Red Hot Salsa: Bilingual Poems on Being Young and Latino in the United States

Red Hot Salsa is an extraordinary collection of bilingual poems from the bestselling editor of Cool Salsa

i think in spanish
i write in english

i want to go back to puerto rico,
but i wonder if my kink could live
in ponce, mayagüez and carolina

tengo las venas aculturadas
escribo en spanglish
abraham in español

--from "My Graduation Speech," by Tato Laviera

Ten years after the publication of the acclaimed Cool Salsa, editor Lori Marie Carlson has brought together a stunning variety of Latino poets for a long-awaited follow-up. Established and familiar names are joined by many new young voices, and Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Oscar Hijuelos has written the Introduction.

The poets collected here illuminate the difficulty of straddling cultures, languages, and identities. They celebrate food, family, love, and triumph. In English, Spanish, and poetic jumbles of both, they tell us who they are, where they are, and what their hopes are for the future.

Author: Lori Marie Carlson
Publisher: Square Fish
Published: 07/08/2025
Pages: 160
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.30lbs
Size: 8.10h x 5.40w x 0.50d
ISBN13: 9781250370167
ISBN10: 1250370167
Language: Spanish
BISAC Categories:
- Young Adult Nonfiction | Poetry
- Young Adult Nonfiction | Hispanic & Latino

About the Author

Lori Marie Carlson is an editor, translator, and novelist who has concentrated on bringing Latino literature to American audiences. She is the editor of Cool Salsa: Bilingual Poems on Growing Up Latino in the United States and of Sol a Sol: Original and Selected Bilingual Poems.