Two weeks ago, the latest issue of The Progressive arrived. Flipping through it, Dona saw "Prayer for the New Millennium" on page 41.
In the wake of politicos,
blessed be the relampagos,
the border-crossers,
the illegal citizens of American lit.
The syntax-leapers.
The language-benders.
The cross-pollinatinators.
The decimators of the sacrosanct
ivory tower.
That's an excerpt from the poem and what had Dona excited from the start was seeing the author's name: Sandra Cisneros.
"Who?" asked Jim (who notes he's more prone to read non-fiction than fiction).
Dona looked crestfallen. (She and Jim are a couple.)
Enter Ava and C.I. to explain who the poet, novelist and short story writer was. And to share a few non-public stories, one of which they agreed to share (in limited manner) here.
Among the books in Cisneros canon is Hairs/Pelitos. That is a children's book (though Dona, Ava and C.I. stress it's a book for the ages that everyone can enjoy). Not all that long ago (they're estimating three years), Cisneros was surprised to find a letter from a young girl in a small town (they believe the girl was ten-years-old) written as part of a school project to an author whose work you admired. That was step one in a class project that would have many steps. Cisneros not only wrote the girl back, she exchanged phone numbers, spoke with the girl by phone and the girl's mother and even met with her.
In the world we live in, Ava and C.I. note, a letter of reply is often seen as generous and should be. They think it's a story that captures the immense feeling and connectivity (they admit they probably made that word up -- but it fits) that is the hallmark of Sandra Cisneros' work. They also note, she doesn't tell that story publicly. So you're getting an exclusive. (Wally jokes we should pull a Wonketta and add "MUST CREDIT THE THIRD ESTATE SUNDAY REVIEW.)
They're willing to share that because, in addition to capturing the same caring spirit to be found in Cisneros writing, it also illustrates that sometimes there's little divergence between the artist and the work.
"She would be shortlisted," Ava and C.I. say, "on the roll of Most Genuinely Nice. A brief roll, granted, but one that she's more than earned a place on." (Quickly adding, "You'll never find our names on such a roll.")
If Sandra Cisneros is a new name to you, like Jim, you probably don't read a great deal ("of non non-fiction," Jim huffs). If that's the case, you can start with page 41 of the July 2007 issue of The Progressive and Dona begs you to immediately pick up Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories. Ava and C.I. add that Caramelo should have been optioned and turned into a film already. ("One that would decimate the prose but, hopefully, would provide a story that many could identify with.")