University at Buffalo (UB)
Current NeMLA members can vote by completing the online voting form. The deadline to vote is February 1.
Jennifer Irish-Mendez is an Assistant Professor of Spanish at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. She graduated from Florida State University in 2018 with a dissertation that explored the evolving representation of diaspora intersectional identities in contemporary narratives written by Caribbean Latina women in the United States and its impacts on national identity in the homeland. Prior to her arrival at West Point, Jennifer was an Assistant Professor of Spanish at Ferrum College in Ferrum, Virginia, and an Instructor of Spanish at Coastal Carolina Community College in Jacksonville, North Carolina. She has published research on Hispanic Caribbean and Brazilian women writers in the United States in journals such as Label Me Latina/o, Transmodernity, and L’érudit franco-espagnol, and she is an active member of the Northeast Modern Language Association (NeMLA) and the Latin American Studies Association (LASA).
As a scholar of contemporary Hispanic Caribbean women writers, including those in diaspora in the United States, the concept of American Studies, necessarily, must be approached from a hemispheric perspective, to include North, South, Central America, and the Caribbean. In my research, I have examined the ways in which being a Caribbean Latina in the United States impacts gender, racial, and sexual identities both in diaspora and in the homeland, which can have revolutionary effects. Historically, US Latinx Studies has been approached from the inside-out, housing US Latinx Literature within English Departments, sometimes categorized as Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States. However, while this research has been essential to the growing field of US Latinx Studies, in my research, my goal is to demonstrate the need to also study US Latinx, and Caribbean Latinx in particular, from the outside-in, utilizing philosophy and literature from Latin America, often written in Spanish, Portuguese, French, or Haitian Creole.
My goal, as Area Director for American and Diaspora Studies, will be to continue expanding and promoting research from underrepresented fields of study within NeMLA, including Asian American, Native American, Caribbean, and Latinx Literatures, while also maintaining a robust program of African American and Anglo American Literatures, as previous Area Directors have done. However, I will also seek to expand the scope of American and Diaspora Studies to include work from scholars that represents the idea of America in a broad sense and understands Diaspora not only as a cultural phenomenon, but rather a defining characteristic of the history and culture of this hemisphere. As Area Director, I will also strive to incorporate research in multiple languages and/or code-switching that is produced in the Americas, which represents the transnational, plurilingual nature of the American hemisphere.
Teresa Lobalsamo is Associate Professor, Teaching Stream, at the University of Toronto Mississauga. She received the UTM Teaching Excellence Award for Junior Faculty for 2017–18. Her administrative experience includes serving as Executive Committee member for the Association of American Teachers of Italian (AATI). Her current research includes the curation of a digital archive titled "Italian-Canadian Foodways," which has also recently been the topic of several public lectures she has been invited to give both nationally and internationally.
I have been an active member of NeMLA and have participated in NeMLA's annual conference in various capacities for many years. My teaching and research philosophy is aligned with NeMLA's work and mission, and I recognize in NeMLA a reflection of my commitments and motivating factors in my decision to run and serve as a representative of NeMLA’s membership on NeMLA’s Board of Directors. I will use the leadership and administrative experience I have accrued in my role as an Undergraduate Coordinator of Italian Studies and as an Executive Committee member for the Association of American Teachers of Italian (AATI). My demonstrated commitment to undergraduate research in the Humanities will also drive my investment in NeMLA’s pedagogical mission: it has meant working with students to create relevant co-created final public products and to ensure that their experience is a site of collaborative learning, and I look forward to developing these insights at NeMLA and particularly through its successful Undergraduate Forum. I look forward to continuing to support the profession and its professionalization opportunities for our members and younger scholars at NeMLA and beyond. In addition, the core of my work with North American diaspora studies involves collaborating with minority groups and advocating for the importance of amplifying and sharing important voices, as it is my hope that my contributions to the design of a foundational Queer Italy course, within Italian Canadian Studies – University of Toronto Mississauga, demonstrate. In a similar light, I continue to collaborate with other scholars and community members to host hosting roundtables and teach workshops. My mission also leads me towards creating stronger ties between NeMLA and Canadian institutions and to positively influence knowledge mobilization in the humanities across national and provincial and state borders.
I earned my PhD in 2022 from the English Department at the University at Buffalo where I am currently an Assistant Professor of Teaching. My research focuses primarily on African American literature and cultural studies, rhetorics of race, and legal humanities, and I have publications in each field. At the 2023 convention, I am presenting on a panel and a roundtable on African American literature and chairing a session called "Black Rhetorics: Written and Performed" and the Kurt Vonnegut Society session.
I began working with and for NeMLA in 2016 as a Graduate Fellow and was elected Communications Director of the Graduate Student Caucus (GSC) in March 2016. I served as Interim President of the GSC and fulfilled those duties alongside those of Communications Director from July 2016 until we held formal elections, and I served as President of and Board Representative for the GSC until just before the 2020 convention, when my first child was born. Beyond serving on the Board, I also facilitated the allied relationship between NeMLA and the Kurt Vonnegut Society, of which I am a co-Vice President.
As President of the GSC, I collaborated with the other officers to craft bylaws, develop and execute a revised timeline for the Travel Awards that allowed more time for applicants to plan their travel, and plan and deliver a social event at a venue near the convention. At each Caucus business meeting, I surveyed those present about issues and topics they would like to discuss at the following year's convention, continually advocating for addressing issues at academic institutions intersectionally.
I would approach my work as Area Director of American and Diaspora Studies with the same collaborative, intersectional approach, aiming to center voices that have been underrepresented at NeMLA, both in membership and in the literatures we discuss at the convention. Additionally, I would aim to broaden the methods of analysis we apply in our presentations by seeking session proposals that emphasize Black crit, queer of color critique, anticolonial methodologies, and Latinx methodologies, for example.
One of my goals as Area Director of American and Diaspora Studies would be to continue the work of current Director Donavan L. Ramon to reflect the diversity of the word "American" by:
In addition to diversifying membership and the content of our sessions, I would work closely with the Diversity Caucus, Women's and Gender Studies Caucus, and other Area Directors interested in collaborating to foster a more inclusive space for scholars of color and 2SLGBTQIA+ scholars at NeMLA.
Ernesto Livorni teaches Italian at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His scholarly publications include Avanguardia e tradizione: Ezra Pound e Giuseppe Ungaretti (Florence: Casa Editrice Le Lettere, 1998) and T. S. Eliot, Montale e la modernità dantesca (Florence: Casa Editrice Le Lettere, 2020). He has published articles in Italian and in English on medieval, modern and contemporary Italian literature, English and American literature, Italian-American literature, and comparative literature. Livorni has also published collections of poems now gathered in Onora il Padre e la Madre (Honor Thy Father and Mother) (Passignano sul Trasimeno (Perugia): Aguaplano – Officina del Libro, 2015).
I regularly attended NEMLA Conferences in the late Eighties and in the Nineties, when I was living and teaching in Connecticut. Since moving to Wisconsin in 2000, I often attended the MMLA Conferences, while also attending NEMLA conferences. NEMLA has promoted engagement in several areas and it offers a dynamic context, making members aware of great opportunities for improvement for them and for the academic and intellectual community at large. I intend to be active in areas crucial to our profession and to the role that our profession plays in the society in which we live, from pedagogical issues to social justice, from cultural intersections to intellectual openness. The challenges that the humanities are facing in these years are an opportunity to affirm again the necessity of teachers and scholars of languages, literatures and cultures.
I came to the United States in 1984 to study Comparative Literature and this discipline remains still the theoretical and critical framework within which I read texts, literary and otherwise. I intend to support and enhance interdisciplinarity, together with a careful attention to issues of migration. These perspectives offer us a valuable avenue to assess their implications in social, political and cultural contexts (relationship of the migrants with the place of departure and the place of destination; issues of assimilation and integration; loss and enrichment brought by the migratory processes) and to related topics (exile, dual identity; nomadism).
Dr. Thomas Jay Lynn is Associate Professor of English at Penn State Berks. His teaching and scholarly interests include African, postcolonial, international, and ancient literatures, composition, and the music of the Beatles. At Penn State Berks Tom is Coordinator of the associate degree in Multidisciplinary Studies and is a Global Studies degree faculty member. His book, Chinua Achebe and the Politics of Narration: Envisioning Language, was published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2017. Tom’s writing on African literature has been published in in numerous refereed journals, including the Journal of Commonwealth Literature, College Literature, English Studies in Africa, International Journal of Francophone Studies, and Journal of Commonwealth and Postcolonial Literature. Tom has presented papers at a wide range of national and international conferences, including at universities in India, France, South Africa, and England. He served as NeMLA’s British and Global Anglophone Director from 2020 to 2023, and, beginning in 2017, he has presented papers at every NeMLA convention and has organized numerous NeMLA convention panels. The focuses of these panels have included female authors and literary characters, African literature, Caribbean literature, Canadian literature, and authors Chinua Achebe, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Charlotte Bronte.
My purpose in serving as NeMLA’s Comparative Literature Director is to nurture cross-culture dialogues between scholars who explore international literatures and other dimensions of global cultures. “If the arts are to matter in the 21st century, we must still believe that they can collectively manifest our lives and feelings.” This recent (October 2023) statement by Jason Farago in the New York Times Magazine embodies my belief that literature and other forms of artistic expression are vitally important in our contemporary lives, arguably more important than ever since our very survival depends on the insights and inspirations that they carry. The Comparative Literature Area, according to NeMLA, “makes possible a focus on cross-cultural comparisons between languages and literatures . . . and facilitates the discussion of the relationship between literature and the arts, philosophy, politics, science, and cultural artifacts in a transnational context.” I have been dedicated in my teaching, scholarship, and previous service to NeMLA as Director of British and Global Anglophone Studies (2020-23), to cross-cultural exchange and to incorporating into this exchange the insights of literature, the arts, psychology, and politics. For example, at Penn State Berks, I teach Comparative Literature 153, “International Literature and Film,” and four other comparative literature courses. I was awarded the Penn State University Comparative Literature Sydney Aboul-Hosn Award 2021 for making “a decisive contribution to [students'] study of literature in a global context.” In its very nature, comparative literature is a celebration of diversity, and I believe that my work for NeMLA will continue to contribute to a spirit diversity, to foster the inclusive space that NeMLA offers to people of all ethnic, national, and racial backgrounds and sexual orientations.
Dr. Arne Romanowski (she/her) serves as an Assistant Professor of Spanish at the University of Dayton, blending a background in political science with Hispanophone literary and cultural studies. Her research delves into decolonial perspectives on identity, migration, and belonging—core themes within cultural studies. Her scholarly contributions manifest through peer-reviewed articles that explore negotiations among diverse groups in shared spaces. Drawing from cultural products spanning the Hispanophone Caribbean, South America, and extending recently to North America and Europe, these works analyze representations and interconnections across continents, shedding light on the narratives that weave the fabric of different societies. Beyond academia, Dr. Romanowski is a Faculty Fellow at the University of Dayton’s Fitz Center for Excellence in Community. Emphasizing dialogic engagement and asset-based community-engaged learning, her involvement with the Miami Valley Child Development Centers and the Latinx caregivers they serve reflects her commitment to applied scholarship and dedicated community involvement.
Having actively participated in NeMLA's annual conferences since 2017, I would be excited to broaden my contribution and serve as the next Director for Cultural Studies and Media Studies on the Board of Directors. With a strong background in cultural studies, my passion lies in cultivating dynamic and interdisciplinary spaces that celebrate diverse cultural identities. I am dedicated to fostering inclusivity, facilitating collaborations, and shaping initiatives that align with the dynamic evolution of cultural and media studies. In today's landscape, influenced by the pervasive reach of artificial intelligence, the exploration of human identity is imperative. I am eager to lead initiatives within NeMLA that probe the multifaceted roles and potential of media, guiding deliberative discourse on their societal impacts and shaping our understanding of contemporary human experiences.
Julia Titus is Senior lector II at the Slavic department of Yale University where she has been teaching courses in language, literature, and theater in Russian. Educated in Europe and United States, she holds M.A. in literary criticism cum laude from Moscow State University in Moscow, Russia, M.A. in Russian and East European Studies from Yale and Ph.D. in comparative literature from Graduate Center at CUNY, New York. Her research interests focus on comparative study of French and Russian literature, translingual authors, translation theory, and heritage language studies. Her current project investigates the interrelationship of music and literature, and she is preparing an edited volume of essays on this topic “Music in Literature: From Tolstoy to Manga,” forthcoming from Palgrave MacMillan.
She has presented many papers and organized panels at various international conferences, including MLA, ASEEES, and ACTFL among others. For the last decade she has been very active at NeMLA as a panel organizer and Comparative Literature area director. She has published articles in national peer-reviewed journals. She is the author of “Dostoevsky as a Translator of Balzac” (Academic Studies Press, 2022), nominated for ACLA Levin Prize and for MLA James Russell Lowell Prize, an edited reader of Dostoevsky "The Meek One" (Yale University Press, 2012), and "Poetry Reader for Russian Learners" (Yale University Press, 2015). Both volumes have been nominated for the best contribution to language pedagogy award by AATSEEL.
Over the past decade I have been actively involved in NeMLA first as a panel organizer and a presenter in the comparative literature division, and most recently as comparative literature area director. My interdisciplinary panels, such as “Music in Literature” and “Translation Studies” have always generated a lot of interest from the audiences, and as director of comparative literature area I was also able to develop the underrepresented field of Slavic studies. When I started in this position, we had no sessions in Slavic or Russian literature, and now, as the result of my active outreach efforts, we have several sessions in Slavic studies focusing on diversifying the curriculum and making room for new voices (Belorussian and Ukrainian among others).
My academic interests lie primarily in the comparative literature, specifically Russian and French. I am also very interested in cultural studies and digital humanities. As part of my teaching, I created two digital websites on Russian literature that were both nominated for the Best Contribution to the Language Pedagogy award by AATSEEL. http://russianpoetry.yale.edu/ I would like to continue my work at NeMLA in cultural studies, and continue strengthening Slavic studies, since I have the expertise and a lot of professional experience in that subfield. I would also like to continue focusing on the interdisciplinary aspects and have more presentations and thematic sessions on the intersection of literature and other arts, such as music and theater. I am currently preparing an edited volume of essays that originated from several of my themed panels on music in literature “Music in Literature: from Tolstoy to Manga,” forthcoming from Palgrave MacMillan.
Since I was educated both in Europe and in the United States, I believe that I bring a unique perspective into the field of cultural studies, combining the European and American approaches. As a woman and an immigrant, I am very sensitive to many challenges in today’s academia and the world, and I will do my best as a director of cultural studies area to ensure that underrepresented members of our society have a voice and the opportunity to present their work in a supportive and nurturing environment.
Kathleen Kasten-Mutkus holds a PhD and MA in French from the University of Pennsylvania, and an MLS from Queens College (CUNY). She is currently Area Director for Cultural Studies and Media Studies at NeMLA. She is a member of the virtual reference team at Rutgers University Libraries, and has worked as an adjunct assistant professor in the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at Queens College (CUNY). Prior to that, she was Head of Humanities & Social Sciences at Stony Brook University Libraries. Her research interests include humanities librarianship, material culture, and the archival practices of polar expeditions.
I have been a member of NeMLA since 2015. For the past three years, I have served as Area Director of Cultural Studies and Media Studies. NeMLA has been an important part of my professional life, in terms of research, service, and collaboration. The organization’s focus on scholarship, communication, and fostering professional development has been a source of inspiration and growth for me, and I am eager to continue to contribute to NeMLA as a board member.
My career path in academia has included adjunct appointments as an instructor of French and of library and information science, as well as a tenure-track position in the library of an R1 institution. I have taught as an instructor of record, and as a librarian charged with creating one-off information literacy sessions and workshops. This path has allowed me to gain experience working with colleagues in different settings, teaching and supporting a diverse group of students, and working within an academic system in which precarity is frequently a feature. As area director for Pedagogy & Professionalization, I would endeavor to foster conference programming in support of a diverse and supported academic workforce, whether in the classroom, the library, or elsewhere on campus. I would also seek to create a forum for the discussion of issues facing members of our profession at all levels, especially graduate students who may be considering strategies to broaden their job search by seeking opportunities both within and outside the academy. As the meaning and context of humanities research continues to evolve, it seems particularly important to maintain a space at NeMLA to thoughtfully consider how practices of instruction and professionalization can contribute to a more stable and supportive professional environment.
Olivier Le Blond earned his Doctorate in French and Francophone Literature at SUNY-Buffalo in 2014. His research interests lie in, but are not limited to, gender and LGBT+ representations in French and Francophone literature. He is currently an Associate Professor of French at the University of North Georgia where he has been teaching since spring 2015. He one of the Associate Department Head for the Department of Modern Languages. He teaches a variety of beginner, intermediate and upper-level courses in French. He is also an active member of his university’s Gender Studies Council, as well as an active member of his university’s College of Arts and Letters DEI committee, and the co-Director of the Safe Zone committee, promoting, organizing and leading Safe Zone training to make the UNG Campuses safe spaces for LGBTQIA+ students, staff and faculty. He has in The French Review, one article in Nouvelles Études Francophones, co-authored an article in Women’s Studies International Forum. He has contributed several chapters in peer-reviewed volumes, with two upcoming chapters, one on trans exclusion in the reality competition show RuPaul’s Drag Race, and another on the first novels of Guillaume Dustan in the upcoming volume In the Shadows of the City of Light (Brill).
When looking over my candidacy for the position of NeMLA’s Pedagogy and Professionalization Director, one may wonder why I am interested in such a position when I live and work in Georgia. The answer to this question is simple: I have strong ties to the Northeastern part of the United States, having lived and studied in Buffalo, NY for almost seven years. My first NeMLA experience was as a graduate student, during the 42nd annual convention in New Brunswick, NJ. Not only did this first experience confirm my research interests, but it also cemented the topic of my dissertation. I have since made it a point to attend the convention as often as possible, expanding and exploring new topics related to gender and LGBT+ representations in French and Francophone literature. Since then, some of you may remember seeing my name as the former French and Francophone Studies Director of NeMLA, a position I held from 2019 until 2022. This experience on the NeMLA board has been an enriching one, and I have been yearning to be, once again, a part of the NeMLA board and be involved in the organizing of the conference, as well as be a voice and have an active role in the decision that impact our NeMLA members.
The opening of the position of Pedagogy and Professionalization Area Director could not come at a better time in my career. I have gained valuable experience in my previous role as NeMLA’s French and Francophone Studies Director, a role for which I believe I did an excellent job in terms of communication and efficacy with our members. Additionally, I now have more experience in an administrative position in my department, which allowed me to gain better insights and experience on the professionalization of faculty members, something I know can also be applied to the professionalization of graduate students. My commitment to the diversity and inclusion on my own campus also aligns with the area’s focus on diversity and advocacy of marginalized populations in academia. This new position excites me because of the possibilities of growth I along with other NeMLA members will experience, not only thanks to, on the one hand, the quality of the sessions proposed by our members committed to pedagogy and professional development in their careers, and on the other hand, I hope the NeMLA members with whom I have had the chance to work in the past will appreciate and recognize the work I have done while being the French and Francophone Studies Area Director and will trust me to provide the same quality of work in the Pedagogy and Professionalization area.
I very much look forward to the opportunity to work again with all the other area Directors, returning and new ones, as well as the Executive Board and to help with one of the nation’s major conventions that is known for being the friendliest convention in the country, all the while maintaining a high quality of sessions and intellectual engagement from our members.