Research

My research focuses on modern Iberian literature, with particular attention to narrative, myth, and the relationship between literature and lived experience. I have published work on Rosa Montero, Catalan literature, and questions of attachment, responsibility, and the human person. My work also extends into translation and public writing, where I explore the role of the humanities in contemporary life. My earlier work, including my dissertation Open Wounds: Literature, Memory, and Space in Modern Spain, explored similar questions through travel, photography, and field-based humanistic research.

This work takes shape across scholarly publications, invited talks, and public-facing writing, and continues to develop in my research on presence, pilgrimage, and the humanities.

Selected Publications

• 2023 — “Attachment and Responsibility in El corazón del Tártaro” Romance Notes

• 2019 — “Media-Saturated and Mad? Cervantes Has Something to Say” The American Spectator

• 2018 — Gener, Pompeu. “The Theological Palace.” Translation in Revista Hélice

• 2014 — “Autism and the Astonishing X-Men” Book chapter in The Ages of the X-Men: Essays on the Children of the Atom in Changing Times. Ed. Joseph J. Darowski

Featured Project: La Gran Aventura

La Gran Aventura is a long-form project documenting a 25,000-mile journey undertaken with my family. Combining photography, writing, and reflection, the project explores themes of presence, movement, and shared experience, extending my academic interests into lived form.

• View the Project

• Presence, Pilgrimage, and the Humanities — Public lecture. Hillsdale College. February 19, 2026 (Watch lecture)

Selected Talks and Presentations

• “The Divided Brain in Joan Perucho’s Natural Histories” — International Conference on Myth Criticism; Madrid, Spain. October 27, 2022.

• “Apego y redención en El corazón del Tártaro” — Visiones de lo Fantástico; Barcelona, Spain. June 5, 2019.

• “The Hero’s Journey: How One Book Turned a Reader into a Humanist” — Talk as part of BYU Herald B. Lee Library series entitled The Work that Changed My Life. Provo, UT. May 15, 2015.

• “Apego en El peso del corazón de Rosa Montero” — Joint panel with Dale Pratt (BYU) and Juan Carlos Martín (Stonehill College) at the debut of Rosa Montero’s novel El peso del corazón. Provo, UT. March 13, 2015.

Interviews and Media

• Smies, Monica. "A Sacred Journey: Camino Pilgrimage for Spanish Professor Was a Family Affair" Hillsdale Collegian. Feb 26, 2026

• Don Quixote: The First Modern Novel — Hillsdale College Office Hours YouTube Series. July 19, 2025

• Ryan, Nolan. “LDS students pursue truth, faith through community.” Hillsdale Collegian. Sep 6, 2018

• Interview with ZafraTV —25 minute interview about dissertation research in Spain. 13 Apr. 2011.

Languages

• English: Native

• Spanish: Near-native

• Catalan: Near-native

• Portuguese: Advanced

• French: Advanced

• Japanese: Intermediate in reading; Novice in writing, speaking, and listening

For a complete record of publications, talks, and academic activity, see full CV.