Latin writer conquers English

To achieve success as a writer, one must master the English language. Julia Alvarez had a little bit of a lag -- with Spanish as her native language -- but that didn't stop the award-winning Latina writer. And on Tuesday night, Alvarez spoke to an audience of about 60 people in the Upper Egyptian Gallery of the University Museum about her eventual triumph. Best known for her novels How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents and In the Time of the Butterflies, and for her book of poetry, The Seven Trees, Alvarez was the keynote speaker of the 20th annual Festival Latino de Penn, a week-long celebration of Latino culture from March 24-31. In front of a towering statue of the Egyptian King Ramses, Alvarez delivered her speech -- entitled "I'm Chiquita Banana and I'm Here to Say: I'm Becoming an American (Latina) Writer" -- often breaking into Spanish momentarily for emphasis. Alvarez spent her early childhood in the Dominican Republic and then moved to New York City at the age of 10, where she faced prejudice and the difficulty of mastering English. "I was too embarrassed to raise my voice in class because of my heavy accent," Alvarez said. Her own family and friends also discouraged Alvarez from writing. "The enclosed world of the home was where girls belonged," Alvarez said. After her speech, Alvarez opened the floor to questions from the audience, which ranged from how she ended up at Middlebury College as a writer in residence to her views on racism. When asked about the impact of Spanish-speakers in America, Alvarez explained that foreign languages enrich English. "Languages are alive," Alvarez said. "They grow, they get corrupted, they become interesting." Alvarez introduced her latest work, entitled How Tia Lola Came to Stay, a book for young readers that tells the story of two American children whose Dominican aunt comes to live with them. In her advice to students, Alvarez explained that remaining true to oneself in the face of obstacles leads to success. "You can't take your roots out of yourself," Alvarez said. Several audience members lined up after the talk to ask Alvarez to sign copies of her work. Adela Llumpo, who graduated from the College last year, was especially eager to meet the renowned author. "She's the first Latina writer I've ever read," Llumpo said. "I was really excited to hear she was coming to Penn." Many audience members felt that Penn should host Latino role models more often. "Not only is she a great orator and amicable woman, not only is she a critically acclaimed author and novelist, but she is also a Latina," said Randy Quezada, spokesman for the Latino Coalition. "Penn's commitment to diversity would be well served by bringing in more Latino speakers."