Our April MLA Member Spotlight features Cristina Stanciu, a member of the MLA since 2001. Cristina is Professor of English at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she also directs the university’s Humanities Research Center.

Read about why Cristina encourages others to get involved with the MLA through our journal, PMLA:

“Serving on the PMLA editorial board between 2022 and 2024 was by far the best education a mid-career faculty member could hope for. I’m grateful for the opportunity to review excellent scholarship in my fields (particularly Indigenous and multiethnic literatures), to organize various panels at the MLA, and to advocate for a special issue on Indigenous literatures (co-edited with Mishuana Goeman), which I’m happy to report is now in the planning stages. Brent Hayes Edwards runs editorial board meetings with wit, wisdom, and humility, and I’ve learned so much from him and the other members of the editorial board.”

Recommended resource: “None other than Paula Krebs, MLA Executive Director. As the director of a humanities research center at an R1, I appreciated Paula Krebs’s meetings with the board, the discussions with her about trends, data, opportunities, professional connections, cool projects in the humanities, and grants. I was also grateful for the chance to strategize on programming and advocacy, and brainstorms with an illustrious group of colleagues. Paula has modeled advocacy for many of us who are leading humanities centers or are invested in the future of the humanities As someone is often called an “evangelizer for the humanities” on my own campus, it was great to find a kindred spirit who supports this work on the national and international arenas.”

For this week’s member spotlight, we’re celebrating Eduardo Ledesma, who has been an MLA member since 2006. Read about how Eduardo’s engagement with the Committee on Disability Issues in the Profession has shaped his work:

“My participation in the Committee on Disability Issues in the Profession (CDI) has made me more aware of the many barriers encountered by individuals with disabilities in academia (in terms of issues related to hiring, access, equity and so on). Although, as a visually impaired scholar I have long been aware of the challenges facing those with similar issues related to sight, my involvement with the Committee has raised my level of awareness about the ways individuals with different abilities navigate academia (in particular, I have learned much about mobility issues, Deaf culture, neurodivergence, etc.). My participation in CDI also has made me realize the rich contribution we, as disabled scholars, make to our disciplines and to the field of Disability Studies (for many of us, our research also examines disability from various perspectives beyond advocacy).”

Recommended resource: “In terms of the CDI’s advocacy, our work in the Committee this past year, revising Hiring Guidelines, has also made me more cognizant of the need to be fair during our work in hiring committees in our institutions. Often disabled scholars are less visible and are marginalized in the Academic Job Market, and even the best-intentioned search committees neglect putting into practice the best policies to avoid ableist practices.”

This week’s member spotlight features Carmela Mattza. Carmela, an MLA member since 2011, is an active participant in the MLA field bibliography program and the chair of a forum executive committee. Learn about how MLA resources have influenced Carmela’s work:

“The MLA is a dynamic hub of ideas, invaluable for both research and teaching.  Beyond its resources, the ADE-ALD Summer Seminar and MAPS Leadership Institutes provide essential administrative guidance, fostering the development of skilled guardians of humanistic knowledge. I consistently find inspiration and stay current with scholarship through the convention’s plenaries, panels, and poster sessions, which offer insights into the work of colleagues nationally and internationally. The MLA book series on teaching invariably enriches my syllabus.”

Recommended resource: “The MLA Convention is an exceptional platform for in person and virtual collaboration and scholarly exchange, distinguished by its accessibility. By removing financial barriers, it empowers scholars to connect, discuss research, and amplify their work’s impact. I also view the MLA Commons and the MLA IB as burgeoning centers for collaboration and knowledge sharing, and I actively advocate for broader participation.”

This week, we’re spotlighting Ricardo L. Ortiz, a 36-year member of the MLA. Read about how Ricardo’s involvement with the Delegate Assembly, the ADE Executive Committee, and more have had an impact on his work:

“The MLA’s remarkable professional effectiveness, cultural adaptability, and institutional resilience over these nearly four decades have all impressed me. The organization neither ‘looks’ or ‘acts’ like it did when I first registered as a member in 1988; many of those changes measure meaningful and necessary progress over many areas of professional and intellectual practice; others reflect its responsiveness to a series of structural and historical impacts over a very tumultuous period of time; all the while, the organization has held steady to its core commitments to humanistic inquiry, academic freedom, and (always increasingly) democratic and equitable access.”

Recommended resource: “Over almost four decades, the MLA has been a central resource for me professionally: connecting me to colleagues in my field(s), providing multiple opportunities to share my scholarly work, recognizing that work with one (shared) publication award and one honorable mention, and offering countless opportunities for professional service in support of my field(s), the profession, and the organization itself.”

For this week’s member spotlight, we’re highlighting the work of Araceli Hernandez-Laroche, who joined the MLA in 2008. Read about how Araceli’s engagement with multiple MLA committees, including the ALD Executive Committee (copresident) and the MLA Ad Hoc Committee on Valuing the Public Humanities, has shaped her career:

“I sincerely owe so much to the MLA—it is truly the best professional and leadership development training. It has been a game changing experience to serve on critical committees where I connected with mentors, co-authors, and research collaborators. Thanks to all the professional and leadership development and national connections acquired from engaging with the MLA in various capacities, I hit the ground running as the founding director of South Carolina Centro Latino. The confidence I gained is thanks to the heavy investment from all my MLA mentors.”

Recommended resource: “As a graduate student and early career faculty member, I used to be a bit intimidated at the MLA Annual Conventions. Now, they are a must destination to plan new research projects, gain leadership development, and cultivate incredibly rewarding relationships. I encourage you to get involved at any stage of your training and career!”