Elena Martinez

Elena Martinez is Professor of Spanish and Latin American Literature in the Department of Modern Languages and Comparative Literature at Baruch College, City University of New York, with additional affiliation to the Department of Black and Latinx Studies. She has served on the faculty of the Latin American, Iberian and Latino Studies program at the CUNY Graduate Center since 2005.

Her educational background includes a Ph.D. and M.A. in Spanish from New York University and a B.A. in Spanish from the University of Puerto Rico. Martinez served as Department Chair of Modern Languages and Comparative Literature from 2001 to 2015 and has directed the Paul André Feit Lectures on Latin American and Caribbean Cultures since 2008.

• Specializes in Latin American and Caribbean literatures with focus on women's and LGBTQ+ literature
• Expertise in diaspora studies, Afro-Caribbean literature, and gender representation
• Editorial board member of Chasqui: Revista de Literatura Latinoamericana since 1996
• Author of three books including the influential Lesbian Voices from Latin America (1996, reprinted 2016)

Her 15 most recent publications demonstrate consistent scholarly output across Latin American literary studies, with particular emphasis on Puerto Rican women writers, Cuban diaspora poetry, and erotic narratives. The works span journals such as Confluencia, Chasqui, and Revista Iberoamericana, reflecting her prominence in Hispanic literary criticism.

• Magna Cum Laude, University of Puerto Rico (1978)
• Antonio S. Pedreira Award (1978)
• Multiple PSC-CUNY research grants totaling over $13,000
• Extensive editorial contributions to major literary journals

Professor Martinez has directed over 20 PhD dissertations at the CUNY Graduate Center while serving on numerous tenure review committees at institutions including Northwestern University, NYU, and University of Pittsburgh. Her research has been supported by four PSC-CUNY grants focusing on Caribbean women writers, Cuban cinema, and Puerto Rican masculinities. She has organized significant academic events including the Paul André Feit Lecture series and co-organized conferences on Latin American women writers at the Americas Society and New School for Social Research.