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Ana Castillo

Visiting Scholar 2007-2008 Lund-Gil Endowed Chair, Dominican University
Through our scientific and technological genius, we've made of this world a neighborhood. And now through our moral and ethical commitment, we must make of it a brotherhood.
— Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Background

Ana Castillo is a celebrated poet, novelist, short story writer, essayist, editor, playwright, translator and independent scholar. Castillo holds a BA from Northeastern Illinois University, an MA from the University of Chicago, and a PhD in American Studies from the University of Bremen in Germany.

Interests

Considered one of the leading voices in the Chicana experience, Castillo’s work is known for its experimental style and socio-political comment based on oral and literary traditions. Her journey to MIT began at a conference in which she spoke on the role of ecology in literature, and a participant encouraged her to consider a longer visit to the Institute. As an MLK Visiting Professor, Castillo taught two writing courses and read from her fifth novel, The Guardians, an exploration of family life along the U.S.-Mexico border. In addition to teaching and touring The Guardians, Castillo used the year to begin working on The Last Goddess Standing, a novel about women during the conquest of Mexico.

Sample Work

  • Publication

    The Guardians

  • Publication

    Psst . . .: I Have Something to Tell You, Mi Amor: Two Plays

  • Publication

    Watercolor Women/Opaque Men: A Novel in Verse

  • Publication

    I Ask the Impossible: Poems

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