Rosa Alcalá

Rosa Alcalá is a Professor in the Department of Creative Writing and Bilingual MFA Program at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), part of the College of Liberal Arts. She holds an MFA from Brown University and a PhD in English from SUNY Buffalo. Her work focuses on 20th/21st-century poetry in English/Spanish, translation, and interdisciplinary creative practices. Alcalá has authored three poetry collections including MyOTHER TONGUE (2017) and co-translated Cecilia Vicuña’s New & Selected Poems (2018). Recognized with an NEA Translation Fellowship and PEN Award nominations, she frequently presents at U.S./Latin American literary events. Her research explores bilingual poetics, cultural hybridity, and the intersections of art/politics.

• Recipient: National Endowment for the Arts Translation Fellowship
• 2019 Inductee: Texas Institute of Letters
• Finalist: Big Other Book Award (2025)

Teaching roles include directing UTEP’s Bilingual MFA program, emphasizing creative writing pedagogy and community engagement. Her creative output spans print and digital media, with works translated into Spanish, Portuguese, and Montenegrin. Alcalá’s academic service includes editorial work for literary journals and mentorship in translation studies.