglish')? How are Latin American authors and their texts marketed? What is our current understanding of Latin America and how does this affect the reception of its authors? What is the new Latin American narrative and what is getting lost in translation? What new literary traditions are emerging and how are they playing out on the international stage?

The panel welcomes work from all types of literature (novels, poetry, drama, etc.) written by Latin American writers from the U.S. or the whole of Latin America. The main goal of this panel is to provide a platform on which to discuss how new Latin American writing is evolving and growing and how it is impacting both U.S. and world literature.

Please email abstracts (250-500 words) to Bernabé Mendoza (San Francisco State University) at Bernabemendoza@yahoo.com by September 30th, 2010.