Biography

Graça Capinha is Associate Professor in the Departament of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, Section of Anglo-American Studies, at the School of Arts and Humanities of the University of Coimbra (FLUC). She's also a researcher at the Centre for Social Studies-Associate Laboratory (CES). With a PhD in American Literature by the University of Coimbra, she was the Director of the Institute for American Studies (2006-2008), a member of the Coordination Board of the Scientific Committee of FLUC (2004-2008) and of the Scientific Committee of DLLC-FLUC. She was also a member of the Executive Committee of CES (2003-2005 & 1993-1995). Presently, she is the Executive Director of the inter- and transdisciplinary 3 rd. Cycle (PhD.) Program on "Languages and Heterodoxies: History, Poetics, and Social Practices" (FLUC/CES). Along the years, she taught diverse undergraduate as well as graduate courses on English and American literature, contemporary poetry and poetics, and creative writing (a field that she introduced in the Portuguese university in 1996). She was the head researcher of the collective research project on "New Poetics of Resistance: the 21st Century in Portugal" (FCT/CES), concluded in 2011, and she had the same responsability in the collective research project on "Emigration and Identity" (JNICT/CES-1997). She was also a member of research teams of several other research projects on poetry/poetics and emigration, both in and out of Portugal. From 1991 to 1999, she took part in the Poetics Program of the State University of New York (SUNY at Buffalo, USA), where she had a chance to meet and work with some of the major authors of the L=A=N=G=U=A=GE School. From 2001 to 2002, she participated in the project "Children's Introduction to the Arts" and also taught on poetics in several intensive music courses at the experimental Centre for the Study of Arts of Belgais, directed by Portuguese pianist Maria João Pires. A co-organizer of FLUC's "International Meetings of Poets" (1992-5-8-2001-4-7-10), she was also the main responsible for the creation of FLUC's Program "Poets in Residence", a program that she coordinates since 2007. She is the Editor of the poetry magazine "Oficina de Poesia. Revista da Palavra e da Imagem" ("Poetry Workshop. A magazine of words and images") (FLUC, Reitoria da UC e CES, 1997-), and a member of the editorial board of the Brasilian poetry magazine "Sibila" (São Paulo, Brasil). She also co-edits the series "Literature and Arts" of the Collection CES/Almedina. Her interests and publications focus on contemporary poetics (mainly Portuguese and American), and their relation to social and political issues, such as que questions of identity and emigration. She has published extensively on these issues and, besides Portugal, some of her work can also be found in Spain, Germany, Brasil and the United States.