Alyssa Selmer

Alyssa Selmer is an Associate Professor of Spanish, affiliated with the Spanish Department and serving as a core member of the Ethnic Studies Department. Her teaching spans elementary to advanced language courses, literary analysis, and seminars on Spanish identity, history, and culture. She focuses on 20th-century Peninsular Spain literature, immigration, and subaltern studies.

• Ph.D. in Hispanic Literatures, University of Minnesota (2013)
• M.A. in Hispanic Literatures, University of Minnesota (2005)
• B.A. in English and Spanish, Lawrence University (2000)

Her research examines intersections of gender, marginalization, and cultural production in Spanish literature, particularly through the works of María de Zayas. She explores themes like monstrous femininity, bodily trauma, and baroque narrative structures.

Alyssa actively contributes to academic communities through memberships in the Modern Language Association, American Association of University Professors, and the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). She co-organized the Rural Immigration Network steering committee and presented at international conferences including the University of León, Spain, and the Cincinnati Conference on Romance Languages and Literature.

Personal interests include marathon training, Lego play with her children, and improving her Spanish tortilla recipe.