Julia Alvarez: Middle, Vt

Latino Leaders: The National Magazine of the Successful American Latino, Dec, 2002

Poet, essayist, and fiction writer Julia Alvarez spent her early childhood in the Dominican Republic before immigrating to the United States. The bicultural nature of her literary work has gained her international acclaim and numerous awards. "Stories have a power--they enter us, they transport us, they change things inside us so invisibly, so minutely that sometimes we are not even aware that we come out of a great book as a different person," says Alvarez.

What or who is the greatest love of your life?

My companero and husband Bill Eichner.

When and where are you happiest?

When I am writing.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

A writing day followed by a homemade dinner with Bill.

What quality do you most admire in friends?

Generosity.

Who are your heroes in real life?

The little people who do all the work.

Who are your favorite painters?

Pierre Bonnard, Paul Gauguin, Sabra Field, Sara Eichner, and Belkis Ramirez.

What quality do you most admire in women?

Mothering and nurturing.

What quality do you most admire in men?

Fathering and nurturing.

Who would you most like to be?

Myself, happily.

What is your most marked characteristic?

Passion.

What would be your greatest misfortune?

Not to be able to exercise my talents.

What is your favorite journey?

On paper.

What natural gift would you most like to possess?

Self-confidence.

What is your greatest achievement?

My books and my friendships.

What is your main defect?

Impatience.

What do you most deplore in others?

A lack of compassion.

How would you like to die?

In my sleep.

What is your motto?

If you bring forth what is inside of you, what you bring forth will save you.

If you do not bring forth what is inside of you, what is inside of you will destroy you.