Joseph Paola is a Ph.D. student who received a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and Global Studies from Providence College in Rhode Island in 2011.  After graduating, he lived in Spain while completing his Master’s in Spanish at Middlebury College’s campus in Madrid.  He has taught Spanish at both the high school and university levels. 

His primary research interests include (among others) Renaissance and Baroque Peninsular literature, particularly poetry. More specifically, he is interested in the influence of Italian authors and literary styles on Early Modern Spanish literature, and the cultural exchange between the two nations. 

In his spare time he enjoys running, reading, drinking coffee, and occasionally chain-watching Netflix.