Portrait of a Mestiza: A Memoir in Essays
For fans of Gloria Anzaldúa and all those who know what it is to grow up straddling more than one culture, a lyrical, timely exploration of what it’s like to live in the “in between”—and why it should matter to everyone.

We are all shaped by the cultures that surround us—their expectations, ideals, and norms. But what happens when those cultures collide? When your mother embodies one world and your father another?

In this profoundly personal follow-up to Portrait of a Feminist, Marianna Marlowe explores the intersections of race, class, and gender as they are molded by family, religion, and migration. Born to a Peruvian mother and an American father, Marlowe’s early life spanned continents—from the Philippines to Ecuador, Brazil to the United States—leaving her with a sense of belonging everywhere and nowhere at once. Through a series of thematically linked essays, she reflects on the complexities of identity, the fluidity of culture, and the enduring search for home.

Now raising two sons with her Syrian Muslim husband, Marlowe continues to navigate the ever-shifting landscapes of culture, language, and faith. Inspired by scholar Gloria Anzaldúa’s concept of the borderlands, Portrait of a Mestiza is both a meditation on life lived in the “in-between” spaces and a call to dismantle the binaries that divide us. Thought-provoking and deeply relevant, this collection urges us to embrace hybridity, challenge inherited limitations, and create for ourselves more ethical and expansive lives.  
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Portrait of a Mestiza: A Memoir in Essays
For fans of Gloria Anzaldúa and all those who know what it is to grow up straddling more than one culture, a lyrical, timely exploration of what it’s like to live in the “in between”—and why it should matter to everyone.

We are all shaped by the cultures that surround us—their expectations, ideals, and norms. But what happens when those cultures collide? When your mother embodies one world and your father another?

In this profoundly personal follow-up to Portrait of a Feminist, Marianna Marlowe explores the intersections of race, class, and gender as they are molded by family, religion, and migration. Born to a Peruvian mother and an American father, Marlowe’s early life spanned continents—from the Philippines to Ecuador, Brazil to the United States—leaving her with a sense of belonging everywhere and nowhere at once. Through a series of thematically linked essays, she reflects on the complexities of identity, the fluidity of culture, and the enduring search for home.

Now raising two sons with her Syrian Muslim husband, Marlowe continues to navigate the ever-shifting landscapes of culture, language, and faith. Inspired by scholar Gloria Anzaldúa’s concept of the borderlands, Portrait of a Mestiza is both a meditation on life lived in the “in-between” spaces and a call to dismantle the binaries that divide us. Thought-provoking and deeply relevant, this collection urges us to embrace hybridity, challenge inherited limitations, and create for ourselves more ethical and expansive lives.  
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Portrait of a Mestiza: A Memoir in Essays

Portrait of a Mestiza: A Memoir in Essays

by Marianna Marlowe
Portrait of a Mestiza: A Memoir in Essays

Portrait of a Mestiza: A Memoir in Essays

by Marianna Marlowe

eBook

$12.99 
Available for Pre-Order. This item will be released on March 24, 2026

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Overview

For fans of Gloria Anzaldúa and all those who know what it is to grow up straddling more than one culture, a lyrical, timely exploration of what it’s like to live in the “in between”—and why it should matter to everyone.

We are all shaped by the cultures that surround us—their expectations, ideals, and norms. But what happens when those cultures collide? When your mother embodies one world and your father another?

In this profoundly personal follow-up to Portrait of a Feminist, Marianna Marlowe explores the intersections of race, class, and gender as they are molded by family, religion, and migration. Born to a Peruvian mother and an American father, Marlowe’s early life spanned continents—from the Philippines to Ecuador, Brazil to the United States—leaving her with a sense of belonging everywhere and nowhere at once. Through a series of thematically linked essays, she reflects on the complexities of identity, the fluidity of culture, and the enduring search for home.

Now raising two sons with her Syrian Muslim husband, Marlowe continues to navigate the ever-shifting landscapes of culture, language, and faith. Inspired by scholar Gloria Anzaldúa’s concept of the borderlands, Portrait of a Mestiza is both a meditation on life lived in the “in-between” spaces and a call to dismantle the binaries that divide us. Thought-provoking and deeply relevant, this collection urges us to embrace hybridity, challenge inherited limitations, and create for ourselves more ethical and expansive lives.  

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9798896361015
Publisher: She Writes Press
Publication date: 03/24/2026
Sold by: SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format: eBook
Pages: 256

About the Author

Marianna Marlowe is a Latina writer who focuses on creative nonfiction that explores issues of gender identity, feminism, cultural hybridity, intersectionality, and more. Her short memoir has been published in NarrativeHippocampusThe Woven Tale PressEclecticaSukoon, and The Acentos Review among others. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.
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