Anna Deeny Morales

Anna Deeny Morales is a literary critic, translator, dramatist, and librettist. She was raised in Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico. Deeny Morales earned a BA in English language and literature with a minor in piano performance from Shepherd University, an MA in comparative literature from Dartmouth College, and a PhD in Hispanic languages and literatures from the University of California, Berkeley. Before attending graduate school, Deeny Morales studied theater at the Accademia Nazionale d’Arte Drammatica Silvio d’Amico in Rome, Italy. 

Deeny Morales is currently a National Endowment for the Arts fellow for her forthcoming translation of Tala by Chilean poet and Nobel laureate, Gabriela Mistral. Deeny Morales has published six books of translation, four of which are translations of work by the Chilean poet Raúl Zurita, including Sky Below: Selected Works by Raúl Zurita (Northwestern University Press, 2016). Her original works in opera include ¡Zavala-Zavala!: an opera in v cuts, commissioned by the University of North Carolina, Charlotte, and composer Brian Arreola. The opera was dedicated to families separated at the Mexico-U.S. border under the Trump administration and debuted at the Kennedy Center with the Georgetown University Orchestra and the IN Series Opera in 2022. Deeny Morales has also adapted zarzeuelas—Spanish lyric-dramas that incorporate musical acts—including La Paloma at the Wall (2019), an adaptation of Tomás Bretón’s La verbena de la Paloma, and Gonzalo Roig’s Cecilia Valdés (2018). She has also created original works for contemporary dance and theatrical performances. 

Deeny Morales has taught at Dartmouth College, Harvard University, and Catholic University. She currently teaches at the Center for Latin American Studies at Georgetown University.