Morningside College Spanish instructor Stacey Alex co-authored Mi Idioma, Mi Comunidad: Español para Bilingües, an open access electronic textbook for heritage language learners of Spanish that centers on students’ experiences with language, identity, and belonging in the Midwest.

Sioux City, IA – Morningside College Spanish instructor Stacey Alex co-authored Mi Idioma, Mi Comunidad: Español para Bilingües, an open access electronic textbook for heritage language learners of Spanish that centers on students’ experiences with language, identity, and belonging in the Midwest.

Alex worked alongside co-author and mentor Elena Foulis, Coordinator for Service-Learning and Heritage Language Senior Lecturers at The Ohio State University, using a project-based approach to outline how students engage in real-world application by exploring topics in language use, arts, food, festivals, ethnography, oral history, digital lives, and education. Through multimedia like podcasts, videos, and music, the co-authors promote interactive exploration of culturally relevant content while supporting students’ language maintenance and growth. Both Alex and Foulis plan to use the book as a resource in their teaching.

Alex teaches Spanish Language and Cultures, Spanish for the Professions, and Latino Studies at Morningside College. While not Latina herself, Alex discovered a passion for Latino culture while growing up alongside many Spanish speakers in Des Moines. Her family has grown to include both Mexican-Americans and Spanish-Americans, and her son, niece, and nephew are growing up as Spanish heritage language learners in Iowa. Stacey taught Spanish and English as a Second Language (ESL) in a dual language program in West Liberty, IA, and ESL in Maracaibo, Venezuela. She completed her BA and MA at The University of Iowa and her PhD in Latin American Literary and Cultural Studies at The Ohio State University. She researches undocumented Latinx immigrant narratives, Latinx folklore, and Latinx pop culture.

To learn more about the book and implementing its resources, contact Stacey Alex at alexs@morningside.edu or (712) 274-5487.