Raúl R. Salinas (March 17, 1934 - February 13, 2008), better known by his pen name raúlrsalinas, was a Chicano pinto poet, memoirist, social activist, and prison journalist. Much of raúlrsalinas' writing was grounded in arguments for social justice and human rights.[1] He was an early pioneer of Chicano pinto (prisoner) poetry and is notable for his use of vernacular, bilingual, and free verse aesthetics.[2]

raúlrsalinas
Born	Raúl R. Salinas (1934-03-17)March 17, 1934 San Antonio, Texas
Died	February 13, 2008(2008-02-13) (aged 73) Austin, Texas, United States
Nationality	American
Occupation	Author poet activist

Alongside Ricardo Sánchez, Judy Lucero, Luis Talamantez, and Jimmy Santiago Baca, raúlrsalinas sought to make prisoners' rights a more central focus of the Chicano Movement.[3] Incarcerated for over a decade (1959–1972) for carrying a small amount of marijuana,[4] raúlrsalinas wrote extensively while in prison, including essays, letters, prose, and journalism, the vast majority which is now held at Stanford University.[5] raúlrsalinas' work extended beyond his prison writing, focusing also on his Xicanindio (indigenous identified Chicano) heritage and his politics as a Latino internationalist. According to Oxford University, raúlrsalinas "transformed elements of the American literary canon."[6]

Works

• Un Trip through the Mind Jail y Otras Excursions (Arte Publico Press, 1980). ISBN 978-1558852754
• East of the Freeway: Reflections De Mi Pueblo (Red Salmon Press, 1995). ISBN 978-0962350603
• Many Mundos Of Raulrsalinas: Un Poetic Jazz Viaje (Calaca Press, 2000). ISBN 978-0966077353
• Red Arc: A Call For Liberación Con Salsa Y Cool (Wings Press, 2005). ISBN 978-0916727192
• raú́lrsalinas and the Jail Machine: My Weapon is My Pen (University of Texas Press, 2006). ISBN 978-0292713284
• Indio Trails: A Xicano Odyssey Through Indian Country (Wings Press, 2006). ISBN 978-0916727376
• Memoir of Un Ser Humano: The Life and Times de Raúlrsalinas, edited by Louis G. Mendoza. (Red Salmon Press, 2018). ISBN 978-1642042061

See also

• List of Chicano poets
• Pinto (subculture)

References

This biographical article about an American poet born in the 1930s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

• v
• t
• e