Elena Valdez

Elena Valdez is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures at Christopher Newport University (CNU). She holds a Ph.D. in Spanish Literature from Rutgers University, alongside an M.A. from the same institution and a B.A. in Spanish Philology from the Russian State University for the Humanities. Prior to CNU, she taught at Swarthmore College.

• Affiliations: CNU Faculty, Member of Hispanic Caribbean Literature research circles
• Teaching Focus: Caribbean and Latina/o literature, Queer/Trans studies, Urban Studies, Visual Arts Research

Her research explores queer sexuality, urban space dynamics, and visual culture within Hispanic Caribbean and U.S. Latina/o contexts. Recent work includes decolonial analyses of motherhood in murals and gender politics in music, alongside studies of migration narratives and urban marginalization.

Publications span peer-reviewed journals and edited volumes, with a current book manuscript on gender/sexuality politics in Hispanic Caribbean literature.

• Key Themes: Queer resistance, spatial politics, decolonial praxis, transnational identities

Her courses cover Spanish-Speaking Caribbean literature, Latina/o literature, and Spanish language instruction. She actively participates in national/international conferences like MLA and LASA.