Writing that Matters

A Handbook for Chicanx and Latinx Studies

By L Heidenreich and Rita E. Urquijo-Ruiz

The University of Arizona Press

Have you ever wanted a writing and research manual that centered Chicanx and Latinx scholarship? Writing that Matters does just that.

While it includes a brief history of the roots of the fields of Chicanx literature and history, Writing that Matters emphasizes practice: how to research and write a Chicanx or Latinx history paper; how to research and write a Chicanx or Latinx literature or cultural studies essay; and how to conduct interviews, frame pláticas, and conduct oral histories. It also includes a brief chapter on nomenclature and a grammar guide. Each chapter includes questions for discussion, and all examples from across the subfields are from noted Chicanx and Latinx scholars. Women’s and queer scholarship and methods are not addressed in a separate chapter but are instead integral to the work.

For years Professors Heidenreich and Urquijo-Ruiz waited for a writing and research manual that was rooted in critical Chicanx and Latinx studies. Now, they have crafted one.

‘With humor and informative examples,Writing that Matters provides students a useful tool for creating successful academic writing. An essential tool for beginners, Writing that Matters will soon become an essential companion for students in Chicanx studies classes.’—Norma E. Cantú, author of Chicana Portraits: Critical Biographies of Twelve Chicana Writers
‘Grounded in Chicanx/Latinx studies and jotería (LGBTQ) studies, Heidenreich and Urquijo-Ruiz’s approach to writing and research is from a non-Eurocentic, non-heternormative, non-hierarchical perspective that encourages students to become fearless researchers and self-assured writers for themselves and their communities. The book is a powerful tool for students!’—Dolores Delgado Bernal, co-editor of Transforming Educational Pathways for Chicana/o Students: A Critical Race Feminista Praxis

L Heidenreich is a professor of history at Washington State University and the author of “This Land Was Mexican Once”: Histories of Resistance from Northern California and Nepantla2: Transgender Mestiz@ Histories in Times of Global Shift.

Rita E. Urquijo-Ruiz is a Mexicana/Chicana fronteriza queer educator, translator, writer-activist, and performer. She is a professor of Spanish and Chicanx studies, queer studies, and global Latinx studies at Trinity University. She authored Wild Tongues: Transnational Mexican Popular Culture.

Contents
Acknowledgments: Because Writing Is a Collective Activity
Introduction: I Crush the Patriarchy with My Scholarship and Writing

1. We Name Ourselves: Chican@, Latinx, Afrolatina, Boricua, Jotx, Mariposa, y Más
2. The Fields of Chicanx and Latinx History
3. The Fields of Chicanx and Latinx Literature and Culture
4. Interviewing Like the Justice Scholar That I Am: Constructing Interviews, Oral Histories, and Pláticas
5. How I Learned to Love Grammar and Forgive My Ninth-Grade English Teacher

Appendices
A. The Art of Citation: Chicago Footnotes/Endnotes and Bibliographies
B. Sample Student History Paper
C. The Art of Citation: Modern Language Association (MLA) In-Text Citations and Works Cited
D. Sample Student Literature / Cultural Studies Paper
E. Online Archives and Resources
Notes
Index

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