¡Hola a todes! My name is Tamara Mitchell (she/her/hers), and I am your professor this semester for SPAN312. This initial post is to make sure everyone can access the course blog, to tell you a little about me, and to learn a bit about each of you.

Please respond to this post with your preferred name and pronouns, and answer 2-3 of the following questions:

1. What’s the best book/work you’ve read recently? Bonus points if it’s a Latin American author!
2. What’s your favourite podcast?
3. Which SPAN312 unit are you most interested in learning about this semester? (syllabus under Canvas Files)
4. Do you have any pets, plants, hobbies, or other fun things you want to tell us about?
5. Other details you want to share with us.

I am a professor of contemporary Mexican and Central American literature in the Department of French, Hispanic and Italian Studies. I have two cats, Mona and Gigi, who you might see during our occasional Zoom sessions. I’ve read so many great books this summer… Yuri Herrera’s La transmigración de los cuerpos / The Transmigration of Bodies, Emiliano Monge’s Las tierras arrasadas / Among the Lost, Laia Jufresa’s Umami, NK Jemisin’s The City We Became… but one of my all-time favourites is Samanta Schweblin’s Distancia de rescate / Fever Dream. I’m excited about SPAN312, as this is the first time I’ll teach a literature class in English.

Looking forward to learning together this semester. Un saludo y hasta la próxima, Tamara