José R. Ballesteros is a Professor of International Languages and Cultures at St. Mary's College of Maryland. He is the author of the book of Poetry Lovedust (Izote Press, Los Angeles) and his poetry has appeared in multiple journals both in the US and abroad. José is also a translator of poetry both nationally and internationally. He is the owner and editor at Zozobra Publishing, a Latinx literary press that originated in the DMV that is celebrating its 10th year in existence. As an academic José has authored several articles on Spanish literature and is the co-author of the Spanish literary anthology Voces de España. He also currently serves as a contributing editor for the Library of Congress's Handbook of Latin American Studies. At St. Mary's College, he was endowed as the Stephen Muller Distinguished Professor of the Arts and also has also held several administrative roles including being the co-creator and associate director of the College's DeSousa-Brent Leadership Program for historically minoritized populations and as well as serving as Director of Equity Programming. José is currently working on his first graphic novel and his second book of poetry.