Midwinter Meeting

She stunned the world with a letter.  Her victim impact statement, posted on BuzzFeed instantly went viral, viewed by eleven million people within four days.  It's been translated globally, read on the floor of Congress, inspired changes in California law, and led to the recall of the judge in her case.

Poet, novelist, and essayist Julia Alvarez left the Dominican Republic for the United States in 1960 at the age of ten. When she arrived in New York City, it was clear that American English would be a hill to climb. “I couldn’t tell where one word ended and another began,” she says. This, she believes, is what led her to become a writer as she paid close attention to every word (great training for a writer). She also discovered the welcoming world of the imagination and a love for books.

From humble beginnings in South Central Los Angeles, to life as an imprisoned drug dealer, to an award-winning celebrity chef and best-selling author, Jeff Henderson is a role model for anyone in need of encouragement and looking to reinvent their life.