2025 Carlsbad Reads Together PROGRAM GUIDE
“The Cemetery of Untold Stories” by Julia Alvarez
In-person author event: Thursday, April 24, 6 p.m. Ruby G. Schulman Auditorium, Carlsbad City Library on Dove Lane
Tickets for the event will be distributed beginning at 5 p.m., with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. The Schulman Auditorium has a seating capacity of 200, and overflow seating will be available in the Gowland Meeting Room. Following the author discussion, a book signing will take place in the Ann Kulchin Courtyard. Books will be available for purchase at the event. For those unable to attend in person, the event will be live-streamed on the City of Carlsbad’s YouTube channel. A recording of the event will be available for viewing for seven days following the presentation. This event is proudly sponsored by the Friends of the Carlsbad Library.
Book Synopsis:
About the Author:
When celebrated writer Alma Cruz inherits a small plot of land in the Dominican Republic, she turns it into a place to bury her untold stories—literally. She creates a graveyard for manuscript drafts and revisions and the characters whose lives she tried and failed to bring to life and who still haunt her. Alma wants her characters to rest in peace, but they have other ideas, and the cemetery becomes a mysterious sanctuary for their true narratives.
Julia Alvarez’s life began in New York City in 1950, but she spent her early childhood in the Dominican Republic, the homeland of her parents. However, her family’s stay was cut short in 1960, when they were compelled to seek refuge in the United States due to her father’s opposition to the Trujillo dictatorship.
“The Cemetery of Untold Stories” is available in print, audiobook, eBook and eAudiobook format. Don’t forget to visit Libby or Hoopla digital to access e-formats. The book is available in English and Spanish.
Adult Spanish selection: “El cementario de los Cuentos sin Contar” by Julia Alvarez Cuando la célebre escritora Alma Cruz hereda un pequeño terreno en la República Dominicana, lo convierte en un lugar para enterrar sus historias no contadas, literalmente. Crea un cementerio para borradores y revisiones de manuscritos y para los personajes cuyas vidas intentó y no logró dar vida y que todavía la persiguen. Alma quiere que sus personajes descansen en paz, pero tienen otras ideas y el cementerio se convierte en un santuario misterioso para sus verdaderas narrativas.
Alvarez has written novels, collections of poems, nonfiction and numerous books for young readers. Julia Alvarez is the recipient of the Pura Belpré Award (2004), Américas Awards (2009), The Hispanic Heritage Award (2002), National Medal of Arts (2013). In 2024, she was the subject of an American Masters documentary, “Julia Alvarez: A Life Reimagined,” on PBS. Alvarez is one of the founders of Border of Lights, a movement to promote peace and collaboration between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. She lives in Vermont. Find more at https://www.juliaalvarez.com/about To watch an interview with Julia Alvarez and PBS books, view here: “The Cemetery of Untold Stories” by Julia Alvarez | Readers Club