Red-Inked Retablos (Camino del Sol)

Red-Inked Retablos by Rigoberto González is a moving memoir that masterfully combines accounts from González’s personal life with reflections on writers who have influenced him, offering an in-depth meditation on the development of gay Chicano literature and the responsibilities of the Chicana/o writer.

This collection of 13 pieces provides a narrative of González’s life from his childhood through his career as a writer, critic, and mentor, while continuing to expand his oeuvre on mariposa (literally, “butterfly”) memory, a genre he pioneered in which Chicano/a writers openly address non-traditional sexuality.

Through his writing, González pays tribute to the people and events that influence his work as a poet, writer, critic, and literary activist, while also serving as a call to action, an invitation, and a hope for the next generation of scholars to keep up with the flourishing literary production by Latino mariposa writers.

With grace, humor, and wide observation, González maintains his voice throughout the collection, providing a compassionate and uncompromising account of his experiences as a gay Latino writer.