Author Sandra Cisneros to speak at Rice April 1

Author Sandra Cisneros to speak at Rice April 1

FROM RICE NEWS STAFF REPORTS

One of the first Latino writers to achieve commercial success — Sandra Cisneros — will read from the 25th anniversary edition of “The House on Mango Street” at Rice April 1.

Her book is a coming-of-age story about 12-year-old Esperanza Cordero growing up in the Latino section of Chicago and overcoming low expectations.

Cisneros will begin reading at 7 p.m. in McNair Hall’s Shell Auditorium and then answer questions from 7:45 to 8:15. She will then go to Kelley Lounge in the Rice Memorial Center for a book signing until 9.

An American novelist, short-story writer, essayist and poet, Cisneros has a Bachelor of Arts from Loyola University and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop. She is writer-in-residence at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio and president and founder of the Macondo Foundation, an association focused on advancing creativity and honoring the community of writers who are socially engaged.

The free event is sponsored by the Department of Hispanic Studies, Public Affairs’ Multicultural Community Relations, KPFT 90.1 FM, Univision TV and Inprint.