Growing up the only daughter in a family of six boys on Chicago’s West Side, Sandra Cisneros describes her childhood as being defined by loneliness. Instead of responding to this loneliness with a downward spiral, however, Cisneros used it to her advantage and as an inspiration for writing. Decades later, Cisneros, now 62, has published dozens of essays and poems, as well as a handful of critically acclaimed novels, including “The House on Mango Street”which sold two million copies.
Cisneros spoke on April 26 to approximately 40 fifth grade students from Mountain View Elementary in a joint effort from the University of Utah Tanner Humanities Center and the Glendale Mountain View Community Learning Center.