Peach Pit Corazón - by Rafael Ocasio (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Judith Ortiz Cofer (1952-2016), a prominent Latina writer, was, among various recognitions, nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for her 1989 first novel, The Line of the Sun (Georgia); awarded the coveted O. Henry Prize for her short story "The Latin Deli" in 1994; and inducted into the Georgia Writer's Hall of Fame in 2010. Beginning her literary career as a poet, Ortiz Cofer was a prolific writer of novels, short stories, and creative nonfiction essays, often inspired by her diverse cultural background. She was born in Hormigueros, Puerto Rico, and moved to Paterson, New Jersey, as a child in the mid-1950s. In Paterson, she witnessed the rise of a Puerto Rican community. During her early teenage years, her family left for Augusta, Georgia, the state where she put down roots. She joined the English Department at the University of Georgia in 1984, eventually being named the Franklin Professor of English and Creative Writing, before retiring from teaching in 2014. Her work often engaged with the intersections of the various geographies, cultures, and languages of the places she called home throughout her life.

Rafael Ocasio's critical introduction and commentary on representative literary pieces are guided by interviews conducted during his twenty-seven-year friendship with Ortiz Cofer. One common subject of their conversations, as they joked, was labeling themselves as "Georgia-Ricans." From a temporal hindsight point of view, as a Georgia-Rican writer, Ortiz Cofer recalls events that led to her rise as a Latina writer who was celebratory of a Latinx identity, a multiethnic community that comprised a range of socioeconomic backgrounds, while also being critical of their traditional binary concepts pertaining to gender and sexual orientations.

Review Quotes

Rafael Ocasio has skillfully put together a comprehensive collection of Judith Ortiz Cofer's works; it's a true testament of the importance of her writing and permanence in the world of letters. This collection of some of her finest literary contributions, along with a detailed Introduction and explanatory passages at the beginning of each chapter, honors the true spirit and gifted craft of a beloved writer.--Carmen Haydee Rivera Vega "Professor of English, University of Puerto Rico"

This stellar collection of the writings of Judith Ortiz Cofer pays tribute to an author who transformed her Boricua life into widely-appealing works for Puerto Ricans as well as wider Latine and general audiences. Readers can now revisit--or discover--carefully curated short stories, creative nonfiction, and academic essays covering compelling themes of identity, oral folklore, gender roles and restrictions, and the reclamation of cultural traditions and heritage. Featuring deep cuts from her ground-breaking YA, adult fiction, nonfiction, and memoirs, Peach Pit Corazón makes her legacy available for the next generation and avid readers of the Latine experience.--María Acosta Cruz "Professor of Spanish, Clark University"

Peach Pit Corazón, the intriguing title of this book, poetically reflects Judith Ortiz Cofer's philosophy as a Latinx author determined to build cultural bridges through her artistry. Rafael Ocasio has lovingly collected a comprehensive range of her extensive and varied oeuvre. His reflections on her trajectory from Puerto Rico to New Jersey to Florida to Georgia introduce readers to her all-encompassing literary heart/corazón belonging, displacement, adaptation, and preserving oral legacies.--Mary Ann Gosser Esquilín "author of Culture, Nature, and the Other in Caribbean Literature: An Ecocritical Approach"

About the Author

RAFAEL OCASIO is emeritus Charles A. Dana Professor of Spanish at Agnes Scott College. He is the author of Cuba's Political and Sexual Outlaw: Reinaldo Arenas; The Making of a Gay Activist; and The Dissidence of Reinaldo Arenas: Queering Literature, Politics, and the Activist Curriculum, coauthored with Sandro Barros and Angela L. Willis. He lives in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico.