Clara Esther Castro-Ponce

Clara Esther Castro-Ponce is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures at the University of New Hampshire. She specializes in Medieval Spanish literature, Golden Age studies, and Hispanic Caribbean literature. Her research focuses on Teresa de Cartagena, producing a seminal critical edition of the nun’s works. She holds a Ph.D. from Brown University and has taught at institutions including Rider University.

• B.A.: Hispanic Studies & Comparative Literature, University of Puerto Rico
• M.A./Ph.D.: Hispanic Studies, Brown University

Her teaching spans Spanish language instruction, translation with legal applications, and cultural integration. Research interests include medieval religious prose, early modern women writers, and pedagogical innovation in language learning.

Castro-Ponce’s 2000 critical edition repositions Teresa de Cartagena within 15th-century intellectual discourse, while her 1999 article compares Teresa’s work to Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz’s, highlighting intellectual continuity among Spanish female writers. She has contributed to journals like Magistra and Cincinnati Romance Review.

• Awards: Dorothy Danforth-Compton Foundation fellowship

She advises courses spanning elementary to advanced Spanish, including culture and conversation modules. Her work bridges medieval literary analysis with contemporary pedagogical practices.