Noted Latina Poet, Novelist and Essayist to Speak at Roger Williams University

BRISTOL, RI (02/18/2010)(readMedia)-- One of the most critically and commercially successful Latina writers of her time, Julia Alvarez, will visit Roger Williams University to share her keen insights and fresh observations of the Latino experience, past and present, in the United States.

Ms. Alvarez will visit the University as part of its Civil Discourse Distinguished Lecture Series on Thursday, Feb. 25, to discuss themes from her writings, which include cultural assimilation and identity in the lives of Hispanic Americans, particularly women.

"Understanding the cultural and social contributions of Latinos better prepares our nation for the demographic shift that is shaping our future," said University President Roy J. Nirschel, Ph.D. "Julia Alvarez is an elegant storyteller whose prolific contribution to Latin American literature has given our nation a deeper appreciation of the Latino experience."

Julia Alvarez is revered for masterfully crafting novels, poems and essays shaped largely by a childhood spent in the Dominican Republic until her father's involvement in a political rebellion forced her family to flee to the United States. Celebrated for her rigorous investigations of cultural stereotypes in both countries, Alvarez is perhaps best known for "How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents" and "In the Time of Butterflies," a novel chosen by the National Endowment of the Arts as a national selection for it's Big Read program.

Ms. Alvarez's most recent book, "Return to Sender," was the winner of the 2010 American Library Association's Pura Belpré Author Award, honoring Latino authors whose work best portrays, affirms and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in children's books.

The presentation will take place at 5:30 p.m. in the University's Recreation Center Gymnasium on the Bristol Campus at One Old Ferry Road. Limited tickets to this free event will be made available to the public-to reserve a ticket, call (401) 254-3210.

Members of the media are also encouraged to attend. For more information, contact University Communications at (401) 254- 3805.

About RWU: Roger Williams University is a leading independent, coeducational liberal arts university at which students live and learn to be global citizens. With 40 academic programs and an array of co-curricular activities on its Bristol, R.I., campus, RWU is committed to its mantra of learning to bridge the world. Under the leadership of President Roy J. Nirschel, Ph.D., the University has achieved unprecedented academic and financial successes. In 2009, U.S. News & World Report named RWU the seventh-ranked baccalaureate college in the north.

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