Lina Meruane

Lina Meruane is a Chilean writer and scholar currently serving as Distinguished Writer in Residence at New York University's MFA in Creative Writing in Spanish program. An internationally acclaimed author with works translated into over a dozen languages, she bridges literary creation and academic scholarship through her exploration of embodiment, politics, and identity.

Her academic foundation includes:

• Ph.D. in Spanish and Portuguese Languages and Literatures from New York University (2009)

Meruane's creative and intellectual work centers on Creative Writing (fiction and non-fiction), Gender Studies, Feminisms, and Disease Studies. Her interdisciplinary approach merges literary innovation with critical analysis of bodily experiences, feminist theory, and socio-political contexts—particularly examining disability narratives and Latin American feminist movements through the lens of personal and collective trauma.

Her publication trajectory reveals evolving engagement with Palestinian solidarity movements, blindness studies, and critiques of motherhood, while maintaining consistent focus on Latin American political realities. The thematic progression demonstrates increasing integration of autobiographical elements with theoretical frameworks across genres.

Her accolades include:

• Premio Iberoamericano de Letras José Donoso (Chile 2023)
• Blue Metropolis (Canada 2023)
• Calamo Prize (Spain 2021)
• Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz Novel Prize (Mexico 2012)
• Anna Seghers Prize (Germany 2011)
• National Council for Culture and the Arts (Chile, 2007)

Research support includes major fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, and DAAD Writer in Residence program. While mentoring emerging writers through NYU's MFA program, her pedagogical approach emphasizes experimental forms and political engagement in literary creation.

Meruane actively participates in transnational literary collectives, notably collaborating with Cristina Rivera Garza and Gabriela Wiener on the poetry project 'Trenzar,' reflecting her commitment to feminist artistic solidarity across borders.