This anthology of contemporary fiction and poetry by Hispanic American women writers contains material ranging from national award winners to emerging talents. Noting that until recently 20th-century academic literary criticism described ethnic American literature as parochial and politically driven, the anthology's introduction discusses how the advent of "multiculturalism" as an accepted tenet of American educational philosophy has allowed ethnic literature to enter the mainstream. The anthology points out that the diverse identity of all Latinas finds its unity in creativity. The anthology contains 17 short stories and numerous poems by 32 female writers, among them Lorna Dee Cervantes, Gloria Anzaldua, Sandra Cisneros, Cherrie Moraga, Enedina Casarez Vasquez, Evangelina Vigil-Pinon, Alma Luz Villanueva, Cecile Pineda, and Margarita Engle. some of the selections in the anthology were originally written in Spanish and translated, others were written in English. Some of the authors who appear in the anthology are originally from other countries, some are native-born Americans. Notes on all the contributors conclude the anthology. (NKA)