|
Handwritten and typescript drafts, page proofs, galleys, correspondence, research
materials and notes, legal and editorial records, photographs, audio and video
recordings, floppy disks, awards, books, notebooks, journals, magazines, newspaper
clippings, periodicals, posters, maps, and electronic files document the life,
work,
and family of Julia Alvarez from 1963 to 2013. The eight series are arranged by
size
and/or importance: I. Long Works, 1966-2012; II. Short Works, 1963-2012; III.
Career
and Personal, 1966-2014; IV. Public Appearances, 1998-2008; V. Correspondence,
1974-2013; VI. Publicity, 1981-2012; VII. Notebooks, 1975-1990; VIII. Periodicals,
1971-2013. With the exception of the arrangement of long works and short works,
for
which the order has largely been imposed, each series maintains the original order
and reflects Alvarez's meticulous record-keeping activities. Although a number
of
languages are present (most notably Spanish) the bulk of the materials are written
in English. All items are in stable condition. |
|
Series I. is divided into two subseries: A. Novels and Collections and B. Children's
and Young Adult Works. The Series constitutes just over half of the Alvarez papers,
documenting her literary activities from 1971 to 2012. Several unrealized works
are
present in addition to her published novels, poetry collections, children's and
young adult fiction, and nonfiction works. Research materials relating to In the Name of Salomé, finding miracles, Return to Sender,
Once Upon a Quinceañera, and Saving the World are particularly extensive. Materials
relating to book tours for individual works are located in Series IV. Public
Appearances (1998-2008), and the bulk of publicity materials for most works are
located in Series VI. Publicity (1981-2012). |
|
Subseries A. Novels and Collections includes numerous handwritten and typescript
drafts, page proofs, galleys, correspondence, clippings, research materials, limited
publicity, and electronic files for Apothecary Jars
((an unrealized 1983 work containing materials that would form the basis of chapters
in How the García Girls Lost Their Accents),
A Cafecito Story (2001), Homecoming (1984), The Housekeeping Book
(1984), How the García Girls Lost Their Accents
(1991), The Land Columbus Loved Best (unrealized work
1991-1992), In the Name of Salomé (2000), Once Upon a Quinceañera (2007), The Other Side/El Otro Lado (1995), Saving the World (2006), Seven
Trees (1998), Something to Declare
(1998), In the Time of the Butterflies (1994), A Wedding in Haiti (2012), The
Woman I Kept to Myself (2004), and ¡Yo! (1997). No complete typescripts are present for Old Age Ain't for Sissies (1979), but materials relating
to this edited anthology of poetry are present in Series III. Career and Personal.
Subseries A. is arranged alphabetically by title, and items under each title are
generally arranged chronologically and/or alphabetically by folder title, or by
the
author's original order (when discernible). |
|
Shannon Ravenel was Alvarez's primary editor for her Algonquin Books publications
and
a correspondent with whom she maintained a close professional relationship. Although
many of Alvarez's drafts contain Ravenel's editorial revisions and comments, such
edits are only noted in the finding aid when it distinguishes between drafts.
Extensive notes and background materials relating to Alvarez's works of historical
fiction and nonfiction (e.g., In the Time of the
Butterflies and In the Name of
Salomé) provide ample evidence of her preliminary research
activities. The author typically created research files with folders containing
correspondence, printouts, photocopies, notes, and other materials relevant to
the
work. She often pasted photographs or artwork cut from publications to the folders
as a mnemonic device, and all such folders were retained during processing and
rehousing. Alvarez's writing process is well documented in materials for her first
novel-length work How the García Girls Lost Their
Accents (1991). Numerous early chapter drafts--first published as
individual essays--and later typescripts provide evidence of the evolution of
the
work. Photocopies of published early versions of García
Girls chapters and typescript and handwritten drafts of Woman I Kept to Myself, Homecoming, and The Other Side are
arranged under Short Works. A few handwritten early versions of stories in How the García Girls Lost Their Accents are present
in Series VII. Notebooks, 1975-1990. |
|
Subseries B. Children's and Young Adult Works includes handwritten and typescript
drafts, page proofs, correspondence, clippings, research materials, and limited
publicity for Before We Were Free (2002), The Best Gift of All (2008), finding miracles (2004), A Gift of Gracias: The
Legend of Altagracia (2004), Return to
Sender (2009), The Secret Footprints
(2000), and the Tía Lola Series. (2001-2011).
The subseries is arranged alphabetically by title, and items under each title
are
generally arranged chronologically or by the author's original order (if
discernible). Tía Lola Series titles are arranged alphabetically under the
heading "Tía Lola Series" and include How Tía Lola
Came to V̶i̶s̶i̶t̶ Stay (2001), How Tía Lola
Ended Up Starting Over (2011), How Tía Lola
Learned to Teach (2010), and How Tía Lola
Saved the Summer (2011). Materials relating to all four of these works
are arranged chronologically at the end of the series. |
|
Series II. Short Works includes numerous typescript, handwritten, and electronic
drafts of published and unpublished essays, short stories, op-eds, articles, and
poems. A few chapter drafts from her longer works are intermingled with items
in
this subseries. The Series documents her early publication efforts from the 1960s
and 1970s through her years as an established author and is arranged alphabetically
by the original titles Alvarez assigned to groupings of associated works. Among
the
various subjects included are "Autobiography, "
" Latinas,"
" Place Essays," and "Poetry in the Schools." All titles are listed in the Index of Short
Works. |
|
Series III. Career and Personal is the second largest series. Employment files,
awards and honors, correspondence, grant and fellowship applications, invitations
and writing requests, graduate school files, publication efforts, research,
interviews, public appearances, teaching, writer-in-residence activities, electronic
files, and digital images document Julia Alvarez's career as a writer, poet,
teacher, and professor. Although some juvenilia and personal and family materials
are present, the series largely represents her professional life. Her activities
as
a writer-in-residence and teacher from the 1970s to the 1990s are particularly
well
documented. The Series is arranged alphabetically by subject and/or folder
title. |
|
Series IV. Readings and Other Public Appearances includes correspondence, occasional
typescripts, electronic files, and other materials related to her numerous speaking
engagements throughout the country. Engaging with the public through poetry and
the
literary arts has constituted a major part of Alvarez's career as evidenced through
frequent participation in poetry festivals, book tours, reading requests, Latino
festivals, library events, commencement addresses, and small local gigs. Alvarez
maintained a thorough record of these events from 1998 to 2008. Additional files
on
assorted public engagements from 1985 to 2010 are filed under "Public Appearances" in Series III. Career and
Personal. Series IV is arranged chronologically by year and then alphabetically
by
subject. |
|
Series V. Correspondence spans 12 boxes and 10 electronic files and is organized
alphabetically by correspondent name. Individuals are represented either by incoming
or outgoing letters from 1971 to 2013. The series includes correspondence with
friends, colleagues, editors, activists, family, and other associates. Prominent
correspondents include Peter Balakian, Daisy Cocco-DeFilippis, Edwidge Danticat,
Seamus Heaney, David Huddle, Erica Jong, Patrick J. Leahy, Beatriz Maggi, Cecilia
Rodríguez Milanés, Barry Moser, Katherine Neville, Achy Obejas, Sue Ellen
Thomson, Bernardo Vega, A. J. Verdelle, Tobias Wolff, and Judith Yarnall. |
|
Series VI. Publicity, spans five boxes and comprises review clippings, awards,
publicity tour materials, press clippings for Before We Were
Free,
A Cafecito Story,
Gift of Gracias,
Once Upon a Quinceañera,
In the Name of Salomé,
The Secret Footprints,
In the Time of the Butterflies, and ¡Yo! along with publicity materials for her poetry
collections. The series also includes publicity and review materials for the film
adaptation of In the Time of the Butterflies and
general publicity about Alvarez. Materials are arranged alphabetically by title
and
original order. |
|
Series VII. Notebooks is the smallest series and comprises notebooks with handwritten
drafts of a number of short stories including early versions of short stories
that
would eventually become chapters in How the García Girls
Lost Their Accents. The series is arranged according to original order.
Drafts are indexed in the Index of Short Works. |
|
Series VIII. Periodicals includes published magazines, journals, poetry collections,
and other serial publications containing works by Julia Alvarez from 1971 to 2013.
The series is arranged alphabetically by journal title. |
|
A Note on Arrangement and Description
|
|
Unless otherwise stated, the phrase with revisions
indicates that the manuscript contains handwritten (as opposed to typescript)
changes. Folder titles are generally transcribed directly from the original folder
headings and are only placed in quotation marks if they appear confusing. |
|
Container and folder numbers were updated in 2017; at the end of the finding aid,
the
original container and folder numbers are listed in brackets after the updated
container and folder numbers. Additionally, each folder in the collection lists
the
updated number followed by the original number in brackets. Not all folder numbers
were updated; folders in boxes 1-6 and 10-18 retained all or most of their original
numbers. |
