Juanamaría Cordones-Cook

Juanamaría Cordones-Cook is a University of Missouri Curators’ Distinguished Professor of Spanish and Catherine Paine Middlebush Professor of Romance Languages. She holds dual roles as an academic and Emmy-nominated filmmaker, focusing on Afro-Cuban culture, gender studies, and postcolonial theory. Affiliated with the College of Arts and Science and Department of Romance Languages and Literatures, her work bridges academia and art through research, publications, and documentaries.

Education: PhD in Contemporary Spanish American Literature (University of Kansas, 1990), PhD Minor in Historical Linguistics (UC Berkeley, 1989), MA/BA in Spanish Literature (University of Wisconsin, Madison).

Research emphasizes marginalized voices in Afro-descendant and feminist literature, alongside documentary projects on Cuban artists like Manuel Mendive, Nancy Morejón, and Rogelio Martínez Furé. Her films explore cultural resistance and identity, earning awards at festivals worldwide. Honors include the Emmy nomination, MU’s Professor of the Year, and international accolades for her documentaries.

Organized major conferences like Afro-Cuban Artists: A Renaissance (2016) and founded collections such as the Nancy Morejón Special Collection. Her work extends to over 80 articles, 15 books, and 25 documentaries, with ongoing projects on Havana’s Black Renaissance and Nancy Morejón’s poetry.