SCHOLARSHIP
SCHOLARLY PUBLICATIONS
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"Chicana in New York: Gloria Anzaldúa on Spirituality and the City." MELUS. 44:2 (2019): 71-92. (full text)
Abstract: Building on recent Anzaldúa scholarship that foregrounds the importance of spirituality on her poetic and theoretical projects, this article draws attention to an often overlooked period that was critical to Gloria Anzaldúa’s spiritual development: 1981-85. During these productive years, she lived on the East Coast, primarily in Brooklyn, and she worked on several projects including portions of her groundbreaking mixed-genre collection Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza (1987). By examining Anzaldúa’s references to New York in archival letters, interviews, prose, and poems, this article sheds light on her personal, poetic, and spiritual development during those East Coast years. In particular, it reads her poems “Antigua, mi diosa” and “Interface” within a New York City context for the first time and outlines the ways in which these poems foreshadow her future theorizations about “nepantla,” “the path of conocimiento,” and “spiritual activism.” |
Photo © Chance Acevedo
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"Latina New York: Feminist Poetics and the Empire City." Diss. Fordham University, 2015. (abstract only)
Abstract: "Latina New York: Feminist Poetics and the Empire City" examines the ways in which a diverse group of Latinas have written about and written themselves into New York's physical, political, and literary landscapes. The dissertation examines the works of women poets who self-identify as Puerto Rican, Chicana, and Dominican, and/or Latina, including Julia de Burgos, Sandra María Esteves, Gloria Anzaldúa, and Josefina Báez. Drawing upon theoretical frameworks from feminist and transnational studies, this project posits that their literary articulations of "The Empire City" draw attention to the gendered processes of im/migrating, place-making, and inhabiting transnational social fields. While many comparative studies consider thematic trends across texts, this dissertation considers a specific place, New York City, as the unifying thread that connects interlingual works written by Latina poets of diverse backgrounds. By situating these Latina poets within the context of broader New York City literary histories, this study foregrounds the ways in which their works--both poetic and political--represent critical Latina feminist interventions in literatures of the Americas. Ultimately, by examining the ways in which Latina poets of different nationalities and birthplaces deploy New York City in their poems, this examination highlights what happens at the intersections of various transnational and intranational circuits, while simultaneously placing texts rarely read together into conversation for the first time.
"Ambivalence and The Empire City: Julia de Burgos' New York." Arizona Quarterly. 71.1 (2015): 53 – 81. (abstract; full text access available through Project Muse)
Abstract: This essay examines acclaimed Puerto Rican poet Julia de Burgos’s letters, newspaper articles, and poems for traces of New York City, the place where she resided during the last decade of her life and which she came to call her “second home.” While she was deeply committed to the cause of Puerto Rican independence, she also became increasingly concerned with the plight of Puerto Ricans and Latina/os on the mainland and particularly those who lived in New York City. Her writings from and about New York reveal an ambivalence toward the metropolis that is rooted in imperial history and in her position as artist, activist, woman, and migrant.
"Beyond Nation: Caribbean Poetics in Pedro Pietri's 'Puerto Rican Obituary' and Kamau Brathwaite's 'Islands and Exiles.'" CENTRO: Journal of the Center for Puerto Rican Studies. 22.2 (2010): 51 – 73. (full text)
Abstract: Pedro Pietri's and Kamau Brathwaite's poems suggest that a transnational and translingual comparative approach to Caribbean literature will highlight similarities across nationalities born of parallel colonial histories and emigration experiences. While the texts themselves might not articulate a transnational or translingual perspective, their intertextuality suggests that such a relationship exists. This paper will focus explicitly on how history, language, and religion play out within poems about the emigrant experience in the metropolis. I will argue that colonialism and the transnational movement from the Caribbean to urban centers have fostered similar emigrant experience even among colonial subjects with different national identities.
"Pass Back Through our Hearts." Review of How Long She'll Last in this World by María Meléndez. Jacket. 34 (Oct. 2007). (full text)
Excerpt: María Meléndez’s first book of poetry, How Long She’ll Last in This World, is at once a quiet meditation on the beauty found in daily life and a protest against that which threatens these simple wonders. Throughout, her poems are infused with references both direct and indirect to current events, history, literature, artwork, and folklore. A look at the “notes” section in her book sheds new light on expertly crafted poems that work well on their own, but truly shine when put into broader context.
"Latina New York: Feminist Poetics and the Empire City." Diss. Fordham University, 2015. (abstract only)
Abstract: "Latina New York: Feminist Poetics and the Empire City" examines the ways in which a diverse group of Latinas have written about and written themselves into New York's physical, political, and literary landscapes. The dissertation examines the works of women poets who self-identify as Puerto Rican, Chicana, and Dominican, and/or Latina, including Julia de Burgos, Sandra María Esteves, Gloria Anzaldúa, and Josefina Báez. Drawing upon theoretical frameworks from feminist and transnational studies, this project posits that their literary articulations of "The Empire City" draw attention to the gendered processes of im/migrating, place-making, and inhabiting transnational social fields. While many comparative studies consider thematic trends across texts, this dissertation considers a specific place, New York City, as the unifying thread that connects interlingual works written by Latina poets of diverse backgrounds. By situating these Latina poets within the context of broader New York City literary histories, this study foregrounds the ways in which their works--both poetic and political--represent critical Latina feminist interventions in literatures of the Americas. Ultimately, by examining the ways in which Latina poets of different nationalities and birthplaces deploy New York City in their poems, this examination highlights what happens at the intersections of various transnational and intranational circuits, while simultaneously placing texts rarely read together into conversation for the first time.
"Ambivalence and The Empire City: Julia de Burgos' New York." Arizona Quarterly. 71.1 (2015): 53 – 81. (abstract; full text access available through Project Muse)
Abstract: This essay examines acclaimed Puerto Rican poet Julia de Burgos’s letters, newspaper articles, and poems for traces of New York City, the place where she resided during the last decade of her life and which she came to call her “second home.” While she was deeply committed to the cause of Puerto Rican independence, she also became increasingly concerned with the plight of Puerto Ricans and Latina/os on the mainland and particularly those who lived in New York City. Her writings from and about New York reveal an ambivalence toward the metropolis that is rooted in imperial history and in her position as artist, activist, woman, and migrant.
"Beyond Nation: Caribbean Poetics in Pedro Pietri's 'Puerto Rican Obituary' and Kamau Brathwaite's 'Islands and Exiles.'" CENTRO: Journal of the Center for Puerto Rican Studies. 22.2 (2010): 51 – 73. (full text)
Abstract: Pedro Pietri's and Kamau Brathwaite's poems suggest that a transnational and translingual comparative approach to Caribbean literature will highlight similarities across nationalities born of parallel colonial histories and emigration experiences. While the texts themselves might not articulate a transnational or translingual perspective, their intertextuality suggests that such a relationship exists. This paper will focus explicitly on how history, language, and religion play out within poems about the emigrant experience in the metropolis. I will argue that colonialism and the transnational movement from the Caribbean to urban centers have fostered similar emigrant experience even among colonial subjects with different national identities.
"Pass Back Through our Hearts." Review of How Long She'll Last in this World by María Meléndez. Jacket. 34 (Oct. 2007). (full text)
Excerpt: María Meléndez’s first book of poetry, How Long She’ll Last in This World, is at once a quiet meditation on the beauty found in daily life and a protest against that which threatens these simple wonders. Throughout, her poems are infused with references both direct and indirect to current events, history, literature, artwork, and folklore. A look at the “notes” section in her book sheds new light on expertly crafted poems that work well on their own, but truly shine when put into broader context.
PRESENTATIONS & ROUNDTABLES
"El Nuevo Ni e': Ne(i)ther Regions in Josefina Báez's Levente no. Yolayorkdominicanyork and El Ni e' Blog." Pacific Ancient and Modern Language Association. Irvine, CA. 31 Oct. 2014.
"Gloria Anzaldúa and Cherríe Moraga: Chicana Lesbiana Poetas in New York." Panel: "Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Literature." Pacific Ancient and Modern Language Association. San Diego, CA. 3 Nov. 2013.
Panel Organizer and Presenter: “Performing Resistance and Resistance as Performance in Alina Troyano’s Work.” Panel: “Migration and Empire: Cultural Expressions of the Caribbean Diasporas.” American Studies Association Annual Meeting: Dimensions of Empire and Resistance: Past, Present and Future. San Juan, PR. 18 Nov. 2012.
“Latina Poets in New York: Nuyoriqueña and Chicana poets Re-Examine the Puerto Rican Crowd.” Puerto Rican Studies Association Biennial: Boricuas and other Border Crossers: Of Diasporas and Latinidades. Albany, New York. forthcoming. 26 Oct. 2012.
“‘Yemaya blew that wire fence down’: Yoruba Orishas in Gloria Anzaldúa’s Work.” Panel: “Chicano/a Literature.” Northeast Modern Language Association Convention. Rochester, NY. 16 March 2012.
Closing Roundtable Panelist: “Puerto Rican Obituaries and the Politics of Remembrance.” New York Metro American Studies Association conference. New York, NY. 5 Nov. 2011.
“Full Act of Naming: Neologisms and Fractured Identities in ‘AmeRican’ and ‘A Nuyo-Futurist Manifestiny’” Panel: “Label me Latino or Latina.” Northeast Modern Language Association Convention. Rutgers, NJ. 9 April 2011.
Roundtable Chair and Presenter: “de Salinas al Mundo.” Creative Online. Association of Writers and Writing Programs Annual Conference. Washington, DC. 5 Feb. 2011.
Roundtable Moderator: “Creative Disobedience in New Nuyorican Writing.” Turning Tides: A Symposium on Diasporic Literature at Fordham University. New York, NY. 6 Nov. 2010.
Roundtable Chair and Panelist: “Poder Al Que Pasa: Traditions of Resistance in the Poetry of Puerto Rico and the Diaspora.” PRSA Biennial: Cuerpos vigilados y castigados: Resistance and Empowerment in the Body Rican. Hartford, CT. 23 Oct. 2010.
“Poetics of Place: Loisaida in Nuyorican Poetry.” New York Metro American Studies Association Summer Institute: Re-Visiting the Lower East Side. New York, NY. 17 June 2010.
Chair and Panelist: Paper: “Araceli Girmay's 'Ode to the Watermelon:' Influences and Implications.” Panel: “Drawing New Boundaries: A Sketch of Poetry in the Twenty-First Century.” PRSA Biennial: Cartographies of Identities: Puerto Rico(ans) in the XXIst Century. San Juan, PR. 1 Oct. 2008.
“21st Century Motherhood: Legend and the Body in María Meléndez's Poetry.” Saint Francis College Conference: Why Study Women’s Poetry? Brooklyn, NY. 5 April 2008.
Panelist: “A Roundtable on Latinos and Latinas in Poetry.” Acentos Live Podcast. Bronx, NY. 25 April 2008.
"Gloria Anzaldúa and Cherríe Moraga: Chicana Lesbiana Poetas in New York." Panel: "Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Literature." Pacific Ancient and Modern Language Association. San Diego, CA. 3 Nov. 2013.
Panel Organizer and Presenter: “Performing Resistance and Resistance as Performance in Alina Troyano’s Work.” Panel: “Migration and Empire: Cultural Expressions of the Caribbean Diasporas.” American Studies Association Annual Meeting: Dimensions of Empire and Resistance: Past, Present and Future. San Juan, PR. 18 Nov. 2012.
“Latina Poets in New York: Nuyoriqueña and Chicana poets Re-Examine the Puerto Rican Crowd.” Puerto Rican Studies Association Biennial: Boricuas and other Border Crossers: Of Diasporas and Latinidades. Albany, New York. forthcoming. 26 Oct. 2012.
“‘Yemaya blew that wire fence down’: Yoruba Orishas in Gloria Anzaldúa’s Work.” Panel: “Chicano/a Literature.” Northeast Modern Language Association Convention. Rochester, NY. 16 March 2012.
Closing Roundtable Panelist: “Puerto Rican Obituaries and the Politics of Remembrance.” New York Metro American Studies Association conference. New York, NY. 5 Nov. 2011.
“Full Act of Naming: Neologisms and Fractured Identities in ‘AmeRican’ and ‘A Nuyo-Futurist Manifestiny’” Panel: “Label me Latino or Latina.” Northeast Modern Language Association Convention. Rutgers, NJ. 9 April 2011.
Roundtable Chair and Presenter: “de Salinas al Mundo.” Creative Online. Association of Writers and Writing Programs Annual Conference. Washington, DC. 5 Feb. 2011.
Roundtable Moderator: “Creative Disobedience in New Nuyorican Writing.” Turning Tides: A Symposium on Diasporic Literature at Fordham University. New York, NY. 6 Nov. 2010.
Roundtable Chair and Panelist: “Poder Al Que Pasa: Traditions of Resistance in the Poetry of Puerto Rico and the Diaspora.” PRSA Biennial: Cuerpos vigilados y castigados: Resistance and Empowerment in the Body Rican. Hartford, CT. 23 Oct. 2010.
“Poetics of Place: Loisaida in Nuyorican Poetry.” New York Metro American Studies Association Summer Institute: Re-Visiting the Lower East Side. New York, NY. 17 June 2010.
Chair and Panelist: Paper: “Araceli Girmay's 'Ode to the Watermelon:' Influences and Implications.” Panel: “Drawing New Boundaries: A Sketch of Poetry in the Twenty-First Century.” PRSA Biennial: Cartographies of Identities: Puerto Rico(ans) in the XXIst Century. San Juan, PR. 1 Oct. 2008.
“21st Century Motherhood: Legend and the Body in María Meléndez's Poetry.” Saint Francis College Conference: Why Study Women’s Poetry? Brooklyn, NY. 5 April 2008.
Panelist: “A Roundtable on Latinos and Latinas in Poetry.” Acentos Live Podcast. Bronx, NY. 25 April 2008.
TEACHING & PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Instructor. English 105.
Long Beach City College. Long Beach, CA. Aug. 2013 - June 2016
Guest Lecturer on Gloria Anzaldúa's Borderlands / La Frontera: The New Mestiza.
Prof. Elisabeth Frost Literature Seminar, "The Body in Contemporary Women's Art and Literature."
Fordham University. New York, NY. 22 April 2013.
Guest Lecturer on Julia de Burgos' and Sandra María Esteves' New York poems.
Prof. Anne Hoffman Advanced Literature Seminar, "The City in Literature and Art."
Fordham University. New York, NY. 29 Jan. 2013.
Instructor. English Composition II.
Fordham University. New York, NY. 2011-2012.
Guest Lecturer on Nuyorican Poetry.
Prof. Arnaldo Cruz-Malavé’s Advanced Literature Seminar, “U.S. Latino/a Literature and Film.”
Fordham University. New York, NY. 20 Oct. 2011.
Facilitator. "Aspects of Leadership."
Prep for Prep. New York, NY 2005-2012.
Faculty Director. "Immigrant New York."
History Makers at Fordham University. New York, NY. July 2010.
Poetry Workshop Facilitator. "Collage and Found Poetry."
Acentos Writers Workshops. New York, NY. January 2010.
Faculty. "A Historical Context for Nuyorican Poetry."
History Makers at Fordham University. New York, NY. July 2009.
English Teacher.
Roxbury Preparatory Charter School. Boston, MA. 2004 – 2005.
Long Beach City College. Long Beach, CA. Aug. 2013 - June 2016
Guest Lecturer on Gloria Anzaldúa's Borderlands / La Frontera: The New Mestiza.
Prof. Elisabeth Frost Literature Seminar, "The Body in Contemporary Women's Art and Literature."
Fordham University. New York, NY. 22 April 2013.
Guest Lecturer on Julia de Burgos' and Sandra María Esteves' New York poems.
Prof. Anne Hoffman Advanced Literature Seminar, "The City in Literature and Art."
Fordham University. New York, NY. 29 Jan. 2013.
Instructor. English Composition II.
Fordham University. New York, NY. 2011-2012.
Guest Lecturer on Nuyorican Poetry.
Prof. Arnaldo Cruz-Malavé’s Advanced Literature Seminar, “U.S. Latino/a Literature and Film.”
Fordham University. New York, NY. 20 Oct. 2011.
Facilitator. "Aspects of Leadership."
Prep for Prep. New York, NY 2005-2012.
Faculty Director. "Immigrant New York."
History Makers at Fordham University. New York, NY. July 2010.
Poetry Workshop Facilitator. "Collage and Found Poetry."
Acentos Writers Workshops. New York, NY. January 2010.
Faculty. "A Historical Context for Nuyorican Poetry."
History Makers at Fordham University. New York, NY. July 2009.
English Teacher.
Roxbury Preparatory Charter School. Boston, MA. 2004 – 2005.
PROFESSIONAL EXPEREINCE
Graduate Assistant. Poets Out Loud at Fordham University. New York, NY. 2008 - 2011
College Counselor. Prep for Prep. New York, NY. 2005 – 2008.
Asst. Dean of Admissions. Steppingstone Fellow. The Steppingstone Foundation. Boston, MA. 2002 – 2003
Asst. Dean Preparation and Placement. Steppingstone Fellow. The Steppingstone Foundation. Boston, MA. 2003 – 2004.
College Counselor. Prep for Prep. New York, NY. 2005 – 2008.
Asst. Dean of Admissions. Steppingstone Fellow. The Steppingstone Foundation. Boston, MA. 2002 – 2003
Asst. Dean Preparation and Placement. Steppingstone Fellow. The Steppingstone Foundation. Boston, MA. 2003 – 2004.
PROFESSIONAL SERVICE
Graduate Student Representative. Fordham University Assistant Professor Hiring Committee. 2012 – 2013.
Editorial Board Member. Rhētorikós: Excellence in Student Writing. (journal of undergraduate student writing). 2012 - 2013.
Elected Graduate Student Representative to the Executive Council. Puerto Rican Studies Association (PRSA). 2010 – 2012.
Chair of the Hispanic Scholars Committee. Northeast Modern Language Association. Spring 2012.
Member of the Conference Host Committee at Fordham University. New York Metro American Studies Association
8 Nov. 2008.
Editorial Board Member. Rhētorikós: Excellence in Student Writing. (journal of undergraduate student writing). 2012 - 2013.
Elected Graduate Student Representative to the Executive Council. Puerto Rican Studies Association (PRSA). 2010 – 2012.
Chair of the Hispanic Scholars Committee. Northeast Modern Language Association. Spring 2012.
Member of the Conference Host Committee at Fordham University. New York Metro American Studies Association
8 Nov. 2008.
HONORS, FELLOWSHIPS, & COMPETITIVE PROGRAMS
American Association of University Women (AAUW) American Fellowship. 2013 - 2014.
Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America, Oral History Grant. 2013-2014.
Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship. Honorable Mention. 2013 - 2014.
Fordham University Research Fellowship, 2012 – 2013.
Northeast Modern Language Association Summer Fellowship, Summer 2011.
Research funding to consult the Gloria Anzaldúa archive.
New York Metro American Studies Association Summer Institute: Re-Visiting the Lower East Side, Summer 2010.
Alpha Sigma Nu, National Jesuit Honor Society, Spring 2009.
Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America, Oral History Grant. 2013-2014.
Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship. Honorable Mention. 2013 - 2014.
Fordham University Research Fellowship, 2012 – 2013.
Northeast Modern Language Association Summer Fellowship, Summer 2011.
Research funding to consult the Gloria Anzaldúa archive.
New York Metro American Studies Association Summer Institute: Re-Visiting the Lower East Side, Summer 2010.
Alpha Sigma Nu, National Jesuit Honor Society, Spring 2009.
