Dr. Javier Avila, associate professor of English at Northampton Community College (NCC) in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, has been awarded the Outstanding Latino/Cultural Arts, Literary Arts, and Publications Award by the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education (AAHHE). The AAHHE award program celebrates and recognizes the work of Hispanics in higher education.

The award will be presented at the National AAHHE Conference Award Luncheon, in March in Miami, Florida.

Commenting on Avila’s award, James Von Schilling, professor of English at Northampton Community College, cites the depth and breadth of Avila’s commitment to writing, as evinced by his body of work in nonfiction, fiction and poetry, written in both English and Spanish.

Avila is the author of three volumes of poetry, Criatura del Olvido (translation: Creature of Oblivion), La Simetria del Tiempo (The Symmetry of Time) and Vidrios Ocultos en la Alfombra, (Broken Glass Under the Carpet), all published by Terranova between 2004 and 2007. La Simetria del Tiempo won the Puerto Rico PEN Award last year.

The 33-year-old is also the author of two novels, Professor in Ruins and Different, both published in 2006 by Wiley Publishers. (Different was originally published in 2001 by Foredust Publishers.) He has translated the work of poet Stanley Kunitz and is a contributor to the literary supplement of El Nueva Dia, the major newspaper in Puerto Rico, for which he writes about cultural and social issues.

Avila earned his Ph.D. in literature and literary criticism from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He has been a member of the faculty at Northampton Community College since 2006. He teaches classes in poetry writing, English and contemporary literature.

“I feel truly honored to receive the AAHHE Award for Outstanding Latino Cultural Arts, Literary Arts and Publications,” Avila says. “It is a great privilege to join such an elite company. Previous award winners are distinguished writers and artists who represent the best of the Latino community.

“Hispanic educators and artists in the United States are always, somewhat unconsciously, role models to our Hispanic students and readers, as well as to students of other cultures and backgrounds. We represent our culture wherever we go, and this is a serious responsibility. We can enlighten those who don’t know much or anything about our culture by showing them who we are and what we can accomplish and have accomplished. It is crucial to broaden horizons through communication, intellectual exchange and empathy. AAHHE is doing an exceptional job and I commend its leaders for their hard work.”

Avila is a Bethlehem resident.