Assistant Professor of Practice, Spanish
I am a creative author, editor, translator, literary critic, and professor. I teach Spanish language and culture, Hispanic literature, and Creative Writing, most of them connected to the Hispanic identity with multicultural backgrounds. I’m the author of over 500 books in various genres, including novels, poetry, short stories, theatre, and children’s literature published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Scholastic, McGraw-Hill, Reycraft, Benchmark Education, Seix Barral, Everest, Edebé, and other publishing houses in the US and Spain. My literary work has been translated into English, Italian, Portuguese, Croatian, Bulgarian, Romanian, Chinese, and other languages. As a literary consultant in education for Pearson Education, McGraw-Hill, Penguin Random House, and some other publishing companies, I have written teachers’ guides, student editions, fiction and nonfiction series, and many educational textbooks for the bilingual educational system. I also have written many specialized articles, catalogues, and literary reviews for newspapers and magazines in the United States, Spain, Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Italy, and other countries. As a translator, I have translated over 300 books, principally for young readers. My translations include several English literature classics, like Dr. Seuss’s books, Curious George, Berenstain Bears, Amelia Bedelia, Mike Mulligan, among others. I have also translated a book by former First Lady Laura Bush (Leer para creer), Meghan Markle Duchess of Sussex (The Bench/En este banco), and The Beatles (Yellow Submarine/El submarine Amarillo). I have received many awards and recognitions for my work, including the National Literature Award (Ministry of Education, Cuba) 1984, 1985, 1986; the White Rose Literature Award (Best Literature of the Year, Cuba). I’m currently working in a new series of Mad Libs in Spanish and other fun and creative projects!
Published Books as an Author
Published Translations (partial list)
Lilia Hessasta ’25, who will serve as assistant stage manager for Merrimack College's upcoming production of “The Drowsy Chaperone," was awarded Outstanding Stage Management Intern at this year’s Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival.
