Tejas Foco Highlight: Gang-Related Narratives and the Irony Employed in Contemporary Chican@ Literature

Tejas Foco Highlight:

Student Panel Track-

Gang-Related Narratives and the Irony Employed in Contemporary Chican@ Literature

2015 NACCS Tejas Foco Conference

Lone Star College-North Harris

Feb. 26-28, 2015
www.TejasFoco2015.org

SESSION I:  Friday, February 27 2015 

                     Time: 9:00 am- 10:15 am

                     Room: ACAD 161

Student Panel Track: Gang-Related Narratives and the Irony Employed in Contemporary Chican@ Literature

Panelists address Barrio Writers, a collection of poems and short “fictional” pieces by young folks; Virginia Grise’s play blu; Ana Castillo’s novel The Guardians; and Helena María Viramontes’ novel Their Dogs Came with Them. These works involve narratives about youth whose lives for the most part, but not entirely, have fallen on hard times. Not all these youth are Mexican American, as a few are Mexican nationals tied to family here in the US. These Chican@ writers explore themes covering gang-related narratives long receiving a great deal of attention in movies and television media productions but which overlook important aspects of Mexican American life.

The panelists will show how these works counter stereotypes by showing ironic dimensions about the lives of the youth they portray and which complicate their narratives in significant ways. Panelists analyze these works to show how these authors deliver messages complicating stereotypes commonly held about Mexican Americans and Mexicans.

Panelists all come from Texas State University

Alejandra Vizcaino

Stephen Mendoza

Catharina Reyes

Sabrina Rodriguez

Chair: Jaime Armin Mejia, Ph.D