Jimmy Santiago Baca

Jimmy Santiago Baca is a prominent figure in American literature, renowned for his work as a published poet, writer, and activist. Of Apache and Chicano descent, Baca has made significant contributions to literature and social activism, earning him numerous awards and accolades for his writing style and advocacy.

Baca's writing career spans various genres, including poetry, memoirs, and screenplays. He is the writer of the screenplay Blood In, Blood Out, which gained popularity and critical acclaim. Moreover, Baca has appeared in documentaries, such as Def Poetry, where he showcases his poetic talent and shares his perspective on various social issues.

In addition to his work in film and poetry, Baca is an accomplished writer of memoirs. His writing style is characterized by its accessibility, making his work relatable and impactful to a wide audience. One of his notable works, A Place to Stand, was developed into a documentary film that aired on PBS. The film chronicles Baca's life, highlighting his journey from a troubled past to becoming a respected and influential figure in American literature. Baca's work continues to inspire and resonate with readers and viewers, leaving a lasting impact on the literary and social landscape.
Breaking Bread with Darkness Books
# Title Year
1 Breaking Bread With the Darkness 2011
2 The Lucia Poems 2012
Standalone Novels
# Title Year
1 A Glass of Water 2009
2 Adolescents on the Edge Teacher Pack 2010
3 American Orphan 2021
4 The Misfits 2022
Non-Fiction Books
# Title Year
1 Nuke Rebuke 1984
2 A Place to Stand 2001
3 Adolescents on the Edge (With: Releah Lent) 2010
4 Adolescents on the Edge 2010
5 Laughing in the Light 2020
Poetry Collections
# Title Year
1 Fired up with You! : Poems of a Niagara Vision (With: Barbara Mor, Robert Volbrecht, Will Inman) 1977
2 What's Happening 1982
3 Poems Taken From My Yard 1986
4 Martín & Meditations on the South Valley 1987
5 Black Mesa Poems 1989
6 Immigrants in Our Own Land Selected Early Poems 1990
7 Working in the Dark 1991
8 Set This Book On Fire! 1999
9 Que Linda La Brisa 2001
10 Healing Earthquakes 2001
11 C-Train and Thirteen Mexicans 2002
12 The Importance of a Piece of Paper 2004
13 Winter Poems Along the Rio Grande 2004
14 Spring Poems Along the Rio Grande 2007
15 Rita and Julia 2008
16 Stories from the Edge 2010
17 Singing at the Gates 2014
18 When I Walk Through That Door, I Am 2019
19 Buffalo Circles: Conjuring the Buffalo Way (With: Katrina K. Guarascio, Michael Glenn Bish, Anna Martinez, Garland Thompson Jr., Cristina Lee Mormorunni, Jorge Núñez, Carey Powers, Matthew Cuban Hernandez, Pamela Mary Brown) 2020
Jimmy Santiago Baca Anthologies
# Title Year
1 Nuke Rebuke 1984
2 Prose and Poetry of the American West 1991
3 Aloud: Voices from the Nuyorican Poets Cafe 1994
4 Letters to America 1995
5 Bordering Fires: The Vintage Book of Contemporary Mexican and Chicana and Chicano Literature 2006
6 From the Inside Out: Letters to Young Men and Other Writings 2009
7 Dedicated to the People of Darfur 2009
8 Walls Turned Sideways: Artists Confront the Justice System 2019
9 Voices of Change Workbook 2021