Dr. Melissa Castillo Planas is a Mexican-American writer whose work delves into the complex intersections of culture, race, and migration in New York City. Through her poetry, essays, and critical analysis, she explores the experiences of Mexican migrants within contexts of systemic oppression and the creative power that emerges from the friction of identity. Her writing is characterized by a sharp focus on marginalized communities and their cultural productions, revealing new borderlands and forms of resilience.
A Mexican State of Mind: New York City and the New Borderlands of Culture is the story Mexican migrant creativity in New York City since 9/11 focusing on youth productions in hip hop, the arts and labor advocacy.