REPORT FROM SANTA FE IS MADE POSSIBLE, IN PART, BY GRANTS FROM THE NEW MEXICO MUNICIPAL LEAGUE, A BETTER NEW MEXICO THROUGH BETTER CITIES AND FROM >>LORENE: HELLO, I AM LORENE MILLS AND WELCOME BACK TO REPORT FROM SANTA FE .

THIS IS THE FIRST OF A TWO-PART INTERVIEW WITH SANDRA CISNEROS, BELOVED AUTHOR.

WE WILL PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW OF HER BOOKS AND A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HER PHILOSOPHY ABOUT HOME AND WRITING AND THE IMPORTANT THINGS OF LIFE.

AND NEXT WEEK, STAY TUNED, BECAUSE WE WILL HAVE AN IN-DEPTH INTERVIEW WITH SANDRA ABOUT HER NEW BOOK, THE FIRST PIECE OF FICTION IN NINE YEARS THAT SHE HAS WRITTEN, CALLED, MARTITA, TE RECUERDO OR MARTITA, I REMEMBER YOU .

SO IT IS ONE OF MY NEW FAVORITE BOOKS AND WE WILL BE DOING THAT IN DEPTH NEXT WEEK.

BUT RIGHT NOW, I WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME SANDRA CISNEROS BACK TO THE PROGRAM.

>>SANDRA: YAY, THANK YOU, LORENE!

IT IS GREAT TO BE VISITING NEW MEXICO EVEN THOUGH I WISH I WAS THERE IN PERSON.

BUT THIS IS THE SECOND BEST.

>>LORENE: INDEED, INDEED IT IS.

WE ALWAYS LOVE IT WHEN YOU COME HERE, YOU GRACE OUR STATE WITH YOUR PRESENCE WHEN YOU COME.

BUT WE WILL TAKE WHAT WE CAN GET.

I AM JUST GRATEFUL THAT YOU COULD FIND THE TIME WITH US TODAY, I JUST WANT TO GIVE A LITTLE BACKGROUND.

MOST OF OUR AUDIENCE CERTAINLY KNOWS WHO YOU ARE BUT YOU HAVE HAD SUCH A LONG AND INFLUENTIAL CAREER AS A WRITER, AS A WOMAN, AS A CHICANA, AS AN INFLUENCER, BUT ALSO OPENING THE DOOR TO MANY, MANY PEOPLE ENCOURAGED TO BE THEIR OWN WITNESS TO WRITE THE JOURNALS AND TO LISTEN TO THEIR INTERNAL VOICES.

OF COURSE, THIS HAS BEEN NOTICED BY THE WORLD AT LARGE.

YOU HAVE GOTTEN SO MANY AWARDS THAT I WOULD HAVE TO SPEND FIFTEEN MINUTES READING THEM.

I AM GOING TO TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE ONES THAT STOOD OUT FOR ME.

OF COURSE, THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS GAVE YOU THE AMERICAN BOOK AWARD, PEN, THE WRITER'S GUILD, GAVE YOU A BEST FICTION AWARD.

OUR LOCAL SANTA FE LANNAN FOUNDATION GAVE YOU A LITERARY AWARD.

YOU GOT THE MACARTHUR GENIUS GRANT.

>>SANDRA: I DON'T KNOW HOW THAT HAPPENED, BUT IT HAPPENED.

>>LORENE: IT DID AND YOU DESERVED IT.

ALSO, YOU RECEIVED THE NATIONAL MEDAL OF ARTS FROM PRESIDENT OBAMA.

THAT'S ABOUT AS BIG AS WE CAN GIVE IN THIS COUNTRY SO THAT WAS AMAZING.

YOU GOT THE PEN AWARD FOR INTERNATIONAL LITERATURE.

ONE THING THAT INTRIGUED ME THE FORD FOUNDATION ART OF CHANGE GRANT, TELL ME WHAT THAT MEANT.

>>SANDRA: IT MEANT THAT I WAS GETTING IT FOR MY ACTIVISM WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT A WRITER LIKE ME YEARNS TO HEAR BECAUSE YOU HOPE THAT YOUR ART IS MAKING CHANGE AND IT WAS SO LOVELY AT THIS AGE TO BE RECOGNIZED FOR THE ACTIVISM, SO I AM VERY GRATEFUL TO THEM.

>>LORENE: WELL, WE WILL COME BACK TO YOUR ACTIVISM BECAUSE YOU HAD SAID A WONDERFUL THING ABOUT IT, WHICH IS THAT "ACTIVISM BREAKS YOUR HEART AGAIN AND AGAIN UNTIL IT REMAINS OPEN," BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY CAUSES THAT NEED FIXING AND YOU ARE LIKE DON QUIXOTE ROARING IN TO TRY TO FIX THESE THINGS AND YOU'VE SET UP AN ORGANIZATION, TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT THE MACONDO FOUNDATION.

>>SANDRA: BUT FIRST I HAVE TO GO BACK BECAUSE I LIKE HOW YOU MISQUOTED ME.

THE QUOTE IS ACTUALLY NOT MINE, IT IS FROM AL SUFI AND HE SAID, "GOD BREAKS THE HEART AGAIN AND AGAIN UNTIL IT STAYS OPEN."

BUT I LIKE THE WAY YOU SAID "ACTIVISM BREAKS THE HEART AGAIN AND AGAIN UNTIL IT STAYS OPEN."

THAT IS VERY TRUE, THAT IS KIND OF WHAT GANDHI SAID, "IF YOU WANT TO FIND YOURSELF, LOSE YOURSELF GIVING TO OTHERS."

AND THAT'S ABSOLUTELY IT, SO I LIKE YOUR PARAPHRASING OF THAT DICHO, THAT SAYING.

>>LORENE: WELL, THANK YOU.

I LIKE YOUR VERSION MUCH BETTER AND WE ALL NEED THAT, THOSE OF US WHO TRY TO MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE.

ONE MORE AWARD REALLY QUICKLY, CHICAGO, YOU GREW UP IN CHICAGO, YOU LEFT CHICAGO, YOU HAD A TUMULTUOUS RELATIONSHIP WITH CHICAGO, BUT RECENTLY, THE CHICAGO LITERARY HALL OF FAME GAVE YOU A LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD.

AND YOU SAID, "AH, I THINK WE ARE RECONCILING OUR TEMPESTUOUS PAST."

>>SANDRA: YEAH, AND IT IS NOT JUST THAT, IT IS MY RELATIONSHIP WITH MY HOST IN OTHER VISITS THAT I FINALLY REALIZED, I THINK A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO I WOUND UP HAVING TO GIVE A READING AT AN UNCOMFORTABLE DATE, DECEMBER 20, AND I WAS A LITTLE BIT UPSET ABOUT IT BECAUSE THE DECEMBER 20 IS MY BIRTHDAY.

I THOUGHT, "OH NO, NOW I HAVE GOT TO GO TO WORK ON MY BIRTHDAY" AND I WAS A LITTLE BIT UPSET.

I WAS HOPING TO SPEND IT WITH MY FRIENDS OR MY FAMILY.

AND IT TURNED OUT TO BE THE BEST THING BECAUSE EVERYONE AT THE MUSEUM, THE ENTIRE AUDIENCE, SANG "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" AND "LAS MANANITAS" AND I THOUGHT, "OH, SO MUCH LOVE, WHAT I WAS THINKING WHEN I SAID THAT ABOUT CHICAGO.

OH FORGIVE ME.

I AM OVER IT.

WE MADE UP AGAIN."

SO IT HAS BEEN HAPPENING SLOWLY AS I GET OLDER.

I THINK MARGARET ATWOOD SAID SOMETHING WISE WHEN I RAN INTO HER AT THE AUSTIN AIRPORT AND SHE SAID, A LOT OF THE LITTLE THINGS AND STUFF THAT YOU GET WHEN YOU ARE YOUNGER IN YOUR TOWN THAT YOU LIVE IN, BUT THAT GOES AWAY, YOU KNOW, YOU START GETTING TREATED A LITTLE BIT BETTER IN YOUR HOMETOWN AS YOU AGE AND I THINK SHE IS RIGHT ABOUT THAT.

>>LORENE: SHE IS RIGHT ABOUT A LOT OF THINGS, I DO ADORE HER, I DO.

YOU HAVE WONDERFUL BOOKS, PROBABLY THE BOOK THAT PUT YOU ON THE MAP IS THE HOUSE ON MANGO STREET .

AND IT IS NOW COMING UP ON ITS 40TH ANNIVERSARY, CLOSE TO SEVEN MILLION COPIES SOLD, IN TWENTY LANGUAGES.

AND I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU HAVE A NEW TRANSLATION COMING OUT.

>>SANDRA: I DO, AND FOR ME IT IS EVEN MORE YEARS THAN THAT BECAUSE I ALWAYS THINK ABOUT IT WHEN I BEGAN IT I WAS 22, IT WAS IN 1977, AND THEN I FINISHED IT, THANKS TO MY FIRST NEA GRANT IN 1982, SO IT IS EVEN OLDER THAN THAT IN MY MIND.

AND THIS NEXT FEBRUARY WE WILL BE SEEING THE MEXICAN NOVELIST FERNANDA MELCHOR'S VERSION OF LA CASA EN MANGO STREET IN A NEW TRANSLATION TO SERVE ALL OF LATIN AMERICA RATHER THAN THE MEXICAN TRANSLATION THAT THE PUBLIC MIGHT KNOW BY ELENA PONIATOWSKA.

SO WE JUST KIND OF GAVE IT A LITTLE FRESHENING UP AND I HOPE YOU ENJOY IT, I HAD A LOT OF FUN BEING CONSULTED THIS ROUND WITH THE TRANSLATOR AND MAYBE BECAUSE I LIVE IN MEXICO NOW, MY SPANISH IS GETTING BETTER SO I CAN DISCUSS AND MAYBE QUESTION IN WAYS THAT I COULDN'T WHEN THE FIRST TRANSLATION CAME OUT.

>>LORENE: ANOTHER BOOK THAT I LOVE OF YOURS, OF COURSE, YOU WROTE THIS MEMOIR CALLED A HOUSE OF MY OWN, STORIES FROM MY LIFE , AND THE KIRKUS BOOK REVIEW LIST SAID THEY HAD A LIST OF TEN MEMOIRS THAT ARE BETTER THAN THE NOVELS AND THAT WAS ONE OF THEM.

IT WAS THE MEMOIR OF THE YEAR THAT YEAR, AND ONE OF THE THINGS, THERE IS A THREAD OF HOMES AND HOUSES, OBVIOUSLY, THE HOUSE ON MANGO STREET , BUT YOU HAD BEEN LOOKING FOR A HOME FOR SO LONG AND IT EVOLVED INTO A MUCH BIGGER THING BUT IF WE CAN TALK A LITTLE SINCE THE PANDEMIC PEOPLE HAVE TO BE AT HOME AND THEY ARE LUCKY IF THEY HAVE A HOUSE AND THEY ARE HEALTHIER IF THEY HAVE A HOUSE NOT LIVING IN CROWDED CONDITIONS.

BUT CAN YOU JUST WALK US BRIEFLY THROUGH THE HOUSE ON MANGO STREET TO YOUR OWN HOME IN SAN ANTONIO THAT WAS SO WONDERFULLY CONTROVERSIAL AND HOW IT EVOLVED TO YOU DISCOVERING THAT YOU ACTUALLY ARE YOUR OWN HOME AND NOW YOU ARE IN A PLACE THAT SUPPORTS YOU.

TALK TO ME A LITTLE ABOUT THE EVOLUTION OF YOUR THOUGHT ABOUT HOMES AND HOUSES.

>>SANDRA: WELL, WHEN I WAS A VERY YOUNG WOMAN IN GRADUATE SCHOOL AT THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA, TO ME, MY FIRST-HAND MOMENT WAS WHEN I REALIZED THAT WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT HOUSE IN MY WRITING WORKSHOP, WE WEREN'T ALL SUMMONING THE SAME IMAGE.

AND THAT'S WHEN I BECAME CONSCIOUS OF MY CLASS DIFFERENCE AND GENDER DIFFERENCE AND ETHNIC DIFFERENCE AND DIFFERENCE, DIFFERENCE AND YOU KNOW IT WAS REALLY SHOCKING FOR ME.

BECAUSE I WAS ALREADY ALMOST DONE WITH MY EDUCATION AND I HAD NEVER CONSIDERED HOW I HAD CARRIED THIS EMOTION THAT I COULD ONLY DEFINE AS SHAME ABOUT MY HOME, I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW I WAS ASHAMED UNTIL I COULD NAME IT AT THAT MOMENT.

AND I THOUGHT, OH, WHAT AM I DOING HERE AND HOW DID I THINK I COULD BE IN THIS PROGRAM?

AND MY FIRST REACTION WAS I WANTED A QUICK GRADUATE PROGRAM, I DIDN'T FEEL I WAS GOOD ENOUGH OR SMART ENOUGH OR WEALTHY ENOUGH OR WHATEVER WHEN YOU HAVE LOW SELF-ESTEEM AND DOUBT YOUR PLACE IN THE ACADEMY.

AND I BEGAN AFTER BEING DEPRESSED AND THINKING I WAS GOING TO QUIT THE PROGRAM, I BEGAN A SEARCH THEN FOR WHAT IT WAS I KNEW THAT NO ONE ELSE IN THE WORKSHOP KNEW.

WHAT DID I KNOW THAT THEY COULDN'T TELL ME I WAS WRONG AND FOR ME IT BEGAN WITH MY HOME, MY HOUSE, MY NEIGHBORHOOD AND THE PEOPLE WHO INHABIT THAT NEIGHBORHOOD AND THAT IS HOW HOUSE ON MANGO STREET WAS BORN FROM AN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL PLACE THAT I FELT ASHAMED ABOUT.

AND THEN IT MOVED INTO, YOU KNOW, ME USING THE PROTAGONIST, A YOUNGER SELF, TO NAMING ROUTES THAT I WANTED TO GO, I WAS DISCOVERING MY FEMINISM AND MY POLITICS IN MY 20S.

I USED HER TO EXPLORE THAT AND IT MOVED FROM A MEMOIR AND BECAME A NOVEL AND I DIDN'T REALIZE THAT "HOUSE" WAS GOING TO BE SUCH A THEME THROUGHOUT MY LIFE AND I WOULD GET IN TROUBLE WHEN I FINALLY BOUGHT MY HOME IN SAN ANTONIO AND PAINTED IT THE COLOR OF MY MEMORIES OF MEXICO AND THIS IN A TOWN NAMED SAN ANTONIO NOT ST. ANTHONY.

SO IT WAS AN AWAKENING FOR ME, A JOURNEY THAT EVENTUALLY WOULD BRING ME TO ANOTHER SAINT, SAN MIGUEL, THE TOWN I LIVE IN HERE IN GUANAJUATO, MEXICO.

AND, YOU KNOW, IT MADE ME AWARE THAT I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN HOBBLING ABOUT LOOKING FOR A HOME AND IS IT A PHYSICAL HOME, IS IT A PSYCHOLOGICAL SPACE, IS IT A SPIRITUAL SPACE?

I THINK ALL OF THE ABOVE AND NOW THAT I LIVE HERE, I FEEL A GUSTO, AT HOME WITHIN MYSELF.

I REALIZE THAT IT IS NOT JUST THE PLACE SO MUCH, THAT I CARRY HOME IN MY HEART, LIKE A LITTLE SNAIL THAT LUGS ITS HOME ON ITS BACK.

THAT NO MATTER WHERE I GO, AT THIS AGE, IT IS 66 GOING ON 67, I FEEL A GREAT RECONCILIATION, YOU KNOW, WITH THE DEMONS THAT HAUNTED ME IN THE PAST.

AND YOU KNOW IT HELPS THAT I HAVE HAD SUCH WONDERFUL ANGELS THAT HAVE GUIDED ME ALONG THE WAY, MY AGENT SUSAN BERGHOLZ, PEOPLE WHO CAME INTO MY LIFE, NORMA ALARCON, MY MOTHER WHO SUPPORTED MY WISH TO BE A WRITER.

I'VE HAD SOME PRETTY LUCKY BREAKS TO ARRIVE WHERE I AM.

IT WASN'T EVEN IN MY IMAGINATION TO DREAM THAT I COULD EARN MY LIVING FROM MY PEN, IT WAS SO BEYOND, YOU KNOW IT WAS WAY BIGGER THAN MY OWN EXPECTATIONS, SO I GUESS I WOULD SAY, LORENE, I AM THE MOST SURPRISED.

>>LORENE: YOU KNOW AND NOW IT IS THE HOME IS A MANIFESTATION, A FORTRESS FOR YOUR CREATIVITY, A PLACE FOR A SAFE DAYDREAMING AND YOU ARE REALLY, THIS IS SUCH A PRODUCTIVE AND CREATIVE TIME FOR YOU.

I AM GLAD THAT YOU ARE IN THE RIGHT NEST AT THE RIGHT TIME.

AND I AM SPEAKING TODAY WITH SANDRA CISNEROS ABOUT HER BOOK , THE HOUSE ON MANGO STREET , AND THE ESSENCE OF HOME AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR ALL OF US.

THERE IS ANOTHER ELEMENT OF THE PANDEMIC LIFE I WANTED TO TALK WITH YOU ABOUT BECAUSE SOLITUDE, IN SOME CASES ISOLATION, AND YOU HAVE TALKED ABOUT HOW SOMETIMES YOU HAVE COME TO THE POINT WHERE IF YOU CAN JUST HAVE A DAY WITHOUT APPOINTMENTS, INTERRUPTIONS, THE DOORBELL RINGING, PEOPLE POUNDING ON YOUR DOOR TRYING TO GET YOUR KNIVES SHARPENED OR SOMETHING, HOW HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO CREATE THAT SPACE WHERE YOU CAN HAVE, IS IT THE BIGGEST LUXURY IN OUR LIFE, UNINTERRUPTED PERSONAL TIME AND HOW CAN PEOPLE CHANGE THEIR SENSE OF "OH MY GOD, I'M HOME ALONE, IT'S A PANDEMIC, I DON'T DARE GO ANYWHERE" TO, LIKE, "WOW, I GET TO BE HOME."

>>SANDRA: MORE THAN ANYTHING I THINK YOU HAVE TO FLIP IT AND THINK, "OH, I GET TO TAKE CARE OF ME AND WHAT A WONDERFUL LUXURY THAT IS."

ESPECIALLY FOR WOMEN WHO ARE TRAINED TO TAKE AFTER AND BE CARETAKERS FOR EVERYONE EXCEPT THEMSELVES.

YOU KNOW I LIVE RATHER SELFISHLY BECAUSE I HAVE PRIORITIZED MY NEEDS, BUT NOT EVERYBODY'S HAD THAT LUXURY AND ESPECIALLY MOMS AND TEACHERS AND LIBRARIANS AND PEOPLE THAT HAVE SO MUCH HOMEWORK THEY DON'T HAVE TIME TO SCRATCH THEIR HEAD.

SO I FEEL FORTUNATE THAT THE ISOLATION FOR ME WASN'T ISOLATION AND MY WRITER AND ARTIST FRIENDS DIDN'T FEEL THAT WE WERE SUFFERING, WE FELT NOURISHED BY OUR OWN COMPANY AND BY THE COMPANY OF THINGS OF THE SPIRIT, YOU KNOW, LIKE YOUR GARDEN, IF YOU HAVE ONE OR JUST LISTENING TO THE SKY, EVERYBODY HAS THE SKY AND LOOKING AT CLOUDS AND THE WIND AND BIRDS, IF YOU COULD HOLD STILL AND PAY ATTENTION TO THE INSECTS AND I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU, BUT THE ANTS CAME IN MY HOUSE DURING THE PANDEMIC AND TOOK OVER MY SHOWER, SO I COULDN'T TAKE A SHOWER FOR MONTHS, I HAD TO TAKE A BATH.

THERE WAS THIS, WELL YOU KNOW, THEY DON'T TAKE UP THAT MUCH ROOM AND THE UNIVERSE IS LARGE ENOUGH FOR US TO SHARE, SO I THOUGHT ABOUT THEM AND I WOULDN'T HAVE NOTICED THEM BEFORE, SO THERE WAS THIS, YOU KNOW LIKE A REBOOT OF PAYING ATTENTION TO LITTLE THINGS WHICH I WOULD DOCUMENT AND PUT ON MY INSTAGRAM OR I WOULD WRITE POEMS.

IT WAS LIKE BEING BASHO OR ESA, ONE OF THESE MONK POETS WHERE YOU ARE SUDDENLY IMMERSED IN EVERY MOMENT OF YOUR LIFE.

AND YOU START SHIFTING INSTEAD OF LIKE IT'S MARCH OR IT'S JULY OR WHAT YEAR IS THIS, YOU ARE IN DREAM TIME LIKE WHEN YOU ARE CREATING SOMETHING YOU LOVE AND YOU LOOK UP AND SIX HOURS HAVE GONE BY AND IT FEELS LIKE SIX SECONDS, YOU ARE LIVING IN THAT BEAUTIFUL IMMERSION OF DREAMTIME.

SO I THOUGHT THAT MY ISOLATION WAS REALLY MORE OF A RETREAT INTO THE SPIRIT, A WILLING RETREAT INTO MY CONVENT AND BECAUSE I WAS CREATING, IT WAS A LUXURY, I KEEP USING THAT WORD, A GIFT, AN ENLIGHTENING AND TRANSFORMATIONAL TIME OF WAKING UP TO THE PRESENT MOMENT.

SO I HOPE PEOPLE ARE READING POETRY AND WRITING POETRY AND READING POEMS THAT MAKE YOU FEEL LIKE WRITING POETRY BECAUSE THERE IS A LOT OF POETRY THAT DOESN'T INVITE US TO WRITE OUR OWN STORIES.

SO THAT IS WHAT I WOULD DO, I WOULD READ A LOT OF JOY HARJO AND THE JAPANESE POETS AND THE CHINESE POETS AND THE MEXICAN POETS, YOU KNOW WHOEVER I HAD ON MY BEDSIDE THAT INSPIRED ME TO ANSWER THE POET BACK, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU READ SOMETHING LIKE DOROTHY ALLISON, WHO DOESN'T WANT TO ANSWER DOROTHY ALLISON?

>>LORENE: WELL YOU HAVE MANIFESTED THAT, NOW, VERY SOON, YOUR BRAND NEW BOOK OF POETRY IS COMING OUT, YOU HAVEN'T PUBLISHED A BOOK OF POETRY.

YOU HAVE THE SOUL OF A POET, YOU'RE ALWAYS BEING A POET, BUT TELL US ABOUT YOUR NEW POETRY BOOK THAT IS COMING OUT.

IT HAS BEEN DECADES HASN'T IT SINCE YOU PUBLISHED A BOOK OF POEMS?

>>SANDRA: IT DOESN'T FEEL LIKE DECADES WHEN I AM PUBLISHED BECAUSE I AM WRITING POETRY ALL THE TIME, I AM NOT PUBLISHING IT ALL THE TIME.

AND THAT IS TRUE FOR ALL OF THE FORMS I WRITE IN.

IT MAY BE NINE YEARS SINCE THE LAST FICTION, BUT I HAVE BEEN WRITING FICTION ALL ALONG, I HAVE BEEN WRITING POETRY, I HAVE BEEN WRITING ESSAYS, I HAVE BEEN WORKING ON DRAWINGS, SO I AM ALWAYS CREATING.

IT JUST SEEMS LIKE LONG TIME BECAUSE I WORK ON EVERYTHING AT THE SAME TIME, SO THAT IS WHY.

THE POEMS WILL BE OUT NEXT FALL AND IT IS CALLED A WOMAN WITHOUT SHAME AND IT IS POETRY FROM THE LAST THREE DECADES, SO I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING WHAT PEOPLE HAVE TO SAY.

>>LORENE: AND ALSO, I WANT TO GIVE A LITTLE TEASER BECAUSE OUR SECOND PART OF THE INTERVIEW WILL BE ABOUT MARTITA .

SO THIS IS SUCH A RICH AND POIGNANT WORK OF ART, I WAS SO MOVED BY IT AND SO WE WILL GO INTO IT IN DEPTH.

BUT JUST TELL PEOPLE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE TRYING TO DO IN THIS WORK OF ART AND ALSO HOW YOU ARE USING THE BILINGUAL ASPECTS BECAUSE IF YOU TURN IT OVER IT IS SPANISH AND AGAIN YEAH, IT IS JUST QUITE MARVELOUS.

SO TELL ME, JUST GIVE PEOPLE A LITTLE TEASER AND THEN IN OUR NEXT INTERVIEW NEXT WEEK THEY WILL BE ABLE TO HEAR ABOUT IT IN DEPTH.

>>SANDRA: WELL MY BOOK IS A LONG SHORT-STORY OR SHORT NOVEL, I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO CALL IT, IT'S IN BETWEEN AND IT IS CALLED MARTITA, I REMEMBER YOU , BUT IN MY HEAD IT WAS ALWAYS MARTITA TE RECUERDO , BECAUSE THE CHARACTER IS SPEAKING SPANISH TO THE PROTAGONIST.

I ALWAYS KNEW IT AS THE SPANISH AND IT IS BEAUTIFULLY TRANSLATED BY MY TRANSLATOR OF 30 YEARS LILIANA VALENZUELA WHO HERSELF IS A POET AND A PROSE WRITER, A BEAUTIFUL, EXQUISITE TRANSLATOR.

AND SO THIS IS A BOOK THAT HAS BEEN ON THE BACK BURNER FOR 30 YEARS, IT WAS PART OF A SHORT STORY THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO COME OUT WITH THE WOMAN HOLLERING CREEK COLLECTION, I COULDN'T FINISH IT AT THAT TIME.

IT HAD NO ENDING AND I JUST PUT IT ASIDE AND FINALLY IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS, I DUG IT OUT OF STORAGE, I AM VERY FOND OF THIS STORY.

I THINK I MANAGED THE SUCCINCTNESS OF HOUSE ON MANGO STREET WITH THE COMPLEXITY OF MY PREVIOUSLY FAVORITE BOOK, CARMELO , AND NOW THIS IS MY FAVORITE.

>>LORENE: YES, IT IS A FAVORITE OF MINE TOO, AND WE WILL TALK ABOUT IT MORE LATER.

ONE OF THE THINGS YOU MENTION ABOUT YOUR WRITING, TWO THINGS.

THAT WRITING IN A WAY IS LIKE PUTTING YOUR HEAD UNDER WATER AND THERE IS ANOTHER WORLD THAT IS STILL OPERATING ABOVE THE SURFACE, BUT YOU ARE DOWN IN THE DEPTHS WORKING WITH YOUR INTERIOR BEING.

THE OTHER ADVICE YOU HAVE FOR WRITERS THAT IS SO ASTONISHING TO ME IS THAT YOU SAY, WRITE ABOUT THE THINGS YOU ARE AFRAID TO WRITE ABOUT, THE THINGS THAT YOU DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT, THAT IS WHAT YOU SHOULD WRITE ABOUT.

AND FIRST OF ALL, IT IS VERY THERAPEUTIC, SECOND OF ALL, IT OPENS THE DOOR FOR SO MANY PEOPLE WHO HAVE SUFFERED AND WHO HAVE THINGS ABOUT THEMSELVES THEY DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT, TO SEE THAT ACTUALLY THIS IS A LITTLE MORE UNIVERSAL AND THAT THEY REALLY ARE OKAY.

TALK TO ME ABOUT THAT.

>>SANDRA: YEAH, I THINK FOR ME, ART IS A SPIRITUAL ACT AND I FIND MY BEST WORK IS ALWAYS FOCUSED ON THE THINGS I AM AFRAID TO TALK ABOUT OR THE THINGS I WISH I COULD FORGET.

AND I HAVE ALWAYS INVITED YOUNGER WRITERS TO WRITE FROM THAT PLACE, WITH THE WARNING THAT SOMETIMES YOU OPEN A PANDORA'S BOX AND WE CAN'T MANAGE ONCE WE RELEASE THESE DEMONS AND SOMETIMES THE WRITING WE HOPE WILL BE ABLE TO GIVE US THE COURAGE TO TRANSFORM THESE DEMONS SO THAT THEY DON'T CONTROL US AND THAT WE EXORCISE THEM.

BUT THAT IS NOT ALWAYS THE CASE AND SOMETIMES AFTER YOU RELEASE THE DEMONS YOU GOT TO GET A SHAMANA OR A CURANDERA OR A THERAPIST TO HELP YOU TRANSFORM THEM.

BUT THE GREAT THING WHEN YOU ARE A YOUNG, NON PROFESSIONAL WRITER IS YOU DON'T HAVE TO PUBLISH IT, YOU DON'T HAVE TO PUBLISH IT AFTER YOU WRITE IT.

IN FACT, YOU MIGHT WANT TO DESTROY IT AND KEEP IT FROM HURTING YOU.

I FIND FOR MYSELF THAT WHEN I WAS A YOUNGER WRITER IT WAS VERY HARD FOR ME TO SHARE THE THINGS THAT I WROTE ABOUT.

BUT NOW I AM A PROFESSIONAL AND I KNOW THAT IF I WRITE MY WAY THROUGH THE PROCESS OF COMPOSTING IT, EVENTUALLY IT WILL BECOME SOMETHING THAT WILL TRANSFORM ITSELF TO ELIMINATION.

AND SOMETIMES WE CAN DO THAT ALONE AND SOMETIMES AS I SAID WE NEED A THERAPIST TO HELP US AND WE CAN'T DO IT ALL BY OURSELVES ALL THE TIME.

>>LORENE: ONE OF THE THINGS YOU HAD SAID WAS, THIS IS WHAT CAME UP FOR ME WITH MARTITA , WAS THAT I WISHED I HAD KEPT A JOURNAL IN MY YOUTH.

AND YOU HAD SAID, IF YOU DON'T WRITE IT DOWN, IT DIDN'T HAPPEN, BECAUSE YOU ARE GOING FORGET IT AND TIME IS GOING TO CHANGE YOUR MEMORY AND YOU AREN'T GOING TO KNOW.

SO YOU HAVE ACTIVELY GONE OUT TO SCHOOLS AND TO WRITERS GROUPS TO GET PEOPLE TO JOURNAL AND TO JUST START RECORDING THEIR BEING NOTICING WHAT IS GOING ON IN THEIR LIFE.

AND THEN RECENTLY YOUR BOOK WAS PART OF THE BIG READ AND THAT IS REALLY OUTREACH, IT IS ALMOST EVERY LIBRARY.

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT YOUNG WRITERS AND YOUNG PEOPLE TO CONSIDER.

>>SANDRA: WELL, I NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT PEOPLE ACTUALLY BECOMING WRITERS WHEN I GIVE THAT ADVICE, I WANT THEM TO HEAL THEIR PERSONAL WOUNDS AND WRITING IS A WAY OF DOING THAT.

IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT YOU ARE GOING TO BECOME A WRITER, BUT IT IS JUST A WAY, YOU KNOW, YOU MIGHT NOT BECOME A PROFESSIONAL DANCER IF YOU TAKE TAP OR JAZZ OR BALLET, BUT IT IS GOOD FOR YOU, RIGHT?

SO WRITING IS LIKE THAT FOR ME, SO I TRY TO SHARE WHAT ART HAS DONE FOR ME AND HOW IT HAS KEPT ME SANE AND DRUG-FREE AND ALCOHOL FREE, AND I DON'T NEED ANY OF THOSE THINGS.

WELL, MAY BE A CHOCOLATE �CLAIR NOW AND AGAIN, BUT I DON'T HAVE ADDICTIONS THANKS TO WRITING KEEPING ME HEALTHY.

AND SO WHAT I AM TRYING TO SHARE REALLY WITH THE YOUNGER PEOPLE OR EVEN COLLEAGUES OR ELDERS, PEOPLE MY OWN AGE, IS THAT ART IS THERE FOR YOU AND YOU DON'T NEED A LOT OF MONEY TO WRITE, YOU NEED SOMETHING TO WRITE WITH AND A PIECE OF PAPER AND YOU NEED SILENCE AND QUIET, THAT'S WHAT YOU NEED.

AND YOU NEED TO LISTEN TO YOUR HEART AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO PUBLISH IT AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO KEEP IT, YOU DON'T HAVE TO SHOW IT TO ANYONE.

THIS IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE LIKE MYSELF WHO GREW UP IN ROOMS WITHOUT DOORS AND YOU HAVE NO PRIVACY AND YOU CAN DESTROY IT AFTER YOU WRITE IT.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS TO RELEASE IT FROM YOUR HEART AND I BASICALLY AM JUST TELLING PEOPLE TO WRITE FROM THEIR WOUNDS AND TRANSFORM THEM AND AGAIN, YOU KNOW SOMETIMES YOU CAN DO THAT BY OURSELVES, SOMETIMES WE NEED A LITTLE ASSISTANCE TO HELPING US TO TRANSFORM THEM.

>>LORENE: WELL YOUR WORK PROVIDES A TEMPLATE AND A MAP FOR THE JOURNEY FOR US, AND I AM SO GRATEFUL TO YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TODAY.

I WANT TO POINT OUT OUR GUEST TODAY IS SANDRA CISNEROS.

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

COME BACK NEXT WEEK WE ARE GOING TO TALK ABOUT HER NEW BOOK, MARTITA .

EVERYONE KNOWS THE HOUSE ON MANGO STREET .

IF YOU HAVEN'T READ IT, YOU REALLY WANT TO.

AND I LOVE THE MEMOIR BECAUSE IN A WAY ALL THOSE LITTLE STEPS YOU MADE TOWARD WHO YOU ARE NOW ARE IN HERE AND IT IS A MAP FOR THE JOURNEY FOR ME.

SANDRA CISNEROS, THANK YOU SO MUCH.

>>SANDRA: THANK YOU.

>>LORENE: ALL RIGHT.

I AM LORENE MILLS AND I WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU OUR AUDIENCE FOR BEING WITH US TODAY ON REPORT FROM SANTA FE .

REPORT FROM SANTA FE IS MADE POSSIBLE, IN PART, BY GRANTS FROM THE NEW MEXICO MUNICIPAL LEAGUE, A BETTER NEW MEXICO THROUGH BETTER CITIES AND FROM