Julia Alvarez has written novels, collections of poems, nonfiction, and numerous books for young readers. She has most recently published a new novel for adults called Afterlife (Algonquin) and a new picture book for young readers, Already a Butterfly: A Meditation Story (Macmillan Books for Children). The recipient of a National Medal of Arts, Alvarez is a founder of Border of Lights, a movement to promote peace and collaboration between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. She lives in Vermont.