Carmen Tafolla

Carmen Tafolla’s New and Selected Poems continues TCU Press’s series of collections by the Poets Laureate of Texas.

Named the first-ever Poet Laureate of San Antonio in 2012, Tafolla was named Poet Laureate of Texas in 2015. This collection displays her mastery of the art of bilingual code switching, mining the riches of two languages—Spanish and English—to produce works that celebrate the beauty and vigor of a Hispanic heritage that has enriched American culture for generations.  Called “a world-class writer” by Alex Haley and a “pioneer of Chicana literature” by Ana Castillo, in 1999 Tafolla was presented with the Art of Peace Award for writings that contribute to “peace, justice, and human understanding.” Her works “thematically cross cultures and move into questions of human survival on this earth”—Dr. Wolfgang Karrer.