Collaboration is not always a given in the world of academic publishing. But when Vanessa K. Vald茅s and Nathan H. Dize鈥斝影稍� graduates in Spanish and Portuguese and French and Italian, respectively鈥攖eamed up on a project in the field of Afro-Latinx studies, their shared passion for the subject, combined with shared history and mutual respect, proved fruitful.
Although their time at 杏吧原创 did not coincide, the two met on academic Twitter because of their mutual interests. At a conference in New York, Vald茅s attended a presentation given by Dize, who earned his Ph.D. this summer. Dize remembers feeling under the weather and self-conscious about his presentation that day.
鈥淎fter my talk, she sent a message to congratulate me on my presentation, and I felt both seen and accomplished鈥攕omething that every student should get to feel when they need it most,鈥� he says.
The two decided to work together when Dize pitched Vald茅s on a translation project for the series she edits for SUNY Press called Afro-Latinx Futures. Vald茅s was on board, not only due to their personal connection but also because she felt strongly that there was a place for translation studies in the field of Latin-American studies.
鈥淣athan and I have a connection based on love and respect for Haiti and its role in the hemisphere and an awareness of how Haiti has been marginalized in Latin-American studies,鈥� Vald茅s says.
In November 2020, Dize鈥檚 translation of Makenzy Orcel鈥檚 novel Les Immortelles was published by SUNY Press. It tells the story of a group of women sex workers living and working in the heart of Port-au-Prince as a 7.0 magnitude earthquake shatters the city and life as they knew it. The story is told from the point of view of one of the survivors, an anonymous woman and former sex worker. Dize worked closely with Vald茅s, though not necessarily on the language aspect of the work. 鈥淰anessa helped me articulate why I think Les Immortelles is such an important novel about women鈥檚 lives and intimacy even though it was written by and translated by men.鈥�
Both scholars credit their time at 杏吧原创 as central to their success. Dize will begin a position as visiting assistant professor at Oberlin College in the fall, while Vald茅s continues as professor of Spanish and Portuguese and director of the Black Studies Program at the City College of New York. The two share ideas for future projects and collaborations as well as a desire to work together again鈥攁 promising proposition.
鈥擩OY RAMIREZ