From Macho to Mariposa: New Gay Latino Fiction

by Charles Rice-González (editor), Charles Vazquez, Ben Francisco

Prepare yourself to dance in a disco in Silver Lake, check out papis in Orchard Beach, cross the border from Guatemala to Mexico on your way to the U.S., see a puro macho bathe in a river in Puerto Rico, make love under a full moon in the Dominican Republic, sigh at a tender moment in an orange grove in Lindsay, visit a panaderia in Kansas, see a full blown birthday party in Juarez, and be seduced by a young artist in the South Bronx. These are some of the stories in this collection of thirty gay Latino writers from around the United States. There are ''don't mess with me''' divas, alluring bad boys, and sexy teenagers, but also empowered youth for whom being queer is not a question and a family that grows wings on their heads. The infectious rhythms of House music in New York City are adjacent to cumbia in Mexico, next to reggaeton in Puerto Rico, alongside Latin pop in L.A. and merengue in an east coast city. But the spectrum of experiences and emotions that inhabit our days gives these stories dimension and gay/queer Latinos a common ground. The stories are vibrantly varied and clearly connected in this ''era of lost signals'' in which we live.

Genres: Gay, LGBT, Short Stories, Fiction, M M Romance, Queer, Anthologies

278 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2011

Reviews

[Hilcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

From Macho to Mariposa: New Gay Latino Fiction is an anthology written and edited by gay Latino writers from varied backgrounds and walks of life. That in and of itself was a huge draw for me. As seen from the gay Latino's perspective, I also hoped to find that great mixture of different backgrounds and countries that make up what we call the Latino culture and what makes our community unique.

The anthology is composed of 29 short stories. Individually you'll find different writing styles and types of stories, from the magical cuento, to love letters, and stories of neglect, loneliness, rejection, sex, drugs, and yes... yearning and love. Through the unique and beautiful rhythm found in the blending of two languages and two cultures that is often found in works by Latino writers, the reader experiences pain, joys, highs and lows.

Taken individually some stories are better written than others and I do have favorites among them. As a whole, however, From Macho to Mariposa: New Gay Latino Fiction is a different kettle of fish altogether. The editors of this anthology Charles Rice-González and Charlie Vázquez successfully capture the differences and commonalities within the gay Latino community and the gay experience from a distinct cultural perspective.

Pulled together, the stories do convey that distinct flavor. Whether it's achieved by highlighting societal views of the gay son, friend, nephew or neighbor within the Latino community as a whole or the importance of la familia -- mami, papi, brothers, sisters, tíos or primos -- the neighborhoods, the different foods or the music, that flavor can almost be felt and tasted by the reader. Most of all I think these gay Latino writers achieve this as only they can, by expressing their experiences, with passion, heart and emotion.

Read complete review at Impressions of a Reader

[Mauricio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I gave it a 3, this really should be 3.5. The overall collection felt a little all over the place to me. Many of the stories read like short erotica, which is fine since I understand sex and lust is important. But ultimately the characters aren't fully fleshed out, and one is left wanting more. For example, digging deeper into the aftermath of a sexual experience (both physical and emotional) would've made some of the stories a lot stronger. Others I felt were a little too cliche about dealing with lack of acceptance but don't really offer a solution forward. I also think the selections are too short and could benefit from expanding more. The stories do become more developed near the end and there should have been more of this throughout the collection. They were more impactful and overall made the collection a worthwhile read.

[Cait]

I haven't read the whole collection; I've only read david andrew talamantes's "huerfanita (little orphan girl)," which I enjoyed quite a bit. logging for posterity.

[willowdog]

Very uneven selection of works