After a long-time passion for poetry, Professor Carlota Caulfield will soon begin a visiting fellowship at The University of Barcelona.
Since 1992, Caulfield has been the professor and head of the Spanish and Spanish-American studies at Mills. The fellowship recognizes Caulfield’s work on Catalan visual poetry — the visual arrangement of text in Catalan, a romance language that originated in Catalonia. The fellowship will take place over the summer of 2015, and Caulfield will return to Mills in the fall.
As an established poet, Caulfield believes there is a connection between poetry and teaching.
“To be a poet is a bridge towards my teaching,” Caulfield wrote in an email.
Caulfield, who will do research in the Museum of Modern Art Archives in Barcelona, hopes to explore the relationship between the modern performance cultures in Barcelona and the factuality of popular culture. Caulfield will collaborate with the research group POCIÓ, Poetry and Education at the University of Barcelona. Caulfield also aspires to improve her Catalan.
Acting Provost Dave Donahue is excited for Caulfield and believes that the fellowship will be beneficial for Mills.
“I am so pleased with Professor Caulfield’s recognition at the University of Barcelona as a Visiting Fellow,” Donahue said. “The award is well-deserved and serves to boost Mills’ international profile.”
Caulfield has made a positive impact on Blanca Aguirre-Ramirez, a junior Spanish and Spanish-American studies major.
“I’m very happy, and I see her as a role model,” Aguirre-Ramirez said. “She’s an author and a professor, which inspires me to go further in my major.”
Aguirre-Ramirez believes that this inspiration affects all of Caulfield’s students.
“What she’s passionate for rubs off on her students,” Aguirre-Ramirez said.
