Born on the Laredo-Nuevo Laredo border, Norma Cantú explores the joy, sadness, love, life and the deaths experienced along the border in her new collection of poetry, “ Meditación Fronteriza: Poems of Love, Life, and Labor .” (00:30) Then, Mexican culture comes alive every holiday season with tamales. Making tamales is a family affair where everyone has a role. Carmen Tafolla and Ellen Riojas Clark are the co-authors of “Tamales, Comadres, and the Meaning of Civilization.” (12:10)

Fronteras: Norma Cantú’s Love Poems To The Border, A Place Of Beauty And Death; Tamales And Comadres

"Fronteras" is a Texas Public Radio program exploring the changing culture and demographics of the American Southwest. From Texas to New Mexico and California, "Fronteras" provides insight into life along the U.S.- Mexico border. Our stories examine unique regional issues affecting lifestyle, politics, economics and the environment.

News

Government

The FBI and CIA surveilled the Latino civil rights movement and its leaders in the 1960s and '70s at the height of the communist panic. Democratic Congressman Joaquin Castro and his mother, activist Rosie Castro, talk about the effort to establish a clear historical record of the movement.

Fronteras: 'Our own government was working against them'  — Declassifying FBI files on the Latino civil rights movement

The United Farm Workers of America became a target of FBI surveillance during the communist scare of the 1960s and '70s. Arturo Rodriguez spent over 50 years with the UFW. He talks about working alongside civil rights leader Cesar Chávez and about government surveillance of their movement.

‘We were not communists’ — A dive into FBI surveillance of Cesar Chávez and the United Farm Workers movement

Musician Lisa Morales has released six albums both as a solo artist and as part of the duo, Sisters Morales. She discusses her introduction to music growing up in Tucson, Arizona, the death of her sister Roberta in 2021, and more ahead of her April 13th Creekside Sessions Concert at TPR.

‘Singing from a deeper place’ — Singer Lisa Morales talks life, inspirations ahead of TPR concert

Thirty Talks Weird Love confronts mental health issues, the growing pains of young adulthood, and the ongoing violence against women in Cuidad Juárez. Author Alessandra Narváez Varela discusses her inspiration behind the book and what she hopes readers take away.

Fronteras: ‘Thirty Talks Weird Love’ fuses time travel with poetry in a love letter to Juárez, femicide victims, and the author’s younger self

Todos Agua is a three-day celebration at San Antonio's Esperanza Peace & Justice Center that honors the community's spiritual and cultural connections to water. Three of its featured artists include poet Carmen Tafolla, musician Azul Barrientos, and activist María Berriozábal.

Fronteras: Norma Cantú’s Love Poems To The Border, A Place Of Beauty And Death; Tamales And Comadres

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