Why Chiricú Journal Matters

The following is a guest post by John Nieto-Phillips, founding editor of Chiricú Journal: Latina/o Literatures, Arts, and Cultures and Vice Provost for Diversity & Inclusion at Indiana University.

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John Nieto-Phillips, Founding Editor

Initially founded in 1976 by Professor Luis Dávila and a number of Indiana University Chicano, Riqueño, and Cubano graduate students as a magazine to showcase their bicultural experience, Chiricú evolved into a multilingual publication that featured the early writings of authors Sandra Cisneros and Norma Alarcón, as well as interviews with Jorge Luis Borges and Edward James Olmos.

Continuing In the curious and capacious spirit of Chiricú magazine, Chiricú Journal was launched by Indiana University Press in 2016 as a peer-reviewed journal that explores the diversity of Latina/o cultures and lived experiences. Like its predecessor, Chiricú Journal is dedicated to expanding the diversity of critical approaches to Latinx studies; the unique hybrid format showcases traditional forms of scholarship alongside unconventional methods such as creative fiction and non-fiction, interview, memoir, photography and the plastic arts. Past issues have featured work by prominent Latinx studies scholars and artists such as Edmundo Desnoes, Gabriel Meléndez, Ilan Stavans, Héctor Tobar, John Valadez, Adriana Lisboa and Ana Celia Zentella, as well as interviews with Alex Rivera, Lourdes Portillo and Natalia Almada.

All of us involved with Chiricú believe that scholarship, placed in conversation with creative works of art and literature, offers a deep, rich, and complex view into the human condition. We value the many traditions that inform US based Latina/o “literatures, arts, and cultures.” While the majority of our content is published in English, we also honor the power of languages to capture and convey culture; hence, we also publish works in their original Spanish or Portuguese. Our mixed format mirrors the multifaceted, multilingual realities of US Latina/o communities. Even our name, Chiricú, gestures to the “Chi”-cano (Mexican-American), Puerto “Ri”-can, and “Cu”-ban students of Indiana University who coined the term in the 1970s.

Each issue centers on a specific theme, which allows contributors and non-specialist readers to approach a topic from distinct vantage points, through multiple scholarly and artistic lenses. The highly visual nature of our journal—which features original artwork on each cover and approximately 30 full-color illustrations in each issue—is conceived with the aesthetic experience in mind. Whether one accesses Chiricú Journal electronically (via JSTOR or Project Muse) or in print, we aim to convey the vibrancy of Latina/o arts.

During our short existence, we have been graced with the collaboration of many fine scholars, artists and board members—among them, renowned figures as well as emerging voices. We twice have been honored by Project MUSE: the same year Chiricu launched, we were invited to join their journals’ Premium Collection (one of only 16 journals worldwide added that year); and recognized as “Journal of the Month” in February 2018. Our most recent honor has been recognition as the Council of Editors of Learned Journals’ Best New Journal for 2018.  Our vision is to live up to those distinctions by producing a high quality, compelling journal that spans disciplines, boundaries and cultures.

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