Sandra Cisneros

Sandra Cisneros in 2013

**Sandra Cisneros** (born in 1954), is a Chicana writer, poet, and activist. She is well known for her novel titled "The House on Mango Street", which is now a required reading in lots of schools in the United States.

## Biography

She was born in Chicago, IL December 20th, 1945. She was the only daughter in her household, but she had 6 other brothers. Her grandfather had wealth, and was a well known pianist, but lost all his money due to gambling by the time her father was born. Her parents met in Chicago and later on settled in one of the poorest neighborhoods there.

Her childhood greatly shaped her writing. She said she felt lonely at home as her brothers would confide in each other, but exclude her because she was the only girl. She had a good relationship with her father, as he took lots of good care of her, and protected her. Her mother encouraged her to read a lot ever since she was very little, and then encouraged her to write when that became her dream. She says she found in books what she couldn't find in her daily life because of the circumstances she lived in.

She started writing in high school, and that inspired her to pursue a career in writing later on. Her family moved into a better neighborhood after a few years, to a house they saved money for, and bought. That house was the inspiration for Cisneros' most famous book, *The House on Mango Street*.

She went to Loyola University of Chicago and earned her B.A. in English in 1976. She also went to the University of Iowa and earned a M.F.A. in Creative Writing in 1978. In college, she felt like the odd one of the bunch, just like she had in her home when she was a child. However, this time it was because of the difference in backgrounds between her and her classmates. She felt less qualified, and less knowledgeable because she came from a humble background, but that didn't stop her from getting through it, and earning her degree. While she was at the Writer's Workshop in the University of Iowa, she realized that what made her different from the rest of those people was in fact what could empower her and be the subject of her writing.

Besides from writing, she also worked as a creative writing teacher, counselor for high school kids in Chicago, and administrative assistant

## Famous Works

Her first book was a volume of poetry titled *Bad Boys* (1980). After that, she published the book that would ultimately make her a well known author and define her career as a writer, and activist. The book has sold over six million copies and has become a required reading in many schools across the country. That book was *The House on Mango Street* (1984). Later, she wrote more poetry including: *The Rodrigo Poems* (1985), *My Wicked, Wicked Ways* (1987), and *Loose Woman* (1994). Other well known works include *Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories* (1991), and *Caramelo* (2002). Her latest work is titled *A House of My Own: Stories of My Life* (2015), and it is a memoir made up of a collection of her essays. Her books have been translated into more than twenty languages, and have even been made available as audiobooks.

## Awards

* National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowships in poetry and prose (1982) and (1988)
* Texas Institute of Letters Dobie-Paisano Fellowship (1984)
* Illinois Artists Fellowship (1984)
	+ *The House on Mango Street*:
		- Before Columbus Foundation's American Book Award (1985)
* Chicano Short Story Award from the University of Arizona (1986)
* Roberta Holloway Lectureship at the University of California (1988)
	+ *Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories*:
		- PEN Center West Award for Best Fiction of (1991)
		- Quality Paperback Book Club New Voices Award (1991)
		- Anisfield-Wolf Book Award (1991)
		- Lannan Foundation Literary Award (1991)
	+ *Loose Woman*:
		- Mountains & Plains Booksellers' Award (1995)
* MacArthur Foundation Fellowship (1995)
* Texas Medal of the Arts (2003)
* Fifth Star Award, presented by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (2015)
* Tia Chucha’s Lifetime Achievement Award (2015)
* National Medal of Arts (2015) (Pictured above)
	+ *A House of My Own: Stories From My Life*:
		- PEN Center USA Literary Award for creative nonfiction (2016)

## Impact of Her Writings

*The House on Mango Street* is the book that gave Cisneros most of the recognition she has today, and impacted many in the Latino community by putting into words how many of them felt. The inspiration from this book comes from her childhood, and many of the stories in the book are actual stories from her days as a kid. She said she had read many books about the "barrio" while growing up, but she could not relate to any of them. These books she read were written by men who had lived in the "barrio", and only gave their point of view, so a girl like Cisneros could not really find herself in those stories. The "barrio" was a male dominated environment, and because of that men's view of it was vastly different from women's. Cisneros says she felt that the narrative needed female perspective, and because she couldn't find it anywhere, she decided to write it herself. She not only gave Chicanas a voice, but also used her writings to challenge the patriarchal views that came from both Mexican and American culture. Besides that, she expanded on the experience of Chicanas, and shined a light on issues like sexual taboos, and limits for women living in situations similar to hers, that could ultimately help many Latina women out there. Her books are some of the most important narratives of female resilience and Chicana/Latina empowerment to this day.

## Sources

1. Cisneros, Sandra. “Biography.” *Sandra Cisneros*, Sandra Cisneros, 2017, https://www.sandracisneros.com/mylifeandwork/.
2. Doyle, Jacqueline. “More Room of Her Own: Sandra Cisneros's The House on Mango Street.” *MELUS*, vol. 19, no. 4, 1994, pp. 5–35. *JSTOR*, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/468200.
3. Ganz, Robin. “Sandra Cisneros: Border Crossings and Beyond.” *MELUS*, vol. 19, no. 1, 1994, pp. 19–29. *JSTOR*, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/467785.
4. “Sandra Cisneros.” Performance by Sandra Cisneros, *Makers*, Makers, 2013, https://www.makers.com/sandra-Cisneros.
5. The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. “Sandra Cisneros.” *Encyclopædia Britannica*, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 4 Aug. 2017,  https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sandra-Cisneros.
6. Madsen, Deborah L. “Sandra Cisneros.” *Understanding Contemporary Chicana Literature*, Univ. of South Carolina Press, 2002, pp. 105–134.