1. S ANDRA C ISNEROS 1954-STILL ALIVE!

2. B IOGRAPHY Born in Chicago Nine members of Mexican American family Only female child in family of 6 sons Solitude as only girl allowed her to read voraciously Took comfort from thinking of Emily Dickenson, her inspiration Bachelor's degree from Loyola University, masters from University of Iowa Realized that she had many privilieges most writers don’t: money, education, own room, and a household to help with chores

3. W RITING Writes about her own life Found her voice at home: a “tough” street English combined with gentle, lulling Spanish Her style is often heavily informed by Spanish diction and grammatical structure.