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Goodreads asked Julia Alvarez:

What are you currently working on?

Julia Alvarez In keeping with Mr. Johnson's commandment, see my advice to aspiring writers, I write every day—or try to. But I don’t know where I’m going till I get there. If I give you a destination or set up the parameters of the work by describing it, I’ve already contained it in my idea of it. So I’m letting myself play and wander and wonder over stories in my family’s past, stories in the past of my native country (Dominican Republic), the narrative ties that bind us all into blood families, nations, human family. That about covers the whole map! Additionally, I’m not just interested in content, but also in how a story can get told in ways that surprise. I remember my astonishment reading Julie Otsuka’s The Buddha in the Attic and realizing the effectiveness of writing a novel in the first person plural point of view and in small vignettes. More recently, I’ve been dazzled by Colum McCann’s Apeirogon, and its almost Scheherazadian way of telling a story in 1001 small narratives, with "everything" thrown in and, amazingly, everything fits. . .

More Answered Questions

Edgar Smith

Edgar Smith asked Julia Alvarez:

I've been a fan of your work for many years and always admired your versatility and adaptability, especially your willingness to go from deeply historical, grown-up topics to YA books and even children stories. As a writer, I can go from genre to genre within fiction (a lot of poetry in-between), but never from one audience to the next. Anything you can share about writing YA after mostly writing for adults? Thanks.

Sophia Farooq

Sophia Farooq asked Julia Alvarez:

Hi there, i hope you are doing well. Congrats on your amazing success. I wanted to check if you would kindly review a childrens book i've written dedicated to my late father? I would love your honest feedback and a endorsement. This is apart of my late father legacy and id really appreciate it. This is my first time ever writing a book so any support would mean alot to me. I look forward to hearing from you.

Polly Sullivan

Polly Sullivan asked Julia Alvarez:

My friend had a signed copy of your book "YO." She leant it to me. I had it in a bag of books and mistakenly gave it away . Now, she wants it returned and is furious with me- I have no idea where it might have landed. Is there any way I can order another signed copy?? (Her name is Carmen.)

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