From the Editor

This year we celebrate the 15^th anniversary of Diálogo, with some transformation but remaining true to the original mission of publishing Latina/o voices and studies on Latina/o and Latin American experience. Scholarship on these pages has revealed trends, statistics and new thought in articles by scholars, together with the intimate words of the community itself. As the covers of Diálogo through the years demonstrate on our present commemorative cover, the journal has tackled and explored significant issues.

Brought forth in 1998 by the Center for Latino Research (CLR) at DePaul University (after the departure of early CLR Director Félix Padilla, who created the first journal of Latino Studies at DePaul), Diálogo was designed to welcome the work of a variety of writers: in the first issue, Editor Félix Masud-Piloto invited the contributions of scholars as well as community leaders, artists, and students.

We now return to goals of solid scholarship while also welcoming Commentary, Interviews, and creative writing submissions. We have fortified the peer-review process, changed presentation size, and moved to publication of two issues per year, beginning with this volume. The present issue represents a fascinating compilation of articles that explore the status of the contemporary “Latino,” a term both helpful and at times problematic in describing a vast population which is both native and diasporic, and yet marginalized and invisible in the mainstream mindset.

The opening articles are interesting analyses of Latino presence in the US: the first by Guatemalan writer and critic Arturo Arias, examines Central American-American experience in the US, their trajectory, work and military service, including analysis of three recent documentary films. The second, by Priscilla Gac-Artigas, assesses in US Latino literature the ideas of an early 20^th century Spanish philosopher, to study the spaces of home and nation, an identity constructed from “circumstances” and “in-between-ness.”

Two lyrical essays in Commentary, the memories and histories of two talented writers, take us first to Chicago’s Puerto Rican Humboldt Park neighborhood during mid-20^th century, to reveal a portrait of family and rich cultural legacy, where the same populations of 1960s’ resistance continue to evaluate their lack of recognition in urban society. The second essay takes us through the marginalized experience of Baja California migrants while highlighting the female experience, a richly drawn self as well as societal examination.

Bibiana Suárez, Se habla inglés no. 1 /, acrylic paint on aluminum panel, 23.5 × 23.5 in., from the series Memoria(Memory), 2005–2011

The new Interviews section is launched with an interview conducted with Junot Díaz before publication of the novel that would earn him the Pulitzer award. His comments offer insights into his influences and preparation toward greater writing. This interview is drawn from the Center for Latino Research’s oral histories collection.

The creative section explores diaspora, identity and loss through poetry experiences, the final narrative by Hilda Chacón representing a highly creative meditation occurring while in line at an airport, assessing the tactics and motivations of officials while reviewing the reactions of those who are interrogated. The meditation turns to society, the presence of garbage and disenfranchised people in the US urban setting, leading to critical analysis. This eloquent narration returns to ideas in the main section of this journal, Central American history and American experience, impacted by officials who have little regard for human beings. The scholarship, moving commentary and artistic work of this commemorative issue not only brings talented writers and excruciating issues to consideration, it opens to rich opportunities for comparisons and reflection on community. With more articles than usual in Spanish, Diálogo continues to fulfill its desire to publish in both languages. If you are not fluent in Spanish, ask someone to read to you and explain some of the moving context.

We are honored and privileged to provide images from the recent exposition by Puerto Rican artist Bibiana Suárez, “Memory/Memoria,” a visual artist’s impression of life lived in constant transition between US and Puerto Rican culture...