Christian Rubio, assistant professor of foreign languages, recently published "La influencia de la masonería en Antonio Machado" (The influence of Freemasonry in Antonio Machado).

Rubio wrote the Spanish text for his dissertation at Colombia University. Mellen Press recently published his dissertation, which links Antonio Machado's work with Freemasonry.

Of his text, Rubio said, "Tracing the varying degrees of any influence in poetry can be a subjective undertaking. Critics often remain within the safety of specific parameters to avoid controversy when attempting to draw certain connections. Factors such as historical context dictate these parameters. As a result, some topics are left untouched. Such has been the case in the poetry of Antonio Machado."

Rubio, who has taught at ULM since 2004, received his bachelor's degree at Queens College, CUNY, his master's at Teachers College, Columbia University, and his doctorate at Columbia University.