Nelson Cardenas

Nelson Cardenas is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Creative Writing at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), College of Liberal Arts. He specializes in Fiction and Screenwriting and brings a rich background in Hispanic Studies and Caribbean literature to his teaching and research.

Education: He earned his Ph.D. in Hispanic Studies from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.

Research & Creative Work: His work spans poetry, fiction, screenwriting, and cultural criticism. He has published extensively on Cuban diaspora narratives, Caribbean mythology, and masculinity in contemporary fiction. His poems have been translated into Russian and English and featured in international journals and anthologies.

Publications & Awards: His book Isla que no existe (Nonexistent Island) won the National Prize for Literature “Pinos Nuevos” in 2002 in the Essay category. He also received the poetry award from Editorial Vigía in 1999 for his poem El Guerrero.

Creative Projects: He has directed short documentaries including Expectant Spectators (2010) and Oriente (2010).