Katherine Hedeen came to Kenyon College in 2001. Her teaching and research interests include literary translation and translation studies and Spanish-Caribbean literatures and cultures. A specialist in Latin American poetry, she has translated some of the most respected voices from the region. Her publications include book-length collections by Jorgenrique Adoum, Juan Bañuelos, Juan Calzadilla, Juan Gelman, Fayad Jamís, Hugo Mujica, José Emilio Pacheco, Víctor Rodríguez Núñez, and Ida Vitale, among many others. She is a recipient of two NEA Translation grants in the US and a PEN Translates award in the UK. She is the Associate Editor for Action Books and the Poetry in Translation Editor at the Kenyon Review. More information at: www.katherinemhedeen.com
Areas of Expertise
Literary translation and translation studies, Spanish American poetry, and contemporary Spanish-Caribbean literatures and cultures.
Education
2003 — Doctor of Philosophy from Univ Texas Austin
1997 — Master of Arts from Univ Oregon
1993 — Bachelor of Arts from Western Oregon Univ
Courses Recently Taught
CWL 220
Altered States, Literary Trips: The Practice of Comparative Literature
CWL 220
This is a methods course that trains students to think and write like a comparativist. Where CWL 120 is an introduction to World Literature as methodology, CWL 220 builds on that foundation by situating world literatures within the broader discipline of Comparative Literature. This is a theoretically-focused course that integrates the study of literary texts with the founding and dominant theoretical movements of the 20th century. Building upon the close reading skills that students will have developed in their first-year core course, students will learn specific strategies of reading literature, including contrapuntal reading, distant reading, and surface reading. Course readings may include Kalidasa’s “Shakuntala, Virginia Woolf’s “Mrs. Dalloway,” Jorge Luis Borges’s “Labyrinths,” Sophocles’ “Antigone” and Kamila Shamsie’s “Home Fire”. The theme and texts taught in the course will vary each year and students are encouraged to contact the course instructor to find out the specific reading list for a given year. This counts toward the core course requirement for the concentration. Permission of instructor required.This course paired with any CWL course counts towards the Humanities diversification requirement. These courses must be taken at Kenyon. Prerequisite: CWL 120 or select, cross-listed sections of ENGL 103/104 or MLL 100- or 200-level courses (in translation) or CLAS 130 or 225. Offered every spring.
SPAN 111Y
Self and Society: Intensive Introductory Spanish
SPAN 111Y
This first half of a yearlong course is focused on the self in a broader social context for students who are beginning the study of Spanish or who have had minimal exposure to the language. The course offers the equivalent of conventional beginning and intermediate language study. The first semester's work comprises an introduction to Spanish as a spoken and written language. The work includes practice in understanding and using the spoken language. Written exercises and reading materials serve to reinforce communicative skills, build vocabulary and enhance discussion of the individual and community. This course includes required practice sessions with an apprentice teacher (AT), which will be scheduled at the beginning of the semester. Students enrolled in this course will be automatically added to SPAN 112Y for the spring semester. No prerequisite. Offered every year.
SPAN 112Y
Self and Society: Intensive Introductory Spanish
SPAN 112Y
This second half of a yearlong course is a continuation of SPAN 111Y. The second semester consists of and continued study of the fundamentals of Spanish, while incorporating literary and cultural materials to develop techniques of reading, cultural awareness, and mastery of the spoken and written language. The work includes practice in understanding and using the spoken language. Written exercises and reading materials serve to reinforce communicative skills, build vocabulary and enhance discussion of the individual and community. This course includes required practice sessions with an apprentice teacher (AT), which will be scheduled at the beginning of the semester. Prerequisite: SPAN 111Y or equivalent. Offered every year.
SPAN 213Y
Language and Culture: Intermediate Spanish
SPAN 213Y
This first half of the yearlong intermediate-level language course is focused on language and culture for students who are interested in developing their ability to speak, read, write and understand Spanish. In addition to a comprehensive grammar review, the primary texts chosen for the course serve as a general introduction to Hispanic culture and literature. Other materials include short essays, newspaper articles, films, television series and songs, which together will provide a point of departure for discussions on a range of issues. This course includes required practice sessions with an apprentice teacher (AT), which will be scheduled at the beginning of the semester. Students enrolled in this course will automatically be added to SPAN 214Y for the spring semester. Prerequisite: SPAN 111Y-112Y or equivalent. Offered every year.
SPAN 214Y
Language and Culture: Intermediate Spanish
SPAN 214Y
This second half of the yearlong intermediate-level language course builds on the concepts and skills addressed in the first semester, with a continued focus on language and culture for students who are interested in developing their ability to speak, read, write and understand Spanish. Students will be exposed to more complex Spanish grammar, while also expanding their vocabulary in context, using authentic materials similar to those of the first semester (including short novels, stories, essays, newspaper articles, films, television series, and songs). Students will produce more advanced analytic and creative writing assignments, and will be asked to actively discuss a range of challenging topics in class with increased proficiency (compared to fall semester). Like SPAN 213Y, this course includes required practice sessions with an apprentice teacher (AT), though the days and times for these may be different from the fall semester. Prerequisite: SPAN 213Y or equivalent. Offered every year.
SPAN 325
Introduction to Spanish American Literature
SPAN 325
This is a foundational survey of Spanish American literature from its pre-Hispanic manifestations to the present. The course covers major historical periods and literary movements, including the narrative of discovery and conquest, Renaissance and Baroque poetry, and the literatures of Romanticism, modernism, the avant-gardes, the Boom and postmodernity. Fundamental concepts of literary theory and techniques of literary analysis are discussed. Historical readings, critical essays and films provide the background for textual analysis. The course is recommended for Spanish and international studies majors. Prerequisite: SPAN 321 or placement exam or permission of instructor. Generally offered every other year.
SPAN 388
Literary Translation
SPAN 388
This course focuses on both the theoretical and practical aspects of literary translation from Spanish into English. Numerous essays on translation provide the opportunity to think critically about this cultural practice and to question the imperialist, ethnocentric and gendered notions that have historically driven it. Much of the class is taught using a workshop format in which this theoretical framework is used to compare original works to translations and to practice the art of translation itself. In addition to weekly writing assignments and the sharing and critiquing of peer work, students complete an extensive literary translation. No prerequisite. Generally offered every two years.
Academic & Scholarly Achievements
2013
Selected Poems. By José Emilio Pacheco. With Víctor Rodríguez Núñez. Struga [Macedonia]: Struga Poetry Evenings.
2013
Every Good Heart Is a Telescope, Early Poems. By Rodríguez Núñez. Selection and Introduction. Claremont [CA]: Toad Press.
2013
thaw. By Rodríguez Núñez. Introduction and Translation. Todmorden: Arc Publications.
2013
La vida incesante y otros poemas. By Mark Strand. Selection and Translation. With Rodríguez Núñez. Mexico City: El Tucán de Virginia.
2013
En esa redonda nación de sangre: Poesía indígena estadounidense contemporánea. Selection and Translation with Rodríguez Núñez. Havana: Arte y Literatura.
2013
América. By John Kinsella. With Rodríguez Núñez. Guadalajara: Mantis.
2012
Friday in Jerusalem and Other Poems. By Marco Antonio Campos. Selection, Introduction and Translation. With Rodríguez Núñez. Cambridge: Salt Publishing.
2011
En esa redonda nación de sangre: Poesía indígena estadounidense contemporánea. Selection and Translation with Rodríguez Núñez. Mexico City: La Cabra Ediciones.
2011
The Bridges. By Fayad Jamís. Selection, Introduction and Translation. With Rodríguez Núñez. Cambridge: Salt Publishing.
2010
Blue Coyote with Guitar and Other Songs. By Juan Bañuelos. Selection, Introduction and Translation. With Rodríguez Núñez. Cambridge: Salt Publishing.
2010
Garden of Silica. By Ida Vitale. Selection, Introduction and Translation. With Rodríguez Núñez. Cambridge: Salt Publishing.
2008
Diary with No Subject. By Juan Calzadilla. Selection, Introduction and Translation. With Rodríguez Núñez. Cambridge: Salt Publishing.
2008
The Poems of Sidney West. By Juan Gelman. Introduction and Translation. With Rodríguez Núñez. Cambridge: Salt Publishing.
2008
The Infinite’s Ash. By Víctor Rodríguez Núñez. Introduction, Selection and Translation. Todmorden: Arc Publications.
2005
Flight of the Cat. A Novel. By Abel Prieto. With Rodríguez Núñez. Havana: José Marti.
2005
El silo: Una sinfonía pastoral. By John Kinsella. With Rodríguez Núñez. Havana: Arte y Literatura.
2005
América o El resplandor. By John Kinsella. With Rodríguez Núñez. Havana: Torre de Letras.