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It's the symphony in the kitchen:
la cuchara canta
el molcajete baila
to the concert of hands at work
mixing el guisado: it's the hum of life
unhurried; the ballet of
fingers, spreading
-- with patience of the saints --
ý ý ý ý ý ý each tiny blanket,
ý ý ý ý ý ý colchita de masa
upon the water-softened husk of corn;
then comes the filling, now the folding,
and into the pot of steaming broth ...
- Tamalada
Books
1975
Arise, Chicano! and Other Poems (Backstage Books)
1976
 Chicano Poems for the Barrio (M & A Editions)
1976
 Selecciones (Trans. Mireya Robles, Ediciones del Caballo Verde, Universidad Veracruzana)
1986
 Woman, Woman (Arte Publico)
1989
 Selected Poems
1995
Daughters of the Fifth Sun: A Collection of Latina Fiction and Poetry (Editor with Bryce Milligan and Mary Guerrero Milligan, Riverside Books, New York)
1998 Floricanto si!: A Collection of Latin Poetry ( Penguin Books, New York)
Other Contributions
Contributor of translations to World Anthology of Living Poets. Contributor to publications.
 

In 1975, the first collection, Arise, Chicano! and Other Poems was published due to the support and encouragement by her mentor, Dr. Mireya Roblems. The Chicano Movement is an important influence within her work for she addresses the social and economic issues for the Chicano people. She encourages Chicanos to empower themselves and rise above their oppression. She demonstrates how Anglos are a dominant force against the Chicanos by keeping them at a low socioeconomic status within society.

In the same collection, another poem entitled “The Final Laugh” discusses racial discrimination, which serves to encourage Chicanos to rise above their oppression. She discusses how white people possess power and that the color of Chicanos will prevent them from obtaining power. De Hoyos offers two choices: the Chicana/o may remain content with their lot in life or they can rebel and discover their own place within the world. “The Final Laugh” is internationally known and received the 1972 Diploma de Benemerenza, which is the second prize of the Italian Academia Leonardo Da Vinci. Within the poem “Brindis: For the Barrio” the encouragement of militant social protest and solidarity are prevalent messages. This poem brings hope to the Chicano, for if they work together they can inevitably overcome their oppression, alienation, and poverty. Through her poetry, De Hoyos reveals her inner frustration at the treatment of Mexican Americans during this time period.

Within De Hoyos’ second book, Chicano Poems for the Barrio (1975) explores cultural conservation within the Chicano neighborhood (barrio). De Hoyos expresses a strong concern for the people within her ethnic group and exemplifies her own rebellion within her writing. She incorporates the Spanish language to illustrate how Spanish words can be interwoven within English text, just as the Chicanos have become a part of the Anglo world. As a Chicana poet, De Hoyos is preserving the Chicano culture by incorporating the Spanish language within her writing, revealing her intentions to break away from the English-dominated literature within American society.