At age 81, Isabel Allende has decided it's time to try writing children's books.

The separation of migrant families at the U.S.-Mexico border has always caused Isabel Allende pain: When she saw it during the Trump administration, her first impulse was to help reunify children and parents through her foundation.

The National Book Foundation announced Friday that Karen Tei Yamashita has been awarded its medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, a $10,000 honor previously given to Toni Morrison, Robert Caro and Isabel Allende among others.

NEW YORK – Isabel Allende is not only the world’s most widely read Spanish-language author but also a self-declared and outspoken feminist. She also reflects on the #MeToo movement, the recent social unrest in Chile and the global pandemic. AdDuring the interview, Allende recalled her beginnings as a feminist and also spoke about her experience as a 78-year-old “newlywed” in confinement. Allende: The year of the pandemic has had everything paralyzed, but things continue to move forward. AdAllende: Well, because what a writer needs is time, silence and solitude, and the pandemic has given me that.