Profesorado

MARIA DE LOURDES VICTORIA

A native from Veracruz, Mexico, Ms. Victoria received her bachelor’s degree in English Literature and Creative Writing from the University of Washington. She subsequently earned her Juris Doctorate degree from that same institution. Her first novel, “Les Dejo el Mar” (Ediciones B, 2005) was a finalist for the Mariposa Book Award (for best first Spanish novel) and took third place for best overall historical novel. Her collections of short stories and illustrated children’s books, have been the recipients of the James W. Hall for Fiction award from the University of Washington and the Jimmy Knudsen Memorial award from Pacific Lutheran University. She has been a frequent writer in residence at Hedgebrook, a non-profit instiution in Langley, Washington. The author resides in Bellevue, Washington but travels south in the winter months to her native home in Veracruz, Mexico. She is currently writing her third novel and a collection of illustrated short stories. www.maria-victoria.org

PAULA CASLA TAYLOR

Paula Casla Taylor is a freelance translator and interpreter. She graduated from the Monterey Institute of International Studies’ Graduate School of Translation and Interpretation in California, and from Heriot-Watt University in Scotland. She is currently the Spanish-language U.S. representative for the Bilingual/Bicultural Family Network. Since her daughter Sophia’s birth, Paula has devoted herself to furthering the awareness of bilingualism and promoting the presence of the Spanish language via contributions to magazines such as Multilingual Living and podcasts such as Voices en Español. She is a member of Mujeres of the Northwest, a professional Latina group devoted to the Latino community in the Seattle area; she is also a member of several literary organizations, including Almas Líricas and Los Norteños. Paula has participated in readings, written poems for children, and completed several short stories. She is currently working on her first novel.

MARÍA GILLMAN

María Gillman, holds different responsibilities at the Division of Spanish and Portuguese in the University of Washington. She is a Senior Lecturer and Third Yr. Lang. Program Coordinator. Director of Experiential Learning in her own Division as well as a liaison between the UW and The Spanish Resource Center ------The Education Office of the Embassy of Spain.  She has more than 30 years experience as an educator at the elementary, secondary and university levels, both in Mexico and the United States. In the last eight years her focus of interest and research has been language teaching for Heritage Learners She holds a Masters in Arts and Interdisciplinary Studies (MAIS). from Oregon State University. In 2005 she was the recipient of the two awards from the U. of Washington. Service Learning Partnership Award for partnership with the Consulate of Mexico in Seattle and the Distinguish Contributions to Lifelong Learning Award for exceptional Service to Continuing Education.  

PALOMA MARTÍNEZ- CARBAJO

Born and raised in Madrid, Spain, Paloma Martínez-Carbajo has a degree in English Philology from the Universidad Complutense, and received both her M.A. in Spanish, and her Ph.D. in Spanish and Critical Theory from the University of Washington. In the area of scholarship, her contributions have involved new critical approaches to Peninsular Spanish Literature, particularly on women writers and marginal voices, as well as on texts related to the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). A second scholarly area is in the scholarship of teaching, where her emphasis has been on literary pedagogy across the learning continuum (K-12 and beyond). She is an Assistant Professor of Spanish at Pacific Lutheran University, in Tacoma, Washington, where she teaches, among other things, Spanish language and literature courses. She lives in Seattle.

WENDY CALL

Wendy Call is co-editor (with Mark Kramer) of the craft anthology Telling True Stories: A Nonfiction Writers’ Guide from the Nieman Foundation at Harvard University (Plume/Penguin, 2007). She is currently writer in residence at Richard Hugo House, Seattle’s literary center, and with Seattle Writers in the Schools. Her writing has received scholarships and awards from Blue Mountain Center, Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, Hedgebrook, Jack Straw Productions, Macondo Workshop, and Wesleyan Writers Conference. Her literary work has been supported by the arts and culture commissions of the city of Seattle, King County, and Washington State, as well as Artist Trust and the Oberlin College Alumni Association. In 2000-2002, Wendy Call was a Fellow of the Institute of Current World Affairs and worked in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in Oaxaca, Mexico. Wendy currently offers creative writing classes in English and Spanish at Richard Hugo House; Seattle Center for Book Arts; Seattle Public Library; A.M. newspapers in León, Guanajuato, México; and Odyssey High School in Seatac, Washington. She holds a MFA in Creative Writing and Literature from Bennington College in Vermont. 

Laura González is a Mexican poet and writer. She published Debate, a weekly publication of the Autonomous University of Guerrero, Mexico. Her work as an organizer of rural communities in the south of Mexico has involved research and promotion of the indigenous dances and music of the state of Guerrero. Internationally, she has participated with the People’s Organization for the XXI Century in the V International Women’s Conference in Beijing, People’s Republic of China; Northwest Latinos Spice Words and Voices in Seattle, Washington; and the Day of the Dead at the Seattle Public Library. Ms. González has been a frequent presenter for Spanish literary organizations in Washington, such as Los Norteños, Almas Líricas, Mujer Entreletras, and Café Rozella Poets and Writers. Currently, she is working on her first novel as well as a collection of poems and short stories. She is employed by the State of Washington as a social worker and is actively involved with Mujeres of the Northwest, the first professional Latina organization in Washington state. 

MONTSERRAT ALVEAR LINKLETTER

Montserrat Alvear Linkletter was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador. She received her master’s degree in literature from the University of Washington. She taught Spanish as a Second Language at Bellevue Community College for four years and at Tacoma Community College for fifteen years. She is currently teaching for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Washington. In addition to teaching, she works as an interpreter in the medical and judicial fields in the state of Washington. In 1993, Ms. Linkletter received an award from Tacoma Community College for her outstanding work as a teacher of the Spanish language. During her career, she has twice been the recipient of scholarships from the international educational committee of the Spanish Ministry of Education for her work with heritage students. As the winner of the Tacoma Community College International Education Committee, she was sent to Spain to participate in the Camino de Santiago 2002 pilgrimage. She is a writer of short stories and has participated in several public readings as a member of Almas Líricas. 

Paula Casla Taylor is a freelance translator and interpreter. She is a graduate of the Monterey Institute of International Studies and of Heriot - Watt University, institutions where she obtained Master degrees in her field of work. She is the Bilingual/Bicultural Spanish Language Representative in the U.S. for Bilingual/Bicultural Family Networks. Since the birth of her daughter, Sophia, she has devoted part of her time to developing her knowledge on bilingual matters and to furthering the presence of the Spanish language in her area, through contributions on magazines such as Multilingual Living as well as in Voces en español with a podcast. She is a member of Mujeres of the Northwest, a professional latina group devoted to the Latina community in the Seattle area, as well as a member of several literary organizations such as Almas Líricas and Los Norteños. She has participated in readings, has written several poems for children, and is working on her first novel.

JORGE ENRIQUE GONZÁLEZ-PACHECO

Jorge Enrique González-Pacheco, born in Marianao, Havana, Cuba on September 9, 1969, is a cuban poet and writer. He moved to the United States in 2003, and since 2006 has been living in Seattle, where he cultivates his dearest passion: writing. Author of the following books and anthologies: Poesía Ilustrada, International Edition's Group, New York, 1992- USA; Antología de la Décima Cósmica de La Habana, Frente de Afirmación Hispanista, A.C. México D.F, 2003- México; Notaciones del inocente, Colección La columna quemada Poesía 3. Ediciones Qneras, Moguer, Andalucía, 2003- Spain; Tierra de Secreta Transparencia, Ediciones Torremozas y Fundación Juan Ramón Jiménez, Madrid-Moguer-Miami, 2004- Spain, an anthology of poems by cuban poet Serafina Nuñez. He also has completed two unpublished books of poetry: Bajo la Luz de Mi Sangre and Yo Árbol, Molécula Secreta. Jorge Enrique studied Philosophy and Hispanic Literature in Cuba and Spain. For several years, he worked for ICAIC, the renowned Cuban Film Institute in Havana. From 1991 to the present date he has published poetry and prose in magazines, anthologies, newspapers, and virtual editions in Cuba, the United States, Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Chile and Brazil. His poetry has been read in Cuba, Mexico, Spain, and the United States, including at the Miami Book Fair International in 2003 and 2004. In January 2008, he read at Seattle University for its International Week; he was the only Hispanic poet invited. He was a sponsor of the Concert in Memoriam of the Spanish Musical Composer Joaquin Rodrigo, Havana, Cuba - November 2002. From 1994 to 2000, Jorge Enrique collaborated in the preparation of programs on Cuban culture that were included in the curricula of the University of California, Riverside; the Pedagogical University of Orleans, France; and the University of Loyola, Chicago.

PATRICK BLAINE

Patrick Blaine is the assistant coordinator of the Spanish language program at the University of Washington in Seattle. He has been teaching English as a Second Language, Spanish, Literature, and Film Studies for a total of 8 years in Chile and the U.S. He is currently working on his Comparative Literature doctoral dissertation on Postdictatorial Film and Fiction of Chile. His other academic interests include crime fiction, posthuman narrative, literature and the environment, and a number of other Latin American literary traditions. 

MARIA DEL PILAR VICTORIA

Maria de Pilar Victoria was born in Veracruz, México, where she currently resides. An avid reader, she has specialized in editing literary works, assisting a number of published authors submit their work for publication. Ms Victoria graduated from the Universidad Autonoma de México with a degree in Social Work. Upon graduation, she worked with the Department of Public Health assisting with the relocation of the indigenous populations arising from the construction of the Angostura Dam. In addition to her passion for literature, she is a fervent traveler who, for the past fifteen years, has organized culturally relevant conventions throughout the world. She collaborates with Casa de Escritores as an editor and as a lead organizer of our yearly literary trip.

REYNA GUADALUPE SALAZAR

Reyna Guadalupe Salazar was born in Mexico City. She has lived in México City and in the city of Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, where she currently resides. She received her degree as an elementary school teacher in Tuxtla Gutierrez and, upon graduation, began teaching at a private school in México City while pursuing her degree in Spanish Language and Literature at the Universidad Ibero Americana. Her professional career has been spent teaching and assisting with public administration. A Spanish teacher for ten years, she has taught editing and narrative to high school, college, and university students. She has also been general manager for an automobile company, founder of a travel agency, and manager of a hotel. Recently, she worked as an electoral advisor for the General Counsel of the Electoral Institute for the state of Chiapas. An avid readerand fan of short stories and political writing, she currently collaborates with House of Writers by teaching grammar and editing the work of our writers.

LAURA GONZALEZ