Around 1961, she came to the United States when she was thirteen years old, the firstborn within the personal that would in time include eleven toddlers. Ms. Santiago attended New York City's Performing Arts High School, where she majored around drama and dance. When eight years of a share-half-time survey at community colleges, she transferred to Harvard University with a to the full scholarship. She exposed film production & graduated inside 1976 magna cum laude. Shortly when graduation, she & her hubby, Frank Cantor, founded CANTOMEDIA, a film & media production company, which has won numerous awards for excellence around docudrama filmmaking.

Her writing career evolved from either her operate as a producer/writer of documentary and educational films. Her essays & opinion pieces use at times appeared within national newspapers including a New York Times and the Boston Globe, and in mass market magazines such as House & Garden, Metropolitan Home, and Good Housekeeping.

Upon publication of her number 1 book, a memoir After I personally was Puerto Rican, Ms. Santiago was hailed as "a welcome new voice, full of passion and authority," per Washington Post Book World.

Her foremost novel, ''United states's Dream, has been published inside sestet languages, & was an Replacement Choice of the Literary Guild. "Thrilling and page turning, the fabulous story of América Gonzalez is laid out masterfully," based on data from a Chicago Tribune.

Her 2nd memoir, Virtually the Woman, received many "Best of Year" mentions, additionally to an Alex Award from the American Library Association. It has recently been adapted into the film for Exxin Mobil Masterpiece Theatre, which premiered nationally on PBS at 8:00pm September 14, 2002.

By owning Joie Davidow, Ms. Santiago is coeditor of the anthologies, Las Christmas: Special Latino Authors Part Their Holiday Memories & Las Mamis: Favored Latino Authors Remember their Moms two published by Knopf.

Additionally to her literary tries, Ms. Santiago is an active volunteer. She occurs as interpreter in behalf of public libraries. She has designed & developed community-depending computer software for stripling, & was the founder of the shelter for battered women and their tikes. She serves on a boards of organizations devoted to a arts & to literature, & speaks vehemently all about the require to encourage & trend lines the artistic development of immature humans.

Additionally to literary & community service awards, Ms. Santiago has earned an expert of Fine Arts inside Fiction Writing from either Sarah Lawrence College and Honorary Doctor of Letters from Trinity University and from Pace University. She sleep in Westchester County, New York, with her hubby & ii youngsters.

Her 2004 autobiography, "My Turkish Lover", speaks all about a days she experienced around Just released York since a age of Twenty-one. Bibliography

Once I personally Was Puerto Rican by Esmeralda Santiago (Paper-back book - October 1994) Near the Woman by Esmeralda Santiago (Softback book - October 1999) Casi una mujer by Esmeralda Santiago (Paper-back book - October 1999) United states's Dream by Esmeralda Santiago (Creator) (Paperback book - Can 1997) Cuando era puertorriqueña by Esmeralda Santiago (Paper-back book - October 1994) Las Mamis by Esmeralda Santiago (Editor), et al (Hardcover - April 2000) El sueño first state América by Esmeralda Santiago (Creator) (Paperback book - Could 1997) Las Christmas: Special Latino Authors Part Their Holiday Memories by Esmeralda Santiago (Contributor), et al (Paper-back book - October 1999) Las Christmas: escritores latinos recuerdan las tradiciones navideñas by Esmeralda Santiago (Editor), Joie Davidow (Editor) (Soft-cover book) Our Turkish Lover'', autobiogrphy, 2004