Bruna Dantas Lobato

Bruna Dantas Lobato is an Assistant Professor of English and Creative Writing at Grinnell College, where she teaches in the College of Liberal Arts. Born and raised in Natal, Brazil, she now lives in Iowa with her partner and pet rabbit Tulipa. Her work bridges creative writing and literary translation, with a focus on transnational experiences and cultural exchange.

Her research and creative interests span Literary Translation, Creative Writing, Brazilian Literature, Transnational Literature, and Immigrant Experience. Lobato approaches language as a medium with its own constraints and possibilities, drawing connections between different linguistic traditions. Her work often explores mother-daughter relationships and the complexities of moving between countries and languages.

Lobato's publication Blue Light Hours (2024) represents a significant achievement in her creative career, while her translation of The Words That Remain earned the 2023 National Book Award. These works demonstrate her commitment to exploring transnational identities and the emotional dimensions of language and migration.

• 2023 National Book Award for Translated Literature
• English PEN Translates Award recipient
• PEN/Heim Translation Fund Grant awardee
• Longlisted for International Dublin Literary Award
• Longlisted for PEN Translation Prize
• Longlisted for Republic of Consciousness Prize

As an educator, Lobato brings her deep understanding of language as a creative medium to her teaching. Her unique perspective as both a writer and translator informs her approach to mentoring students. She advocates for greater recognition of translators' contributions to literature, emphasizing that books are 'unstable' works that readers can engage with actively rather than treating them as fixed artifacts. Lobato's work challenges conventional boundaries between creation and translation, offering new ways to think about literary production across languages.