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Assistant Professor of Spanish and Latin American Studies. Sweet Briar College 2007- present

Assistant Professor of Romance Languages. Washington and Lee University 2004- 2007

Adjunct Assistant Professor of Spanish. Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis Fall 2002

Minor: Brazilian Literature and Portuguese. Doctoral Exams passed with distinction

Thesis: “Nicanor Parra and Ernesto Cardenal: New Icons of Latin American Poetry”

M.A. Universidad de Navarra (Spain). Master en Literatura. Spanish Literature 1992.

Tesis: “Los temas existenciales en Señora de rojo sobre fondo gris de Miguel Delibes”

Architect Universidad Católica Nuestra Señora de la Asunción (Paraguay) 1990. Dissertation:

“Indigenous way of living: Affordable housing made by and for the community”

2008 – Piel de Ángel. Asunción: Amambay Editores. The book is a collection of poetry that talks about a mother's loss. It shares the unnamed pain of miscarriage for all those who need to heal, and all those who seek to understand the wonder of life. It is scheduled to be released in July.

2007 – En tu mundo deshabitado. Madrid: Editorial Torremozas. ISBN: 978- 84-7839-383-1. Poetry collection that presents a contemporary vision of a Hispanic in the U.S. which also involves a vision of the new age culture. Available worldwide. Also Google search it, or access www.torremozas.com

2005 – Volviendo a Omega. Madrid: Editorial Torremozas ISBN: 84-7839-338-2. Awarded poetry that entails a vision of Spanish American ancient beliefs, while also devoting a contemporary look at the Southern Cone society. SBC - Cochran Library PQ8259.2.M47.V65.2005. Available worldwide. Also Google search it, or access www.torremozas.com

2004 – Puros cuentos. Madrid: Editorial Torremozas. ISBN: 84-7839-306-4. The book is a collection of short-fiction stories based on the Paraguayan socio-historical contemporary background in which they take place. Although based on traces of the spoken Spanish of the region, it was accepted with praise in Spain as being “a very engaging text, easy to follow by both Paraguayans and foreigners”. In 2005 it was part of a critical study published by Scott A. Schwenter; also elected to be part of Puntos de Vista a revised version of the Spanish university textbook by Jill K. Welch; and it was reviewed in Europe by Professor Kurt Spang. Sweet Briar College - Cochran Library PQ 8259.2.M47. P87. 2003. Also at www.torremozas.com

2003 – Cumbres poéticas latinoamericanas: Nicanor Parra y Ernesto Cardenal. Currents in Comparative Romance Languages and Literatures. New York, Frankfurt, Berlin, Brussels, Vienna, Oxford: Lang. ISBN: 08204-6323-X. This book is an in-depth study of the various Spanish-American icons from 1950 to the present days. The first chapter shows an emphasis on South American representatives such as Pablo Neruda, Gabriela Mistral, Vicente Huidobro, César Vallejo, and Jorge Luis Borges, amongst others. The second chapter is a study of Chilean representatives such as Ariel Dorfman, Enrique Lihn, Juan Cameron, Raúl Zurita, and in particular, Nicanor Parra’s literary trajectory. The third chapter presents Central America through its Nicaraguan figures: Gioconda Belli, José Antonio Cuadra, Ernesto Mejía Sánchez, and more specifically, Ernesto Cardenal’s illustrious career. In the last chapters, the analysis includes a vision of the contemporary literature in Argentina, Perú, Chile, and Puerto Rico, among others. It also provides a chapter devoted to Latino Studies in the U.S. with emphasis in Chicano and Nuyorican expressions, new age electronic literature with its poetry on-line, and literature written by women. Sold in all continents, search www.google.com

¡Cerraron las Puertas! Narremas de la Tragedia de Ycuá Bolaños. Asunción: Amambay Editores. Scheduled for 2009. See cover at www.merelesolivera.com

August 1, 2004. Asunción, Paraguay: A brutal fire kills 600 people trapped inside a Supermarket when the owner ordered to lock the doors fearing that the customers will flee with the merchandise unpaid.

Narremas (Narration and Poemas) are poems that narrate the 2004 national tragedy in Paraguay, in which a fire killed hundreds of people, most of them children who were getting ready to celebrate “The National Child Day”. Narremas, are poems that try to document this tragedy from the inside. The voice of the victims are strong in the “Himno de los Huesos en el canto de las almas”. The book was presented with “Una lectura del concepto de Narremas: La tragedia de Ycuá Bolaños” at the Fourth International Congress of the Hispanic Poetry of Europe and the Americas” of the University of British Columbia, Vancouver- Canadá.

2007- “Reflejo de circunstancias: Victoria Ocampo, mujer testimonio". Cuadernos Americanos. 120 Vol. 2. 21 (Abril-Junio 2007): 173-186.

2003- “Prácticas de descentramiento: Estrategias de coexistencia en el Cántico cósmico de Ernesto Cardenal”. Encuentros de viejos y nuevos mundos. Asociación Estudios Culturales Hispánicos. (2003): 67-77.

2002- “Ernesto Cardenal: Un amor en todos los sentidos”. Revista Brasileira do Caribe. Universidade Federal de Goiás. 4 (2002): 7-22.

2000- “América natural en la trayectoria poética de Pablo Neruda”. Selected Proceedings of the Tenth Annual Symposium on Hispanic and Luso-Brazilian Literature, Language and Culture. (2000): 55-60.

2006 Invited poet Virginia Poetry Center’s April Event to celebrate National Poetry Month.

My poem was presented both in poster format and sound recording format at the WLU exhibit.

2001 IU-LACS Grant -Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, Indiana University.

Poetry Award 1992 “Concurso de Poesía de la Universidad de Navarra” (Spain)

Poetry Award 1988 “Concurso de Poesía del Instituto Cultural Amigos del Arte” (Paraguay)

Poetry Award 1986 “Concurso de Poesía Interuniversitario de Asunción” (Paraguay)

Poetry Award 1983 “Concurso de Poesía del Colegio Internacional de Asunción” (Paraguay)

Fellowship 1981 granted by the Government of Argentina to attend Universidad de la Plata.

Selected Youth for Understanding Exchange Student 1981 (6 months, Pennsylvania, USA)

Selected Paraguayan Student for an Exchange 1980 Program in Cruz del Eje, Argentina.

Honors Seminar: US Hispanic Literature: A view of the rich and complex culture of Latinos, Chicanos, Nuyoricanos, and US Hispanics through its 20^th Century literature: short story, novel, poetry, autobiography. Hispanic identity studied as a concept via cultural, historical, and linguistic approaches. Readings are in its original English version.

Spanish American Women Writers: From America into the Twenty-First Century. A study of the most notable contemporary Spanish American women writers including U.S. Hispanic writers like Sandra Cisneros. Contains representative works by Elena Poniatowska, Ángeles Mastretta, Rosario Ferré, Laura Esquivel, Ana Lydia Vega, Griselda Gambaro, Claribel Alegría, Isabel Allende and the testimonial literature of Rigoberta Menchú and Domitila Barrios.

Spanish American Poetry Icons. The seminar provides advanced analysis of the most relevant poets in the Hispanic speaking world including U.S. Hispanic poetry. Includes representative works by Octavio Paz, Gabriela Mistral, Pablo Neruda, Vicente Huidobro, Luis Palés Matos, Nicolás Guillén, Nicanor Parra, Ernesto Cardenal, Raúl Zurita, amongst others. Interactive analysis approach with daily paper assignments: critical analysis of the texts, and peer reviews.

Spanish American Essay. The seminar encompasses readings in Spanish-American Essay with emphasis in the development of thought in literature and culture throughout its history. Special emphasis on prominent writers such as José Carlos Mariátegui, Octavio Paz, José Martí, José Vasconcelos, Victoria Ocampo, amongst others.

Spanish American Civilization and Culture. The course explores culture in its various manifestations. It includes a new component that placed each student in charge of preparing and broadcasting a Spanish Radio program presenting literature in conjunction with culture of different Spanish American countries. Extensive writing and in-depth oral analysis of texts in Spanish are requisites. A Journal with a total of 22 entries was required as well as oral presentations and exams.

Latin American Culture I: México, Central America and the Caribbean Region. The course explores some of the major cultural developments, and its expressions through visual aids and literary texts, as well as films. The study presents the past of the Spanish American civilizations through the art, religion and culture of their most prominent indigenous groups such as the Aztecs, and Mayas. It includes the post-conquest and post-revolutionary periods through some of its major historical events.

Latin American Culture II: South America. Interdisciplinary approach to some of the major cultural developments, and its expressions through visual aids and literary texts, as well as films. The study presents the past of Spanish American civilizations through the art, religion and culture of their most prominent indigenous groups such as the Incas, and Guaraní. It includes the post-conquest and post-independence periods through some of its major historical events and dictatorships.

Latin American Short Story and Essay. A panoramic view with emphasis on the twentieth-century. It focuses on discussion of literary texts, and it is reading and writing intensive. Includes representative works by Horacio Quiroga, Mario Benedetti, Juan Rulfo, Julio Cortázar, Octavio Paz, Victoria Ocampo, Elena Poniatowska, Ana Lydia Vega, Rosario Ferré, José Martí, José Enrique Rodó, José Vasconcelos, Gabriel García Márquez, Isabel Allende and Jorge Luis Borges.

Paraguayan Literature: Augusto Roa Bastos, Supremo Hijo de hombre. Through the prose and poetry of its Paraguayan icon, we explore Paraguayan literature in history. The course focuses on Augusto Roa Bastos’ Works Hijo de Hombre and Yo, el Supremo as ways of presenting and discussing the culture of Paraguay reflected in these novels.

The Hydroptics of Love: Building Bridges to Soul Learning An idea that came from one of my students who enthusiastically suggested that I create a University Scholars class in which students could take time to explore their personal development and growth. It includes practical exercises and literary texts, as well as texts in humanist philosophy.

Reinventing America: The Hispanic Identity. A Seminar course in translation that includes a variety of genres, literature, essay, film, drama/performance, poetry, dance, music, and visual arts. The topic of this course is Spanish American Cultures in its re-invention of identities first in situ, and then in the United States. First, we study the past of the Spanish American identity through the art, religion, and culture of their most prominent indigenous groups: Aztecs, Mayas, and Incas. Second, we analyze the present situation of the individual Spanish American countries and their national identities, as re-inventions that accompanied the post-conquest and post-revolutionary periods. Third, we explore the U.S. Latino identity, the way it is perceived in the United States today.

Spanish American Poetry throughout History. A course that provides an introduction to Spanish American Poetry and orients participants to an understanding of the development of the poetry in Latin America from early to present times. It includes a comprehensive study of the texts and works of the most relevant poets in the Hispanic speaking world today including U.S. Hispanic poetry.

Don Quijote. Focuses on Cervante’s Don Quijote de la Mancha but includes additional readings and discussion of the prose fiction, lyric and narrative poetry of the Middle Ages and Renaissance which are reflected in the novel itself.

Introduction to Spanish American Literature. Includes extensive writing and in-depth oral analysis of texts with new components such as a required Journal with a total of 25 entries (around 80 pages in Spanish) as well as a required Graphic timeline. It analyzes Spanish-American literary masterpieces from colonial times through the present.

Intermediate Spanish I-II. In these two courses there was a weekly use of the Multimedia center for individual and group exercise, and a new Theater/Drama component.

Spanish Composition. Advanced course with a Service-Learning Component that place each student in a 2 hour/week service context in which to use Spanish. The course examines the writing processes to develop and increase students’ proficiency in written expression in Spanish models of a variety of genres presented to pattern compositions after them. Major projects include: drama, poetry, advertisements, biographical portraits, short stories, interviews, and a literary essay.

Spanish Conversation. A course designed to improve the student's conversational ability through the reading and discussion of literary and cultural texts. I implemented a strong emphasis in weekly Spanish Table, video, and inter-active multimedia.

Fact and Fiction: A Reading Course in Spanish. A developmental reading class designed to teach students appropriate strategies for reading Spanish as a second language and provide them with intensive reading practice on a variety of authentic texts, ranging from short journalistic texts (newspaper and magazine articles) to a longer literary text (short novel: Aura by Carlos Fuentes).

U.S. Hispanic & Spanish American Literature and Culture. A course designed to address the specific needs of majors and minors in Spanish. Includes an introduction to Hispanic culture and literature, comprising visual arts such as music, film, dance, performance, drama, and also different literary genres and authors. Special emphasis in U.S. Latino writers (narrative, poetry and essay). The multimedia approach includes daily power point presentations, audiovisual material (videos, CDs, DVD), Spanish TV, web use for oral presentations, interactive multimedia homework, and web course evaluation and grading. This course was taught in translation at OSU, and it was also taught in Spanish at WLU.

2008- “All about the Heart: The Cultural Body and Mind of Paraguay”. Honors Colloquium. Sweet Briar College Honors Program Colloquia. April 16^th.

2008- “Casi un poema: Estereotipos en Woman Hollering Creek de Sandra Cisneros”. VII International Conference for Hispanic Literature. Cuzco, Perú. March 3-6.

2007- “Ernesto Cardenal’s Denunciation, Ideology and History: Stylistic Devices of Testimonial Literature”. Keynote Speaker at Lafayette College for the Second Annual Latino Awareness Conference: Testimonial Literature and Social Movements in Latin America. March 22-25.

2007- “Voz destemplada: Concretando el derecho femenino en los ensayos de Victoria Ocampo”. VI Congreso Internacional de Literatura Hispánica. Riviera Maya, México. March 7-9.

2006- “Cruzando las fronteras del género: Mario Benedetti y Ariel Dorfman”. Fourth International Congress of Hispanic Poetry of Europe and the Americas. The University of British Columbia, Canada. May 22-25.

2006- “Una lectura del concepto de Narremas: La tragedia de Ycuá Bolaños”. Fourth International Congress of the Hispanic Poetry of Europe and the Americas”. The University of British Columbia, Canada. May 22-25.

2006- “Reconceptualizando imágenes mitológicas de los Mbyá-Guaraní y Ayvu Rapyta: Augusto Roa Bastos, Hijo de hombre”. XVII International Symposium of Latin American Indigenous Literatures. The Ohio State University. May 10-13.

2005- “La sufrida mujer paraguaya: ¿liberación o complot subversivo?. Washington and Lee Women’s Studies Symposium. November 10.

2005- “Ser-con-los demás: Homilía cósmica de Ernesto Cardenal”. Simposio Internacional del Comité Pro-Celebración de Ernesto Cardenal – Granada, Nicaragua. May 19-22.

2005- “La lucha por ser el conocimiento encarnado: Aspectos de la finitud de la vida en el Cántico cósmico de Ernesto Cardenal”. IV Congreso Internacional de Literatura Hispánica. Dominican Republic. March 2-4.

2004- “América: ¿Descubrimiento o reinvención?”. Columbus Day Commemoration. Washington and Lee University – October 12, 2004.

2002- “Nicanor Parra: De la poesía kamikaze, el suicidio de la poesía: De la desintegración a la pulverización, a la plástica del ave fénix”. Twenty-second Annual Cincinnati Conference on Romance Languages and Literatures - University of Cincinnati, May 2002.

2002- “La revolución digital y el texto virtual en la era electrónica: la poesía on line”. Tenth International Conference on Romance Studies. Boston College, April 2002.

2002- “Visiones periféricas en la poesía: La experiencia latinoamericana en los Estados Unidos”. Hispanic Conference. Brown University, March 2002.

2002- “Prácticas de descentramiento: Estrategias de coexistencia en el Cántico cósmico de Ernesto Cardenal”. Congreso Internacional de Literatura Hispánica en Lima, Perú - Instituto de Estudios Internacionales. Lock Haven University, February 2002.

2002- “Antiguas crónicas, nueva didáctica: La síntesis informativa de El estrecho dudoso de Ernesto Cardenal”. Graduate Conference. Miami University, Oxford, January 2002.

2000- “América natural en la trayectoria poética de Pablo Neruda”. Tenth Annual Symposium on Hispanic & Luso-Brazilian Literature, Language & Culture. University of Arizona, 2000.

1996- “Las Odas elementales de Neruda”. 49^th Annual Kentucky Foreign Language Conference. University of Kentucky, 1996.

2008- “Explorando el Teatro de Lorca”. VII International Conference for Hispanic Literature. Cuzco, Perú. March 4.

2007- “La diáspora árabe y el desborde de fronteras culturales”. Congreso Internacional de Literatura Hispánica. Universidad de Pennsylvania, LH. Riviera Maya, March 9, 2007.

2006- “Ars Poética: Neruda, Aleixandre, Valente y Pizarnik”. Fourth Internacional Congreso of the Hispanic Poetry of Europe and the Ameritas. University of British Columbia, Canada. May.

2005- “Hispanic Studies”. Nineteenth National Conference for Undergraduate Research. Washington and Lee University. April.

2005- “Los hispanos en los Estados Unidos”. IV Congreso Internacional de Literatura Hispánica. República Dominicana. 2 de Marzo.

2005- “De Borges y Octavio Paz”. IV Congreso Internacional de Literatura Hispánica. Dominican Republic. March 3.

2005- “Estudios en torno a la poesía hispánica”. IV Congreso Internacional de Literatura Hispánica. Dominican Republic. March 4.

Spanish Club Advisor 2007-2008. The purpose of the Spanish Club is to carry out cultural events that offer all Sweet Briar College students an opportunity to participate in cultural and academic activities relating to Hispanic culture.

Mesa Española (Spanish Table) 2007-2008. A weekly gathering open to all SBC students interested in Hispanic Language and Culture offered with the help of Spanish Native Assistant Ana María Vázquez Calvente, and Spanish Faculty in a rotational basis.

Associated Colleges of the South, ACS Teacher’s Workshop at Rollins College 2006. Intensive training at the Teacher’s Workshop organized by the Association of the Colleges of the South in Rollins College. This is a unique gathering of professors who effect in an intensive week training with 12 hour day work via workshop, micro teaching and peer review format, aside from lecture presentations and group work.

Coordinator Poetry Night Winter 2006. Single-handedly organized WLU event in which 67 students volunteered to read poems in Chinese, Romanian, French, Spanish, German, Portuguese and Latin.

Latin American and Caribbean Proponent Committee for Interdisciplinary Studies, 2005-2006. Proposed new Interdisciplinary Studies program at Washington and Lee University.

Science, Society and the Arts Committee 2005-2006 Multi-disciplinary conference for undergraduates and law students presenting their academic achievements with oral presentations of research papers on style panels, poster sessions or creative work. Students participate in colloquia organized around common readings.

Women’s Writer’s Harvest Committee, 2005 to benefit Rockbridge Food Pantry, and others.

Chair of Conference Panels 2005-2008: I helped organized, and chaired several conference panels.

Theater sessions 2004-2005. Active component of S207-Introduction to Spanish American Literature.

First Washington and Lee Spanish Radio Program “Conexión Latina” WLUR 91.5 FM Radio Program (2004-06). I created and conducted the first W&L Spanish Radio Program. A requirement for students of S 212 Introduction to Spanish American Culture class was to present a complete radio program based on art, culture, literature and music of the different Spanish American countries including Brazil.