Title
Fountain, Anne O.
Date Updated
2-8-2019
Department
World Languages and Literatures
Academic Rank
Professor
Year Retired from SJSU
2017
Facebook or Website URL
SelectedWorks Profile Page
Educational Background
B.A. "With Honors" in Spanish, Indiana University, 1966
M.A. in Spanish, Indiana University, 1968
Ph.D. in Spanish, Columbia University, 1973
Graduate Area Certificate, Latin American Studies, Columbia University, School of International Affairs, 1973
Teaching Experience
William Peace University, 1972 -2002
Meredith College, 1979-80
Morelia, Mexico, for University of Southern Mississippi, summer 1996
University of Southern Mississippi, summer 1997, 1998, 2000 and 2003
University of South Florida (Cuban Studies), summer 2001
San José State University, 2002-2016
University of Florida (Spanish and Latin American Studies), Spring 2014
Administrative and Professional Experience
SJSU, Acting Chair, World Languages and Literatures Oct. 17, 2011–May 31, 2012
SJSU, Interim Chair, Television, Radio, Film and Theatre August 2009-August 2010
SJSU, WLL Coordinator, Spanish & Latin American Studies, Fall 2005-Fall 2009 & Fall 2010–Fall 2011
President, American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP), 2016
President, Southeastern Council on Latin American Studies (SECOLAS), 1993-94
Chair (now called President), Southern Conference on Language Teaching (SCOLT), 1995-96
Service
I have loved teaching and serving SJSU students, securing scholarships and funding for them, being a McNair Scholars mentor seven times from 2004- 2012, and keeping in touch with many students after they graduate.
Selected Publications
Books
Ramona: Novela Americana, co-edited edición crítica, 2018
José Martí, the United States, and Race, 2014, paperback edition 2017
Disconnect/ Desencuentro (English/Spanish edition of stories by Nancy Alonso) Trans. Anne Fountain, 2012.
Closed for Repairs, Trans. of Cerrado por Reparación by Nancy Alonso, 2007
Cuba on the Edge (An anthology of Cuban short fiction) co-edited, 2007.
Versos Sencillos: A Dual Language Edition, 2005
José Martí and U.S. Writers, 2003
Chapters
Forthcoming: Critical chapter on José Martí for The Wiley Blackwell Companion to World Literature, Volume IV.
“Teaching the Latin American Emerson" in Approaches to Teaching the Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson, 2018.
“Martí and Emerson: Close Reading, Context, and Translation” in Syncing the Americas: José Martí and the New Modernity. 2017.
“Challenging Assumptions in a Spanish American Culture and Civilization Class,” in Fostering Culture through Film, 2016.
“Autores estadounidenses asumidos por Martí” (U.S. authors profiled by Martí) in Norteamericanos: Apóstoles, poetas, bandidos, 2009.
“Questions of race and gender: Evangelina Cisneros and the Spanish-Cuban-American War,” in Annals: Latin America: Approaching the Millennium, 1999.
Articles
“Aliados y ejemplos para los estudios chicanos en la nueva era global” (A rejoinder ) in Hispania, special centenary volume, 2017.
“Martí, Emerson y la naturaleza,” Anuario del Centro de Estudios Martianos # 35, 2012.
“Teaching Translations of Translations,” Translation Review (Fall 2010) (Published fall 2011)
“Maya and Nahuatl in the Teaching of Spanish,” with Catherine Fountain, Dimension, 2007.
“President Julio Roca and the Welsh Communities of Patagonia,” Southeastern Latin Americanist, 1999.
Files
Personal Commentary
My research fields are Latin American Literature, Latin American Studies, and the Hispanic literature of the United States. I specialize on Cuba and my primary research interests are contemporary Cuban literature and culture and José Martí (poetry, essays, and translations). I am also a literary translator and am currently working on translations of Cuban fiction and a book on how to teach José Martí’s poetry. In retirement, I continue to write and do consulting and am both consultant and guest professor for a National Endowment for the Humanities Institute for college/university faculty members for summer 2019. I am the recipient of teaching awards from national, regional, and state organizations: California Language Teachers Association, 2009; Southern Conference on Language Teaching, 1998; and American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, 1994.
Cuba connections at SJSU - I organized and led SJSU’s first study abroad to Cuba in January 2003 and then two subsequent faculty-led programs to Cuba in summer 2004 and summer 2005. I led Cuba travel for SJSU faculty in 2011 and 2013, and have sponsored visits by six Cuban authors to SJSU.
A plaque honoring Luis Valdez - As Department Chair of Television, Radio, Film and Theatre (TRFT) for 2009-2010, I initiated and saw through to completion the placement of a plaque at the Hal Todd Theatre (in Hugh Gillis Hall on the SJSU campus) honoring Latino playwright, Luis Valdez . Valdez is an SJSU graduate whose first feature-length play was at the Hal Todd Theatre. The plaque was unveiled, with Luis Valdez present for the event, in May 2010.
Creator of “Isabel Allende Day” at SJSU on November 27, 2012. Campus wide celebrations included: A conmemorative brochure, Library exhibits, Bookstore exhibits, Animated film trailers for Allende’s book, The City of the Beasts, a gala Luncheon, a theatre production of her short story “Tosca,” and an Awards ceremony and presentation plus Q&A with the author, followed by book signing. In addition, the City of San Jose conferred honors at City Hall and the day included press and T.V. coverage. [I initiated this idea, invited Isabel Allende, (in May 2011), got this date on her calendar, organized all campus activities promoted press coverage, got DVD tributes from WLL students made and delivered to the author, and arranged for the City of San Jose to honor Isabel Allende at a ceremony in City Hall. In connection with this event, Allende donated books from her personal library to SJSU. This collection resides in Special Collections in the King Library.
Service to UNESCO - I was appointed in fall 2012 to the panel of judges for UNESCO’s José Martí Prize representing North America in the jury of worldwide representatives: one from Africa, one from North America, one from Europe, and two from Latin America and the Caribbean. The purpose of the UNESCO International José Martí Prize is to promote and reward an activity of outstanding merit in accordance with the ideals and spirit of José Martí. The term of service is six years.
In my endeavors at San José State I was aided by marvelous colleagues. Mike Conniff, David Kahn and Blanca Smith all offered indispensable help with Isabel Allende Day, and David Kahn helped make the plaque for Luis Valdez a reality. Mike Conniff secured funding for numerous programs in World Languages and Literatures, and Blanca Smith gave support for countless activities and outreach efforts in the Spanish Program.