Michael J. McGrath is a Professor of Spanish at Georgia Southern University. He has taught all levels of Spanish literature and culture, from lower division courses to graduate courses. In terms of research, Dr. McGrath focuses on early modern Spanish life and literature, with special emphasis on cultural studies, the comedia, Don Quijote, and intellectual history. He has made over thirty conference presentations, and he is the author of nearly seventy publications.
Professor McGrath has received numerous awards for his contributions to teaching, research and service. In 2009 the College of Arts and Humanities awarded him its Award of Distinction in Scholarship and in 2020, he received the Ruffin Cup, which recognizes the College’s highest achievement in teaching, scholarship, and service. It is awarded annually to a teacher-scholar with at least ten years of service to Georgia Southern who has combined excellent teaching with outstanding contributions to the spirit of the liberal arts. He has also been nominated for Awards of Distinction in teaching and service. Professor McGrath, who earned his Ph.D. from the University of Kentucky, was a nominee for the University of Kentucky’s College of Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame in 2015.
Professor McGrath’s editorial service is not limited, however, to Juan de la Cuesta Hispanic Monographs. He was the Interview’s Editor for Comedia Performance, the Association of Hispanic Classical Theater’s journal, from 2004 until 2022 and an Associate Editor of The Coastal Review for several years. He also served a three-year term on the Cervantes Society of America’s Executive Council.
We could talk for hours about his different teaching methods, literary research, and his many Spanish cultural contributions, but today we are going to cover just one of the facets of his career: Professor McGrath has been the editor of Juan de la Cuesta Hispanic Monographs since 2008, during which time he has overseen the publication of 135 books. This publisher strives to publish only the most noteworthy manuscripts. Juan de la Cuesta Hispanic Monographs, in addition to publishing general studies of Hispanic literature and culture, also publishes manuscripts within different series, which include: Documentación cervantina «Tom Lathrop», UCLA Center for 17th- and 18th-Century Studies. The Comedia in Translation and Performance, Estudios lingüísticos, Ediciones críticas, Estudios de literatura latinoamericana ‹‹Irving A. Leonard››, University of California, Santa Barbara Catalan Series, Homenajes, Estudios de la literatura moderna «Russell P. Sebold», Estudios judeoespañoles «Samuel G. Armistead y Joseph H. Silverman», Serie de traducciones críticas, and Estudios de literatura medieval ‹‹John E. Keller››.
What is your job as General Editor of the Juan de la Cuesta Hispanic Monographs?
My job consists of many duties, as I will discuss below, but in essence I represent Juan de la Cuesta Hispanic Monographs’ mission to be the foremost publisher of Hispanic literary criticism. Dr. Tom Lathrop, who founded Juan de la Cuesta Hispanic Monographs in 1978, viewed the publisher as a venue for scholars to publish quality literary criticism that university presses might not publish due to financial constraints. Since 1978, many of the world’s leading scholars of Hispanic criticism have published with Juan de la Cuesta.
What is the process for selecting a manuscript?
The author of a manuscript sends me a preliminary proposal that consists of a summary of the manuscript and a brief biography of the author, including previous publications. If I feel that the proposed manuscript shows promise, I will invite the author to send a more detailed proposal. At this stage of the process, the author generally sends the introduction to the manuscript and a sample chapter or two. After I read this material, I may reach out to the member of the Editorial Board whose area of expertise in Hispanic literature makes it possible for him or her to provide me with an informed opinion of the proposal. If the Editorial Board member and I agree, I will invite the author to send the complete manuscript to me for evaluation or I will inform the author that Juan de la Cuesta is no longer interested in publishing the manuscript. Then, I will assign the manuscript to one or two readers who are experts in their field and ask them to provide me with a comprehensive evaluation of the manuscript. Generally, the readers provide this evaluation 3-5 months after I send the manuscript to them.
What is the process of a manuscript once it has been approved for publication?
If the readers recommend publication of the manuscript, I prepare one evaluation that consists of the readers’ comments and send it to the author. The identity of the readers is never revealed to the author of a manuscript. In fact, I go to great lengths to maintain the anonymity of the readers. After an author receives the evaluation, he or she revises the manuscript based on the readers’ comments and recommendations. Once the author sends the revised manuscript to me, I edit it for publication. In addition to making any necessary stylistic revisions, I review the content as well. Then, I send the final version of the manuscript to Michael Bolan, who is the owner of Juan de la Cuesta Hispanic Monographs. He oversees the production of the manuscript, which includes the design of the book’s front and back covers. After Michael prepares the proofs, which is the design and layout of the pages, of the manuscript, he sends a copy to me and to the author. The author and I make corrections, such as typos, and return them to Michael, who prepares a second set of proofs. Once again, he sends the proofs to me and to the author for final corrections. In addition, Michael prepares and issues each author a contract. Since I became the General Editor in 2008, Juan de la Cuesta Hispanic Monographs has published one hundred thirty five books.
What is your main objective as General Editor of Juan de la Cuesta Hispanic Monographs?
My primary objective as the General Editor of Juan de la Cuesta Hispanic Monographs is service. I am grateful to be able to serve my profession in this way and to provide colleagues in the United States and around the world with the opportunity to publish their research. In addition, it is important that I maintain regular contact with the author from the time he or she contacts me until the publication of the book.
Where do you see Juan de la Cuesta Hispanic Monographs in ten years?
It is my sincere hope that Juan de la Cuesta Hispanic Monographs continues to be one of the profession’s foremost publishers of Hispanic literary criticism and the first choice of scholars.
Why is it important for you to be the editor of Juan de la Cuesta?
My position as General Editor of Juan de la Cuesta Hispanic Monographs makes it possible for me to meet, albeit electronically, many people who share my academic interests. I enjoy learning about their areas of research as I assist them with the publication of a manuscript. In addition, from a personal perspective, it is a pleasure to develop stronger bonds with people who enjoy learning and sharing their knowledge with others.
Have you noticed any changes with the pandemic?
The number of proposals I received decreased during the pandemic. Due to the many ways, personally and professionally, it affected people from all walks of life, scholars likewise had to adapt. The cancellation of conferences, where many scholars first present the research that informs their publications, and the inability to conduct research in the archives and libraries abroad prevented many authors from pursuing their research objectives.
Professor McGrath has traveled to Spain nearly thirty times, in addition to trips to Mexico and Puerto Rico. He is also the Director of the University System of Georgia’s Goes Global study abroad program in Madrid. In addition to his passion for Spanish, literary research, and his duties as the General Editor of Juan de la Cuesta Hispanic Monographs, he also enjoys other activities such as traveling, reading, watching sports, and spending time with his children. Professor McGrath is, without a doubt, a person who is committed to Spanish literature and culture, but he is also an incredibly active person who likes to help others.
For more information about Juan de la Cuesta Hispanic Monographs and Dr. Michael McGrath you can visit:
https://cah.georgiasouthern.edu/languages/personnel/faculty-staff/mmcgrath/
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