In the following review of Ortiz Cofer's The Latin Deli: Prose and Poetry, Michael J. O'Shea praises Ortiz Cofer's eclecticism, calling her writings "profound, poignant, funny, universal and moving." O'Shea suggests echoes of the writings of James Joyce in the works of Ortiz Cofer, but states that ultimately, it is her ability to weave autobiographical remembrances, humor, and general human concerns—as well as the interplay between fiction and non-fiction—that make her "an author worth knowing."

Judith Ortiz Cofer, author of fiction, poetry collections and essays, presents all three in her latest book, The Latin Deli. Some readers and reviewers might overlook the volume because of its eclecticism. (It might have escaped editorial notice in this journal, for instance, because about 60% of the volume is devoted to poetry and essays.) Others might ignore it because they incorrectly assume that its appeal is specifically "ethnic." The latter...