Martha Bátiz
Celebrated as One of Canada’s Most Remarkable Mexicans in 2014, and Ranked Among the Most Influential Hispanic-Canadians in 2015
Featured in Latinos Magazine among the Top Ten Most Successful Mexicans in Canada, and named also one of the Top Ten Most Influential Hispanic-Canadians, Martha Bátiz was born and raised in Mexico City, but has been living in Toronto since 2003. Her articles, chronicles, reviews and short stories have appeared in diverse newspapers, magazines, and in over thirty anthologies not only both Mexico and Canada, but also in Spain, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Peru, Chile, Ireland, England, the United States, Australia, and Turkey.
Martha has penned two short-story collections in Spanish: A todos los voy a matar (I’m Going To Kill Them All, Castillo Press, Mexico, 2000), and De tránsito (In Transit, Terranova Editores, Puerto Rico, 2014). Her award-winning novella Boca de lobo was originally published in Spanish both in the Dominican Republic and in Mexico (in 2007 and 2008, respectively), and released in its first English translation as The Wolf’s Mouth (Exile Editions, 2009). In 2018 it appeared in its French version as La Gueule du Loup (Lugar Común Editorial), and in a new English edition under the title Damiana’s Reprieve (Exile Editions). Boca de lobo is also available through Audible as an Audiobook in Spanish since 2021. Martha is also the author of two short-story collections in English, the first one titled Plaza Requiem: Stories at the Edge of Ordinary Lives (Exile Editions, 2017), winner of the 2018 International Latino Book Award in the category of “Best Popular Fiction: English.” The second and most recent is No Stars in the Sky, published by House of Anansi Press in 2022, which was translated into Turkish in 2023. Martha’s debut novel, A Daughter’s Place, based on the real life of the daughter, sisters, niece, and wife of celebrated Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes, author of Don Quixote, will be published by House of Anansi Press in May 2025.
Editor of the anthology Desde el norte: Narrativa canadiense contemporánea (UAM, 2015), Martha is also part of the editorial committee of the successful books Historias de Toronto and Historias de Montreal (Lugar Común, 2016 and 2019, respectively). She holds a PhD in Latin American Literature and is an ATA-certified literary translator. Besides being the founder and instructor of the Creative Writing in Spanish courses currently offered by the School of Continuing Studies at the University of Toronto, she is a part-time professor at York University, where she teaches Spanish language and literature, as well as translation and creative writing.

Honours and Awards
Principal’s Teaching Excellence Award 2023-24 (Contract Faculty)
In recognition of excellence in teaching and for outstanding contribution to the academic life and dynamism of Glendon College, York University.
Excellence in Teaching Award
Creative Writing Program, School of Continuing Studies, University of Toronto. Received in October 2022 for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Career Impact Award
An Excellence in Teaching Award given by the School of Continuing Studies, University of Toronto. Received in September 2020 for the 2018-2019 academic year.
Author Appreciation Award in recognition of literary contribution to the University of Guelph-Humber academic community, February 2020.
Top 10 Most Influential Hispanic-Canadians
Canadian Hispanic Congress and Hispanic Business Alliance. Toronto, Summer 2015.
Top 10 most successful Mexicans in Canada
Latinos Magazine. Toronto, Spring 2014.
Certificate of Recognition (“Certificado de Reconocimiento”) as an outstanding member of the Mexican community in Toronto, for contribution to the promotion of cultural activities and the development of education.
The Asociación de Profesores Hispano-Canadienses, Fall 2012.
SOMOS Award for Literary Merit: this award given annually by the Hispanic-Canadian Community in Toronto to Latino talents in all areas of expertise, Dec. 2005.

Literary Awards
- Finalist in the 2020 Escritoras Mexicanas short-story contest with “Abrazo de oso” (Bear Hug). Anthology launched at the International Book Fair in Guadalajara, Dec. 2021.
- Finalist in the 2019 Wishing Shelf Book Awards in the category of Fiction with Plaza Requiem: Stories at the Edge of Ordinary Lives.
- Finalist in the 8th Vanderbilt- Exile Carter V. Cooper Short Fiction Competition, for “Suspended”. Toronto, Canada, Oct. 2018. Anthology published in June 2019.
- First Place in the International Latino Book Award in the United States in the category of Best Popular Fiction- English for her most recent short-story collection Plaza Requiem, Stories at the Edge of Ordinary Lives. Los Angeles, California, Sept. 2018.
- Finalist/ Honorary Mention in the International Latino Book Award in the United States in the category of Best Popular Fiction for her short-story collection in Spanish De tránsito. Awards given in June 2015 in San Francisco, California.
- Finalist in the 2nd G. Vanderbilt-Exile Carter V. Cooper Short Fiction Competition, for “Paternity, Revised” (2016) and “The Last confession” (2012). Toronto, Canada.
- Third place in the Hispanic-Canadian 5th short story contest: Nuestra Palabra 2008 for “Las mil vidas del tío Co” (September 2008)
- First Honorary Mention (Second Place) in Casa de Teatro’s International Novel Contest in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic for Boca de lobo (Summer 2007)
- First Place in the first essay contest “Pride and Prejudice,” New Canadian Magazine, for “This Country as a Gift,” (2003)
- Honorary Mention in Nuestra Palabra short-story contest, for “Día de plaza,” (2004)
- Second Place Accésit in the XXXII International Short Story Contest “Miguel de Unamuno” in Salamanca, Spain, for “La primera taza de café.” NB:First Mexican writer to ever win a prize in this contest. A total of 1,708 short stories from all Latin America and Europe were contending pseudonymously for this award (1996).
- First Place in the second short story contest of the Punto de Partida magazine, published by the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), for “El malentendido,” (1996)
- Honorary Mention (mención honorífica) in the 2nd international short story contest “La Guadalupana” in Mexico City, for “Las siete Marías,” (1993)
Creative Writing Scholarships and Grants
- Explore and Create, Canada Council for the Arts (May 2021-2022)
- Theatre Creator’s Reserve Grant, Ontario Council for the Arts, Toronto (Feb-June 2015)
- Writer’s Reserve Grant. Ontario Council for the Arts, Toronto. (Feb – Aug 2010/ Dec. 2013-April 2014/ Jan.- June 2019)
- Young Creators Scholarship National Fund for the Culture and the Arts (Programa de becas a Jóvenes Creadores del Fondo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes, FONCA) Mexico City. (1995-96)
- Mexican Writer’s Centre (Centro Mexicano de Escritores) Tutors: Carlos Montemayor and Alí Chumacero. Mexico City. (1994-95)
- INBA (Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes) Tutor: Daniel Sada. Mexico City. (1993-94)
Martha as Professor
Martha discovered her passion for teaching when she arrived in Canada in 2003 and began teaching Spanish in downtown Toronto. As a graduate student at the University of Toronto’s Department of Spanish and Portuguese, she worked both as a teaching assistant and language and literature instructor. Her students awarded her with an “Oscar to the World’s Best Teacher” during that time, and the formal reviews of her teaching were consistently outstanding.
In 2008, Martha began working as a Course Director at Glendon College, York University. While teaching a Stylistics and Translation course, she was entranced by translation and its many challenges, and started focusing on this discipline — specifically on literary translation. In 2011 she became an ATA Certified Translator. In 2012, Martha received a Certificate of Recognition, given by the Asociación de Profesores Hispano-Canadienses, for her contribution to the promotion of cultural activities and the development of education.
Martha has taught a variety of language, literature and translation courses ranging from introductory to advanced courses at both of York University’s campuses. But her forte is Literary and Cultural Translation, which she taught at York’s Glendon campus for several years. Her work in the classroom allowed her to launch ground-breaking projects with her students, such as the book Desde el norte: narrativa canadiense contemporánea, an anthology of Canadian short stories translated into Spanish by Glendon students under Martha’s guidance and published by the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM) in Mexico City in early 2015.
Martha’s fluency in English has allowed her to supervise translation work done into her adopted language. In particular, she oversaw the translation of several short stories written by Hispanic-Canadian authors that were featured in the Ottawa-based journal The Apostles Review and launched in Toronto in April 2015.
Martha is also the founder and chief instructor of the Creative Writing in Spanish courses that are offered by the School of Continuing Studies at the University of Toronto, where she has been teaching since 2009. In the fall of 2014, her Creative Writing in Spanish course was offered for the first time by the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at the University of Toronto, earning her rave reviews and evaluations. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Creative Writing in Spanish courses at the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies, Martha curated the anthology Nostalgia bajo cero: diez años de escritura creativa en español (Ottawa: Lugar Común Press, 2020), featuring the work of 38 of the writers who had taken part in the program. That same year, Martha received the Career Impact Award, given to her by the School of Continuing Studies as “a testament to her commitment to her learners, and for providing an experience that transformed their professional lives, leading them to pursue new career opportunities.”
Martha has taught Spanish language, literature, and creative writing at the University of Toronto; Spanish language, literature, and translation at both York University’s Department of Linguistics, Languages and Literatures and Glendon Campus’ Department of Hispanic Studies; and Spanish language and culture at the University of Guelph- Humber.