Education: 

Ph.D. in English, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 2003

Biographical Statement: 

Dr. Garay received her Ph.D. in English from Arizona State University in May 2003 where she specialized in American ethnic literatures, primarily Latina/o and African American literary traditions. Working interdepartmentally as instructor and scholar in both the English department and Department of Chicana/o Studies during her time at ASU, she integrates this interdisciplinary experience into both research and teaching. Currently, she is teaching courses focused on Chicana/o literature and women writers.

Research and Creative Interests:

Co-editor of New Bones: Contemporary Black Writers in America and contributor to Latina and Latino Writers, Dr. Garay is currently focused on moving her dissertation manuscript, Embodying Autobiography and Mothering Feminist Theory: Gloria Anzaldúa, Cherríe Moraga and the Re-visionary Practice of Auto/historia y Teoría toward publication. This manuscript concentrates on the intersections of autobiographical strategy and feminist theorizing in Anzaldúa’s Borderlands/La Frontera and Moraga’s Loving in the War Years. Methodologically, it is informed by interrogation of issues of mestizaje, genre formation, sexuality and identity, as well as negotiation of her own subjectivity as a mixed race Latina feminist scholar. She is also hard at work on articles focused on the works of authors Alejandro Morales, Helena María Viramontes, and Ana Castillo.

Contact: jgaray@nmsu.edu or 575-646-2317