An Interview with Sandra Cisneros
Enjoy this interview with our 2025 keynote speaker, the legendary author Sandra Cisneros, author of The House on Mango Street.
Q: So much of your writing braids together personal memory, cultural identity, and the power of place. How do you see the role of community—both where you come from and where you are now—in shaping the stories you tell?
A: Well, we’re in a state of crisis. So, if you’re not part of the solution, you are part of the problem, as they say. Am hoping writers are connected to community, because they are the ones who support us and we are the ones who support them. It’s mutual. Especially now. We’re not going to get anywhere without community organizing and us organizing community.
Q: Many aspiring writers look to you as a model of courage and authenticity. What guidance would you offer to emerging voices today—in this time when we see wars, climate change, increased threats to democracy creating a climate of peril and uncertainty?
A: Organize. Find your community. Work from a place of non-violence. Look to the great leaders who overcame their adversaries through non-violence. Find courage from the greats in history. Read the biographies of the great peace activists for direction.
Q: Desert Nights, Rising Stars brings together writers at many different stages of their journeys. When you think back to the time you starting out as a writer, what guidance or encouragement would have meant the most to you—and what do you most hope writers will take away from a gathering like this?
A: Wish I had read BEING PEACE by Thich Nhat Hanh when I was younger, and the life of Gandhi. Their message of non-violence in thought, action, and speech changed me. Changes me still. I think when you are young, you’re confused about power, and your rage takes you to dangerous places, ultimately harming yourself. We need to think from our highest self, and we can’t do that when we are afraid or angry, both endemic to youth.
Q: Your books have changed the way many of us think about voice, identity, and the power of storytelling. What questions are you most interested in exploring through your own writing now—and what questions do you hope this next generation of writers will dare to ask?
A: I am interested in demystifying the mystical. I believe our greatest power as a people is our spiritual power. And it’s a power we have forgotten we have. It’s necessary to tap into it if we are to overcome our adversaries. It’s our super power. With it we are invincible.
Q: Writing is a way we talk across time – and even with and to the dead. Can you name a writer from the past that has influenced or inspired you and how?
A: Thich Nhat Hanh continues to inspire me daily. I think of him daily when I write, speak, meditate, but I am a long way from reaching his elevation. This shortcoming keeps me motivated.
Q: Green or Red or Christmas? As an adopted New Mexican, later living in San Antonio, I can’t resist asking—are you a green or red chile person or both?
A: Alas, my diet has changed due to aging. I haven’t been to NM for a long, long time. I hope I can eat both like in the old days. Ojalá. We shall see in a few weeks.
Q: What figures living or dead would you invite to your dream writer's brunch and why?
A: Thich Nhat Hanh. Eduardo Galeano. Dorothy Allison. Emily Dickinson. June Jordan. Joy Harjo. Edwide Danticat. Lucille Clifton. Rosario Castellanos. Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz. Gloria Anzaldúa. Gandhi. Because we need their wisdom and vision especially when we must organize with passion, non-violence, and wisdom.