Homies Of Lit

I stumbled on Homies on Lit by chance. I’m reading The House on Mango Street in Spanish and was hoping to come across an interview with Sandra Cisneros. Luckily, I found your podcast! Your interview with Cisneros was fantastic. Cisneros is right. This podcast is important and so needed by all who enjoy a good listen and literature. Please continue your good work. Your podcast is valid, much needed and invaluable to the Latino and community at large. Si Se Puede!

I came across your podcast while searching for interviews on Sandra Cisneros. I create professional development for teachers and wanted to discuss her book, House on Mango Street. I was blown away, thank you for creating this podcast. I am the only Hispanic Literacy Coach in one of the largest school district in this state. Educators here are missing the awareness that’s needed to support the students from low social economic background, especially those from immigrant families. It’s very frustrating. Yet, you are the voice of those students. You are my voice and the voice of so many. You are educators too by creating awareness of what’s lacking in English and reading classrooms. Thank you, thank you, gracias!

I wish I’d had this podcast when I was teaching “The House on Mango Street” to my Title I school in LA. I think the juxtaposition of one brother who loves to read and write and the other who wouldn’t have read any book he was assigned, was refreshingly honest. I came across both of these students in my classroom. Sandra Cisneros is a powerhouse, she throws open doors for these brothers, telling them who else they should read and interview, offering ways to make this connection. You can see how excited she is to have these unique male voices share their perspective with the world and her enthusiasm is contagious. In a time of Black Lives Matter, I was even more aware that these often unheard perspectives of men growing up in poor or violent communities, are rarely heard and they should be. What a resource these brothers will be to educators, students and the world if they keep going.

The Santiago brothers from Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighbored open up great books to people who don’t really like to read books. “I never read any of the books I was supposed to read in school and I never read any books after school until this one... now I’m gonna read the next book for the podcast and that’ll be the second book I actually read!” - Nelson They make literature really relatable.