Sandra Cisneros, the esteemed Chicana novelist, delivered her lecture titled: “Keeping San Antonio Lamé: My Life Among los Artistas” at the eighth annual Arturo Madrid Lecture Series. The event was held on Thursday, April 11, in Laurie Auditorium, where Cisneros joined an audience of the Trinity and the greater San Antonio community. Cisneros is an award-winning author and poet most celebrated for “The House on Mango Street,” which has sold more than three million copies around the world. Her multimedia lecture highlighted her years spent in San Antonio as a writer among found family.
Norma Cantú, the Murchison Distinguished Professor of the Humanities in modern languages and literatures, was a main force in organizing the event. She expressed her excitement about having Cisneros give the 2024 Madrid Lecture.
“I think it’s essential that we underscore the presence of Chicanos and Chicanas in our literary and artistic panorama,” Cantú said.
Paloma Díaz-Minshew, senior English and global Latinx studies major, attended the lecture. She left feeling inspired and reassured as a graduating student, similarly embarking on a new period in her life to be spent in San Antonio.
“It really energized me as somebody who thinks of herself as an artist. I literally ran out of there to the place I like to go when I want to write, and I ended up pumping out a bunch of poems that night,” Díaz-Minshew said.
Cisneros’ writing takes inspiration from her life experiences as a teacher, counselor, artist, community member and family member. She arrived in San Antonio in 1984 and proceeded to spend the next 28 years here. Her work is spiritual, culturally rich, political and reflective of the people and stories that impacted her perspective on life.
“For me, it’s important to acknowledge and recognize the importance of one individual, but she didn’t do it alone, and that’s what she’s gonna talk about. It’s all the different artists and writers that were here at the time, and it was a community,” Cantú said. “It’s important to recognize voices like Sandra Cisneros and other writers as part of our community. They exemplify the best of us. They are our conscience: poets, writers, artists, they are at the forefront of social justice.”
This type of enriching exposure to community and culture is echoed in student experiences at Trinity. Díaz-Minshew talked about finding a powerful support system that shared her cultural background and knowledge.
“Coming to Trinity, meeting Dr. Urquijo-Ruiz, Dr. Cantú, Sandra Cisneros, these moments and being exposed to that kind of Chicano excellence, and Chicano academics specifically, is really important in terms of letting you know what is available to you … and to broaden our perceptions of what a Chicano can do, and what Chicanos have been doing for years and years and years,” Díaz-Minshew said.
Kimberly Granados, senior English major, is a short-story writer. She spoke of feeling seen and validated by Cisneros’ accomplishments, as a first-generation college student.
“I feel like I have a really similar experience to her, like I aspire to be a writer … I kind of came here all on my own, and I’m still trying to figure out what to do. But seeing how she made her own family here … was so inspiring,” Granados said.
In reflecting on her years as both a succeeding and struggling writer finding her way, Cisneros was kind and open in sharing her advice. Díaz-Minshew shared her favorite message from Cisneros.
“Anything you do with puro amor, without personal motive, siempre sale bonito, [it always comes out beautiful], I thought that that was a really beautiful way of putting movement out in the world, and I really appreciate how it kind of contradicted a lot of those self-seeking narratives that we receive in American culture,” Díaz-Minshew said.
Granados shared her biggest takeaway from the lecture. “Ojos de amor. Translates to the eyes of love. Where you see the world around you with new appreciation, especially for the people who impact you. Writing not just for yourself, but for them. I think that’s what I took away,” she said.
In her lecture, Sandra Cisneros expressed the beauty, imagination and strength of her diverse community in San Antonio. In doing so, she hopes the inspiration and love were reflected right back onto the upcoming generation of San Antonio escritores y artistas.