Ivonne Gordon-Vailakis Ph.D.
Professor
Spanish
Education
- Ph.D., Latin American literature, University of California, Irvine. Specialization in contemporary Latin American poetry and literary theory, with an emphasis on Chicano studies
- M.A., Spanish, San Diego State University. Emphasis on Latin American and Peninsular literature
Professional Background
Academic Experience
- Visiting assistant professor, International Relations and Pacific Studies, University of California, San Diego, 1989–1991
Professional Experience
- Editor of several poetry journals
- Professor for court interpreting and translating certificate programs
- Translator
Areas of Expertise
- Border writers and literature of the borderlands
- Contemporary Latin American poetry
- Exile, diaspora, and immigration
- Gabriela Mistral
- Human rights literature
- Jorge Carrera Andrade
- Myths and rituals
- Travel literature
- Literature of the body
- Literature of the fantastic
- Literature representing the Other in Latin America
- Women writers
Publications
Books
- Meditar de sirenas. Sweden: Simon Editor, 2013.
- El barro blasfemo (Blasphemous Clay). Madrid, Spain, 2009.
- Manzanilla del insomnio. Quito, Ecuador: El Conejo Press, 2002.
- Colibríes en el exilio. Quito, Ecuador: El Conejo Press, 1997.
- Nuestrario. Mexico: Impretei Press, 1987.
Book Chapters
- “A Hungry Wolf: The Mask and the Spectacle of Gender in Gabriela Mistral.” In The Audacious Traveler: Gabriela Mistral, edited by Marjorie Agosín. Athens: Ohio University Press, 2003.
- “Running Borders: La Llorona as a Mode of Resistance.” In Culture and Society: Dialoguing Issues in Chicana Scholarship, edited by María Herrera-Sobek. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2000.
Scholarly Articles
- “La marginalización de la literatura ecuatoriana.” Estudios de literatura ecuatoriana (forthcoming).
- “Jorge Carrera Andrade.” Hispanic Literature Encyclopedia (forthcoming).
- “Mientras más deseo más tentación: Lo carnavalesco en La casa del sano placer de Alicia Yánez Cossío.” Letras del Ecuador (forthcoming).
- “Búsqueda de memoria: el poeta sin cielo Jorge Carrera Andrade.” Homenaje a Jorge Carrera Andrade, Kipus: Revista Andina de Letras, no. 15 (2002–2003).
- “La transgresión en la voz maternal en Gabriela Mistral.” Alpha, no. 19 (2003).
- “Estaba la pájara pinta sentadita en otro verde limón: Gabriela Mistral y la otredad en su poesía.” Quimera (Barcelona, Spain), 2001.
- “El mar como espacio de resistencia en la poesía de Gabriela Mistral.” Alpha, no. 15 (1999).
Poetry Anthologies
- “The Foreigner” and other poems. In Women’s Writing Anthology: Honoring Other Women Poets (forthcoming).
- “To Wash Your Feet” and other poems. In Prometeo, Medellín, Colombia, 2009.
- “El buda” and other poems. In Cuando sale el sol, edited by Rei Berroa. Santo Domingo: Editorial Banco Central, 2008.
- “La maleta estaba llena” and other poems. In Writing Towards Hope: The Literature of Human Rights in Latin America, edited by Marjorie Agosín. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2006.
- “Las plazas,” “Como huesos albinos,” and other poems. In Mujeres mirando al Sur: Antología de poetas suramericanas en los U.S.A., edited by Zulema Moret. Madrid: Ediciones Torremoza, 2004, 97–104.
Presentations
- “Marginality and Ecuadorian Literature,” Literature Conference, University of Louisville, 2012
- “Geographies of a Poet,” Twentieth International Literature Conference, University of Louisville, Kentucky, 2012
- “An Identity Has Multiple Sides,” Celebrating Hispanic and Cultural Diversity Month, SUNY, New York, 2012
- “A University Without Walls: Service Learning within the Humanities,” HERA Conference, San Francisco, 2011
- “I Am Word,” Celebrating Hispanic Month, Western University, Kentucky, 2011
- “Identity and Travels in the Poetry of Jorge Carrera Andrade,” International Conference on Travels, Berlin, Germany, 2009
- “Erotic Graffiti,” Disjunctions Conference, Department of English, University of California, Riverside, 2003
Awards and Service
- Professor sought for international event, 2016
- Honored guest, Cultural Center, Santiago, Chile, 2014
- Honored guest, International Poetry Festival, El Salvador, 2014
- Honored guest, Cultural Center, Carmen del Viboral, Antioquia, Colombia, 2013
- Named honored poet of the cultural movement Gesta de Cantores, 2012
- Invited honored guest poet, Medellín Cultural Center, Cerro del Ángel, 2012
- Writing Award, EKAMEA, Greece, 2010
- Invited poet, International Poetry Festival, Medellín, Colombia, 2009
- Invited poet, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
- Finalist, Brazil International Poetry Contest, manuscript I Dream with Two Pillows, 2005
- Oxford Round Table discussant, “Women’s Rights,” Lincoln College, Oxford, England, 2004
- Poetry Award “Jorge Carrera Andrade” for Manzanilla del insomnio, 2003
- Outstanding Research/Creative Activity Award, University of Redlands
- Fulbright Senior Research Scholar, The Trouble of Travels: Jewish Diaspora in Ecuador, 1999
- Chicano Literary Prize: 1985–1987. University of California, Irvine, 1988.
- Advisor of the Year Award, University of Redlands
- Finalist, Casa de las Américas Award, bilingual manuscript Hummingbirds in Exile
- Mortar Board Professor of the Year Award
Affiliations
- Association of Spanish and Portuguese Teachers (ASPT)
- Ecuatorianistas Association (EA)
- Latina/os Network, faculty advisor since 1992
- Modern Language Association (MLA)