Julia Alvarez ’67
Award-winning writer whose prose and poetry have been greatly influenced by her experiences as a Dominican in the United States.Abbot Academy alumna Julia Alvarez is an award-winning writer whose prose and poetry have been greatly influenced by her experiences as a Dominican in the United States. In addition, with partner Bill Eichner, she created Alta Gracia, a farm-literacy center in the Dominican Republic dedicated to environmental sustainability, literacy, and education worldwide. She later founded Border of Lights to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Haitian Massacre and to promote peace and hope along troubled country borders around the world. Currently a writer in residence at Middlebury College, Alvarez is the recipient of such honors as the F. Scott Fitzgerald Award for Excellence in American Literature and the 2014 National Medal of Arts.
Alvarez was presented with the Andover Alumni Award of Distinction in 2015.