Ramiro Rodríguez provides some background about the IX Congreso Binacional “Letras en el Estuario,” a bi-national conference for writers from Mexico and the United States. He also talks about writing as a vocation.

Nephtalí De León shares his insight on La Raza Cosmica and Chicano literature.

Cipriano Cardenas talks about the differences between the language of medieval literature and modern, contemporary writing. He also shares his approach to translation.

Julieta Corpus is a natural story teller who draws inspiration from lived experiences and from her imagination. She tells us about her early influences growing up in Mexico. She also relates how the audience plays a role in her writing.  

For Ken Treviño, family and culture serve as constant inspiration. He says he feels an obligation to write. “I think writing…is a way of sharing who you are and what you believe in.”

Hector R. Barrera discusses the language of identity. He also shares his experiences of entering the publishing world.

Isaac Chavarría  shares how language and place influence his poetry.

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Jane Lin talks about the shifts in language modes depending on the groups we are with. She also notes that words that are at first foreign to us, with experience become a part of our vocabulary. The challenge in writing is to make that language accessible to the reader.

Poets Celeste Guzman Mendoza, Norma Cantú, Deborah Paredez, Pablo Miguel Martínez and Carmen Tafolla share how they came together to start CantoMundo. “Poetry is song…it is shared,” and Canto reflects a vision to provide a space for the creation, the cultivation and the support for Latino poets and poetry.

Jon Davis reminds us that every language has two languages, that of sound of that of meaning. A poet, he says, is constantly trying to balance the two worlds.

Feroza Jussawalla, who speaks English, Spanish and her native Gujerati, Hindi, says her writing comes in different languages, the language of the land, the language of consciousness.

Christina Garcia tells us about her transition from journalist to novelist and about how her work is language driven. She also talks about her first collection of poetry, a biography in verse.

Xavier Garza talks about the power of storytelling. He says stories are a part of our culture and have inspired him to make some of the stories he heard as a child more contemporary as a way to keep them alive.

Celeste Guzman Mendoza, a Tejana by birth and by heart, shares her insight on the voice, tone and rhythms of her work.

Arturo Saldaña talks about how language at times renders him speechless and about how he uses language like a chameleon.

Lady Mariposa, Veronica Sandoval, blends her urban jazz sound into her poetry. She shares how she found her voice and wants make sure the academic world doesn’t lead her away from it.

Daniel García Ordaz, a.k.a. The Poet Mariachi, is the author of You Know What I'm Sayin'? from El Zarape Press. Listen as he shares his insights about the spoken word and poetry being everywhere and open to everyone.

Viola Canales, author of the The Tequila Worm (Random House, 2005), talks about the power of culture and the community. She shares that it is important to tell our stories, to own our stories, and not let others interpret them for us.

Cindy Williams Gutiérrez, a poet-dramatist who collaborates with musicians, visual artists and theater artists, talks about her collaborative projects, her Nahua inspired poetry and about how duality inspires her work. To read more about Cindy Williams Gutiérrez visit www.grito-poetry.com.

Educator and artist Ernesto Dueñas shares his poetry and talks about dual language and the paradigm shift from a transitional program of bilingual education to one that embraces the native tongue and culture.

Language and the tools of expression –

A conversation with poet, songwriter, and professor Irma Guadarrama, about bilingualism and the gift of speaking and writing in more than one language.

Una conversación con el compositor Juanjo Trujillo de Shalom, una banda de pop-rock católica. Sus canciones dedicadas para el Señor, Juanjo nos habla sobre el lenguaje, el silencio y la importancia de estando atentos a la inspiración.

Our inaugural podcast taped on the Feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe features guest poet and storyteller Beto Conde who shares how he incorporates both English and Spanish in his writing.