Allison Grimaldi Donahue

Grew up in Middletown, Connecticut and has lived in Bologna since 2010. She holds an MA in Italian Studies from Middlebury College, an MFA in Creative Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts, and a PhD in Philosophy, Art, and Critical Thought from the European Graduate School, Switzerland. Her research interests are in Italian literature, particularly feminist literatures throughout history, experimental and avant-garde traditions, textual presence in contemporary art, deconstruction, and translation studies. Dr. Donahue first came to Italy to explore her own Sicilian heritage and study abroad as an undergraduate. She brings with her years of experience teaching in American liberal arts programs in Rome and Florence. She teaches courses in Italian literature in translation ranging from modern and contemporary texts to Dante and Gender Studies, with a particular emphasis on Italian feminism and intersectionality.Dr. Donahue has her own writing and artistic practice. She is author of Body to Mineral (Publication Studio Vancouver 2016) and On Endings (Delere Press 2019) and translator from the Italian of Blown Away by vito m. bonito (Fomite 2021) and Self-portrait by Carla Lonzi (Divided 2021). Her writing and translations have appeared in Another Gaze, Prairie Schooner, The Massachusetts Review, Los Angeles Review of Books, Brooklyn Rail, BOMB, FlashArt, Nero and other magazines. She has recently held poetic performances and built installations at institutions such as MAMbo, MACRO, Guggenheim Venice, Kunsthalle Bern, and MACTE Termoli. She is winner of the 2026 Premio Gallarate and the Italian Council Talent Development Prize 2025/2026.