© 2026 Michigan State University Board of Trustees
Public Media from Michigan State University
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

How Julia Alvarez conceived the story for her novel "Afterlife"

Season 38 Episode 5 | 1m 05s

Julia Alvarez released "Afterlife" in 2020, about a woman dealing with her husband's unexpected death and meeting an undocumented teenager. The book was dedicated to her oldest sister, Maury, who died in 2015, and was Alvarez's way of "[giving] voice to that landscape of aging."

Support for American Masters is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, AARP, Rosalind P. Walter Foundation, Judith and Burton Resnick, Blanche and Hayward Cirker Charitable Lead Annuity Trust, Koo and Patricia Yuen, Lillian Goldman Programming Endowment, Seton J. Melvin, Thea Petschek Iervolino Foundation, Anita and Jay Kaufman, The Philip and Janice Levin Foundation, Kate W. Cassidy Foundation, The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, The Ambrose Monell Foundation, Ellen and James S. Marcus, The Charina Endowment Fund, The Marc Haas Foundation and public television viewers.
Extras
Explore the life and legacy of notable Black scholar and civil rights pioneer W.E.B. Du Bois.
Follow Sudanese musician and ethnomusicologist Alsarah as she leads Alsarah and the Nubatones.
While in Congress, Bella Abzug elevated feminist causes, including women's financial independence.
In 1975, Bella Abzug went on the "Dinah!" show and questioned what was missing in our democracy.
Follow the meteoric rise of firebrand politician and activist Bella Abzug.
Eight cultural icons on their journeys to becoming masters of their artistic disciplines.
Artist Ani Liu creates provocative artifacts at the intersection of art, science and technology.
Sun Ra had a profound and lasting influence on members of the Sun Ra Arkestra.
Each day, Sun Ra wrote a piece of music solely for “the Creator.”
Sun Ra was one of the first Black artists to have his own record label.