Sandra Cisneros, internationally celebrated author and poet, will present a lecture on Wednesday, March 29, at 7:30 p.m., in Garrison Theater, Scripps College Performing Arts Center. A reception and book signing will follow the lecture; the event is free and open to the public. This lecture is part of the Alexa Fullerton Hampton Speaker Series, “Voice and Vision,” made possible through the bequest of Scripps alumna Alexa Fullerton Hampton ’42. For more information, please call (909) 607-9372.
Since her first critically acclaimed novel, House on Mango Street (1983), Sandra Cisneros has published several books, including two full-length books of poetry, a book of short stories, a children’s book, and a novel. She is considered to be the first Chicana to receive a contract with a major house when Random House published her collection of short stories, Woman Hollering Creek (1991). The same year, Publishers Weekly identified Cisneros as one of a handful of Latina writers moving into mainstream literature.
Known for unraveling gender stereotypes, Cisneros’ works are praised for giving a literary voice to the perspectives of Chicana women. She writes about conflicts related to her upbringing, including divided cultural loyalties, feelings of alienation, and degradation associated with poverty. House on Mango Street is read in schools at various levels from elementary to university classrooms.
Cisneros received numerous writing awards, including the prestigious MacArthur Foundation Fellowship in 1995 and a Texas Medal of the Arts Award in 2003. Her book Woman Hollering Creek has received, among other awards, the PEN Center West Award for Best Fiction of l99l. She has worked as a teacher and counselor to high school dropouts, a creative writing artist-in-residence, a college recruiter, an arts administrator, and a visiting professor at several universities.