Yvette D. Benavides

Yvette D. Benavides is a Professor at Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) in San Antonio, Texas, where she teaches language and literature, fiction, creative nonfiction, and literary editing courses. She integrates her professional work as a writer, editor, book reviewer, and podcast host directly into her student-centered teaching philosophy across online, hybrid, and face-to-face formats.

Her educational background includes:

• Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Texas at El Paso
• Master of Arts in English Literature with a Concentration in Language and Linguistics from the University of Texas at Austin
• Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Texas at Austin

Dr. Benavides' creative and scholarly work spans fiction, creative nonfiction, and literary editing, with significant extensions into journalistic documentary production. Her audio documentaries critically examine urban heat islands, health equity in underserved communities, and human rights issues at the Texas-Mexico border, demonstrating her commitment to community-focused storytelling. She actively promotes literacy through her role on the San Antonio Book Festival advisory council and two book-focused podcasts.

Her distinguished awards include:

• Francine Fleming Award and Stell Ball Award
• First Amendment Award (Public Media Journalists Association)
• First Place Award (Public Radio News Directors Association)
• Texas Association of Broadcasters Award for health disparities documentary
• Fellowships at USC Center for Health Journalism and Walter J. Cronkite School

Dr. Benavides mentors students through daily engagement in online classes and serves the broader literary community via editorial roles at literary journals and a university press. She co-authored "San Antonio 365: On This Day in History" and has published creative work in journals including The Pedagogy of Pop, Ruminate, and the Bellevue Literary Review.