Mele Martinez

Melani Martinez is a Senior Lecturer in the Writing Program and the University of Arizona's Project ADELANTE Testimonio Lead. A native Tucsonense, Melani is a first-generation graduate of the University of Arizona with a BA in Creative Writing and an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from Goucher College. Her research interests include Borderlands studies, Mestiza Rhetorics, Sonoran and Southern Arizona history and folklore, and traditional foodways. Her memoir, The Molino, (forthcoming from UA Press) tells the story of her family’s early 20th Century tamal and tortilla factory in Tucson’s historic Presidio District. Melani teaches Borderlands-focused foundation writing courses and Food Writing.