Courses
- Beginner Spanish
- Intermediate Spanish
- Latin American Cinema
- Latin American Prose US Latino Literature
- Latin American Popular Culture
- Mexican-American/Chicano Culture and Literature
Education
- Ph. D., University of Arizona
- M.A., Texas State University
- B.A., California State University, Chico
Research Interests
- Mexican-Origin Theater
- Community Engagement
- Theater Activism
Biography
Leah Ariana Silva, Ph.D., received her doctorate in Spanish Literature from the University of Arizona. Her research interests include Mexican-origin theater, with a specific focus on community engagement and the practice of theater as activism. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and Latin American Studies from California State University, Chico, and a Master of Arts in Spanish Literature from Texas State University. Currently, she is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Spanish at St. Mary’s University.
Selected Publications
“Mexican-American Theater: Challenging the Marginalization of the Mexican Origin Community in Education, Immigration, and Politics” Label me Latina (2026)
“Memorias” Xinachtli Journal—Journal X (2025)
“La región de convivencia: the U.S.-México Borderlands in Conjunto by Oliver Mayer” Latino Book Review (2024).
Rev. of Border Killers: Neoliberalism, Necropolitics, and Mexican Masculinity by Elizabeth Villalobos. Southwestern American Literature (2024).
September 2020 Presenter, “Voices from Borderlands Theater: Activism, Resilience and Community Engagement,” Otto W. and Norma L. Schaefer Lecture Series (Austin, TX)
September 2020 Panelist, “Diversity Series: Language”, Concordia University Texas (Austin, TX)