Brenda Quiñones-Ayala
Education
M.A., Spanish: Language, Literature and Culture, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 2015
B.A., Psychology, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, 1999
About Brenda
Brenda Quiñones Ayala began her graduate program at UNC after teaching for one year at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte as a recipient of a Spanish Fellowship. Brenda’s main academic interests are folkloric themes in Caribbean literature and the representation of blacks in Caribbean literature. Brenda is a member of the National Spanish Collegiate Honor Society and The American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese.
Publications
“Tradiciones, costumbres e historias por contar: La obra de Fortunato Vizcarrondo.” Los afrodescendientes en las Américas: 200 años de vida republicana, ciudadanías incompletas. Centro de Desarrollo Étnico, 2020, pp. 244-56.
“Negociando identidades: la blanquitud como estrategia de negritud en Fe en disfraz de Mayra Santos Febres.” Literatura y globalización: Latinoamérica en el nuevo milenio, editado por Eva Valero Juan y Oswaldo Estrada, Anthropos, 2019, pp. 101-12.
Puerto Rican Women Conjuring Embodied Memory. Journal Edition. Co-editor with Yomaira Figueroa. Hispanófila, vol. 189, Jun. 2020.
“El deber y lo que nos deben.” D’ Cimarrón, vol. 10, Sep. 2020.
Conferences
“Pariendo engendros: una lectura alegórica de Yuyo y La guaracha del Macho Camacho.” Tierra Tinta, Modern Languages Conference, Oklahoma, Oct. 2015.
“El rito fúnebre: espacio de poder e identidad del subalterno.” Carolina Conference for Romance Studies, UNC Chapel Hill, Apr. 2015.
“Negro, pero ni cómico ni bozal: discursos raciales en La cuarterona de Alejandro Tapia.” Latin American Studies Association (LASA) Conference. Online. May 2020.
“¿Linchamiento o violencia colectiva? El asesinato de Tomasa Farfulla en Lejanías de Salvador Brau.” Primer Encuentro de Estudios Afrolatinoamericanos. Online. May 2020.
“Perspectivas sobre Puerto Rico.” Guest Lecture for SPAN 345. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Feb. 2018
“Negociando identidades en Fe en disfraz de Mayra Santos-Febres” Guest Lecture for SPAN 387. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Nov. 2018.Awards & Honors
Graduate Student Support Program, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2022 Initiative for Minority Excellence, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2016 Spanish Fellowship, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 2015
Typical Courses Taught
SPAN 102: Elementary Spanish II (Hybrid) SPAN 105: Spanish for High Beginners SPAN 203: Intermediate Spanish I SPAN 204: Intermediate Spanish II SPAN 261: Advanced Spanish in Context PUBH 613 Spanish for the Health Professions SPAN 267: Spanish for Heritage Learners