Damaris Serrano, professor of Spanish at Wright State University in Ohio, recently received the 2025 Pedro Correa Vázquez Literary Criticism Essay Award for her book Voices in Global Times. Presented by Panama’s Ministry of Culture, the annual award recognizes excellence in literary criticism and other literary categories.
Voices in Global Times (or Voces en los tiempos globales) examines Latin American literature through a global framework, with Panama as a central point of reference. Dr. Serrano, a native of Panama, highlights how writers use literature to challenge power structures, assert cultural identity, and respond to social change, with particular attention to the work of women writers and marginalized voices.
A Wright State faculty member since 2005, Dr. Serrano teaches courses on Hispanic cultural studies in Latin America and the Caribbean. Her scholarship centers on Latin American literature, literary criticism, and cultural studies.
Dr. Serrano received her bachelor’s degree in humanities and Spanish from the University of Panama. She holds a master’s degree in comparative literature and a Ph.D. in Hispanic cultural studies from Michigan State University.