Earnest, Engaging, Intimate
Garrison Keillor’s conversation with novelist Sandra Cisneros and poet Joy Harjo about their friendship formed against the grain of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop has the folksy overtones of “A Prairie Home Companion.” But this is no Lake Woebegone. The sparkling narrative belongs to the women. They make their own space by setting up their stories, delivering each others punch lines and reflecting on their ethnic identities. Harjo is Native American and Cisneros, Mexican-American. Their dynamic can range from the understated to the hilarious, and the audience is in their hands.
The best reason to hear this program is to luxuriate in their readings. When Harjo reads her poem, “Fear,” she is transforming. You understand why poetry must be spoken. She sings and chants her lines in such a way, it is shamanistic. With her words and rhythms, you can feel her hurt and healing. Cisneros brings wonderment and humor to the excerpts she reads from her novels. Her small, girlish voice delivers a dramatic punch that knocks you out. As a Mexican-American, I can attest that she captures the best, the most endearing and the quirkiest part of our culture worth exposing. Her language is so rolling and precise, it’s pure delight. The only thing that could be better would be to listen to her with a steaming cup of chocolate mexicano. Grab one and settle into a comfortable chair. Cisneros and Harjo belong in our cultural firmament.
Yolette Garcia
October 7, 2005
Sandra Cisneros and Joy Harjo
