I came to UK in 2007 to pursue a Ph.D. in 20th Century Peninsular Literature. My dissertation is titled “Literary Africa: Spanish Reflections of Morocco, Western Sahara, and Equatorial Guinea in the Contemporary Novel, 1990-2010," and in it I explore the literary and historical ties between Spain and Africa and how those ties are changing in subtle yet important ways.

I analyze works by authors such as Donato Ndongo, Javier Reverte, Concha López Sarasúa, Ramón Mayrata, Lorenzo Silva, Montserrat Abumalham, and others.

Much has been written about Spain's long history with Africa - specifically Morocco, Western Sahara, and Equatorial Guinea - and my research examines how contemporary Spanish authors are currently representing their southern neighbor.

In the summer of 2011, thanks to the financial support of the Program for Cultural Cooperation, Sigma Delta Pi, and the University of Kentucky Graduate School and Hispanic Studies Department, I traveled to Spain and Morocco to conduct archival research and author interviews.