La Plonqui: The Literary Life and Work of Margarita Cota-Cárdenas
Edited by Jesús Rosales and Vanessa Fonseca-Chávez
Celebrating more than 40 years of creative writing by Chicana author Margarita Cota-Cárdenas, this volume includes critical essays, reflections, interviews and previously unpublished writing by the author herself to document the lifelong craft and legacy of a pioneering writer. Nicknamed “La Plonky” by her family after a made-up childhood song, Cota-Cárdenas grew up in California, taught almost exclusively in Arizona, and produced five major works (two novels and three books of poetry) that offer an expansive literary production spanning from the 1960s to today. Her perspectives on Chicana identity, the Chicanx movement, and the sociopolitical climate of Arizona and the larger U.S.-Mexico border region represent a significant contribution to the larger body of Chicanx literature. Additionally, the volume explores her perspectives on issues of gender, sexuality, and identity related to the Chicanx experience over time.
Bios
Jesús Rosales is an associate professor of Spanish in ASU's School of International Letters and Cultures, in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Rosales was born in Durango, Mexico and raised in Santa Barbara, California. He has lived and worked throughout the Southwest, including in California, New Mexico, Texas and Arizona. His field of specialty is Chicano literary history and Chicano literature written in Spanish. Rosales is fortunate to have worked at different academic levels: high school, community college, and university.
Vanessa Fonseca-Chávez is an associate professor of English in the School of Applied Sciences and Arts and associate dean for diversity, equity and inclusion, in ASU's College of Integrative Sciences and Arts. Fonseca-Chávez joined the ASU faculty at Polytechnic campus in 2016. Her research focuses on place studies, Chicana/o/x literature and culture and Chicana feminisms. Fonseca-Chávez is the author of one book and co-editor of three collections.
Praise for this book
In their expansive and impressive volume, Jesús Rosales and Vanessa Fonseca-Chávez remind us why Margarita Cota-Cárdenas remains one of las ‘meras meras’ of Chicana letters. This book pays homage to a trailblazing Chicana writer whose works cross the English/Spanish linguistic divide through rich, creative genre play. With scholarship by emerging and established scholars, "La Plonqui: The Literary Life and Work of Margarita Cota-Cárdenas" will serve as the benchmark volume on one of the most important Chicana writers of our generation.
Cristina Herrera Co-author of "Latinx Teens: U.S. Popular Culture on the Page, Stage, and Screen"
This is the book I have been waiting for regarding the writing of Cota-Cárdenas. It is accessible, insightful and full of gems for those of us who love Latinx literature and her work.
Juan Velasco-Moreno Author of "Collective Identity and Cultural Resistance in Contemporary Chicana/o Autobiography"
