Of the more than 40 plaques laid out on Library Way in 1998 honoring famous writers and literary quotes, less than 10 were of living authors. Julia Alvarez is one of three that still thrives and writes today. Curiously, the quote of hers on Library Way is from her 1984 collection of poetry, Homecoming.
In particular, the quote is from one of 33 sonnets that make up the bulk of her book entitled 33. The age she was when she confronted her own mortality and her next steps in life. On Library Walk it is the last five lines of one of these sonnets that have been immortalized in bronze.