Julia Alvarez

Although she was born in the United States, Julia Alvarez spent the first part of her life in her parents’ native Dominican Republic, where the family moved when she was just three months old. The Alvarez family subsequently fled the island nation after Alvarez’s father became involved in a failed coup attempt against the Dominican Republic’s dictator, Rafael Trujillo, in 1960. The family returned to the United States, where Alvarez faced discrimination and prejudice as well as the homesickness and disorientation of living in exile. She grew up between two worlds, the Dominican Republic of her early youth, to which she returned frequently, and the America where she was largely educated. Throughout, she found comfort in books, and she was encouraged by her teachers to write from a young age. Alvarez received her bachelor’s degree from Middlebury College and a master’s degree from Syracuse University, after which she became writer in residence for the Kentucky Arts Commission. Alvarez’s career has included both education and writing. She has published no fewer than eight novels for adults and young readers, three poetry collections, three works of nonfiction, and numerous children’s picture books. She taught creative writing at the University of Vermont and Middlebury College. Alvarez has been called one of the foremost Latina authors of her era and has been honored with a grant from the American National Endowment for the Arts and prizes from the Academy of American Poets, Third Woman Press, the PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award, the Hispanic Heritage Award in Literature, and the Belpre Medal, which recognizes works by Latino authors and portraying Latino experiences.