The problem with Sandra Cisneros...

Don't get me wrong; I admire Sandra Cisneros. She has accomplished quite a bit. You can't really argue against a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship recipient.

The problem with her, and perhaps other Hispanic-American writers that I have yet to read, is that they make me look bad. I can only speak about Cisneros, since I have actually read her work. House on Mango Street is a deep portrayal about the Hispanic culture. Her book means something.

People, especially professors, look at me and expect me to write the same type of literature. I can't because I never had the same ethnic experience that is expected of me. Whenever I say I don't plan on writing that sort of story, they seem disappointed that I would be wasting my talent. After all, America needs to "recognize more Hispanic authors".

I'd rather people read my stories because of the actual stories. My name is just a name, and frankly I am also tired of people constantly putting down what I do have a passion for writing.

This would be classified as "genre". I dislike this word because of the connotation that goes with it, as in "junk" and "pulp".

Moral of the story: I can't measure up to Sandra Cisneros because I don't plan on writing the same stories she does. Do I not want to impact people too? Yes. I just have a different idea as to what I want my impact to be.