Literary legend Sandra Cisneros has drawn inspiration from her hometown of Chicago and current residence in Mexico, and has found a home in her richly illustrated compilation of nonfiction pieces that share her transformative memories and artistic and intellectual influences. Perhaps best known for her novel The House on Mango Street, she will discuss her most recent book, A House of My Own: Stories from My Life, a richly illustrated compilation of true stories and nonfiction pieces that, taken together, form a jigsaw autobiography—an intimate album of a beloved literary legend. It spans three decades, draws inspiration from her hometown of Chicago and current residence in Mexico, and shares her artistic and intellectual influences. The Library Journal gave it a starred review and praises it as “what may well be the best memoir of the year thus far.”
Cisneros has received National Endowment for the Arts fellowships, the Lannan Literary Award, the American Book Award, and a MacArthur Fellowship. In 2016, President Obama awarded her the National Medal of Arts.
At this event, Sandra Cisneros will debut a new poem inspired by the DMA's Rufino Tamayo’s El Hombre, which is included in the exhibition México 1900–1950: Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, José Clemente Orozco, and the Avant-Garde.