Dr. Joy Castro — Institute of Ethnic Studies (Latinx and Latin American Studies) and Department of English (literature and creative writing)
Area(s) of specialization:
20th- and 21st-century literature
Professional organization(s) you are affiliated with:
Associated Writers & Writing Programs (AWP)
How and/or why did you choose this field?
Since I was a small child, I loved to read, write stories, & think about books. A dayjob that lets me do that is a gift.
What is your favorite course to teach and why?
I love all my courses. Some favorites are Women’s Crime Fiction, Chicanx literature, and creative nonfiction writing.
What are you currently researching?
The Cuban cigar industry in 19th century Key West and Tampa—for a novel I’m planning—and West Virginia labor history and mountaintop removal coal mining, for the novel I'm finishing now. I'm currently heading to Berlin for a semester-long sabbatical, and my plan is to finish it there.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work (hobbies, other interests)?
Painting, cooking, hiking, & watching films. I also like opining on Twitter about politics, especially the climate emergency in which we find ourselves. I love all the young activists who are uncompromising in their calls for change. They're exactly right.
More interesting thoughts from Dr. Castro:
I'm a first-gen college student from a working-poor Cuban American family, and I had a son when I was a 20-year-old college junior and still put myself through all three degrees—which is to say, if I can make it, anyone can. Education is a beautiful gift, and the state should fund it 100%, as many countries do, so that everyone capable of attending can do so for free.
