Younger generations of Latinos are openly talking about their strained bilingual journeys, calling themselves either “pocho or pocha” or “no sabo kids,” both of which allude to a lack of Spanish fluency. For many U.S. Latinos, struggling with Spanish begs questions about identity and feeling truly connected to their culture. At the same time, Spanish-dominant Latinos in the U.S. face a different set of challenges with finding belonging as they navigate an English-forward society. Both sides are contending with language barriers, so how do we stand strong in ourselves and our native tongues? This week on Hyphenación, host Xorje Olivares speaks with Spanish-language comedian Angelo Colina and Spanglish podcaster Rachel ‘La Loca’ Strauss to discuss the pride and struggle of living between languages.

Read a transcript of this episode here.

Guests:

Rachel ‘La Loca’ Strauss (Instagram, Website, Latinos Out Loud Podcast)

Angelo Colina (Instagram, Tiktok, Tickets to see Angelo live)

Want to give us feedback on the series or have an idea to share? Shoot us an email at [email protected]

Credits:

Hyphenación is a KQED Studios production. It’s produced by Ana De Almeida Amaral, Alex Tran, and Xorje Olivares. Chris Hambrick is our editor. Mixing and mastering by Christopher Beale. Jen Chien is executive producer, and KQED’s director of podcasts. 

Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. San Francisco Northern California Local.

The Hyphenación team is supported by our audience engagement producer Maha Sanad; podcast operations intern Alana Walker; podcast operations manager Katie Sprenger; video operations manager Vivian Morales; and our Chief Content Officer Holly Kernan. Special thanks to Chris Egusa, Martina Castro, Paulina Velasco and Megan Tan for their development support.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The U.S.-Mexico border has been a central issue in recent decades of American politics. The southern borderlands are often depicted in media and by politicians as a dangerous ground zero for crime and violence. But is this an accurate image of the place thousands of Americans call home? This week on Hyphenación, Host Xorje Olivares gathers with two other fronterizas, artist natalia ventura and filmmaker Robie Flores, who were also born and bred along the border. Together they ask, “Is the border we see on TV, real life?”

Read a transcript of this episode here.

Guests:

natalia ventura (Art work, Instagram, Friendship Park)

Robie Flores (Ambiente Films, Watch The In-Between on PBS, Instagram)

Want to give us feedback on the series or have an idea to share? Shoot us an email at [email protected]

Credits:

Hyphenación is a KQED Studios production. It’s produced by Ana De Almeida Amaral, Alex Tran, and Xorje Olivares. Chris Hambrick is our editor. Mixing and mastering by Christopher Beale. Jen Chien is executive producer, and KQED’s director of podcasts. 

Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. San Francisco Northern California Local.

The Hyphenación team is supported by our audience engagement producer Maha Sanad; podcast operations intern Alana Walker; podcast operations manager Katie Sprenger; video operations manager Vivian Morales; and our Chief Content Officer Holly Kernan. Special thanks to Chris Egusa, Martina Castro, Paulina Velasco and Megan Tan for their development support.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Immigrants to the U.S. have all heard about the American Dream-- that in this land of opportunity, anyone can make it regardless of class. People come from all over the world to chase this dream, but it seems like the land of opportunity is not providing many of them anymore. This week on Hyphenación, Host Xorje Olivares speaks with journalist and author Paola Ramos (Defectors) and fellow journalist Brian De Los Santos to explore the questions  “What do Latinos actually want from this country? Can it give it to us?”

Read the transcript of this episode here.

Guests:

Paola Ramos (Instagram, Buy Defectors⁠)

Brian De Los Santos (Instagram)

Want to give us feedback on the series or have an idea to share? Shoot us an email at [email protected]

Credits:

Hyphenación is a KQED Studios production. It’s produced by Ana De Almeida Amaral, Alex Tran, and Xorje Olivares. Chris Hambrick is our editor. Mixing and mastering by Christopher Beale. Jen Chien is executive producer, and KQED’s director of podcasts.

Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. San Francisco Northern California Local.

The Hyphenación team is supported by our audience engagement producer Maha Sanad; podcast operations intern Alana Walker; podcast operations manager Katie Sprenger; video operations manager Vivian Morales; and our Chief Content Officer Holly Kernan. Special thanks to Chris Egusa, Martina Castro, Paulina Velasco and Megan Tan for their development support.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While the world anticipates the changes that a new pope will bring in the Catholic church, fewer Latinos in the U.S. actually identify with Catholicism today. This week on Hyphenación, Host Xorje Olivares discusses the question, “Is God still relevant to us?” with guests Hoja Lopez and Luis Galilei.

Read the transcript of this episode here.

Guests:

Hoja Lopez (Instagram, website)

Luis Galilei (Instagram)

Want to give us feedback on the series or have an idea to share? Shoot us an email at [email protected]

Credits:

Hyphenación is a KQED Studios production. It’s produced by Ana De Almeida Amaral, Alex Tran, and Xorje Olivares. Chris Hambrick is our editor. Mixing and mastering by Christopher Beale. Jen Chien is executive producer, and KQED’s director of podcasts. 

Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. San Francisco Northern California Local.

The Hyphenación team is supported by our audience engagement producer Maha Sanad; podcast operations intern Alana Walker; podcast operations manager Katie Sprenger; video operations manager Vivian Morales; and our Chief Content Officer Holly Kernan. Special thanks to Chris Egusa, Martina Castro, Paulina Velasco and Megan Tan for their development support.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Xorje Olivares has never been one for sharing, especially when it comes to a lover. This week on Hyphenación, Xorje speaks with Fernanda Fabian and Manuel Betancourt–  two seasoned practitioners of non-monogamy–  to talk about following desires, breaking free from monogamy, and discussing their relationships with their Latino parents.

Read the transcript of this episode here.

Guests:

Fernanda Fabian (Polycurious Podcast, Website, Instagram, Tiktok, Patreon)

Manuel Betancourt (Hello Stranger, Instagram, Website)

Want to give us feedback on the series or have an idea to share? Shoot us an email at [email protected]

Credits:

Hyphenación is a KQED Studios production. It’s produced by Ana De Almeida Amaral, Alex Tran, and Xorje Olivares. Chris Hambrick is our editor. Mixing and mastering by Christopher Beale. Jen Chien is executive producer, and KQED’s director of podcasts. 

Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. San Francisco Northern California Local.

The Hyphenación team is supported by our audience engagement producer Maha Sanad; podcast operations intern Alana Walker; podcast operations manager Katie Sprenger; video operations manager Vivian Morales; and our Chief Content Officer Holly Kernan. Special thanks to Chris Egusa, Martina Castro, Paulina Velasco and Megan Tan for their development support.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Documentation in the U.S. divides the Latino community between those whose existence in this country is permitted and those who are criminalized for their very presence. This line of legality has been drawn deeper and has changed quickly during the second Trump administration. In the face of this uncertainty, Host Xorje Olivares speaks with authors Karla Cornejo Villavicencio (The Undocumented Americans) and Javier Zamora (Solito) to ask “What does citizenship mean, today?”

Guests:

Karla Cornejo Villavicencio (Instagram, The Undocumented Americans)

Javier Zamora (Instagram, Solito)

Want to give us feedback on the series or have an idea to share? Shoot us an email at [email protected]

Credits:

Hyphenación is a KQED Studios production. It’s produced by Ana De Almeida Amaral, Alex Tran, and Xorje Olivares. Chris Hambrick is our editor. Mixing and mastering by Christopher Beale. Jen Chien is executive producer, and KQED’s director of podcasts. 

Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. San Francisco Northern California Local.

The Hyphenación team is supported by our audience engagement producer Maha Sanad; podcast operations intern Alana Walker; podcast operations manager Katie Sprenger; video operations manager Vivian Morales; and our Chief Content Officer Holly Kernan. Special thanks to Chris Egusa, Martina Castro, Paulina Velasco and Megan Tan for their development support.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Latino culture, it’s often expected that we someday become caregivers for our parents or other family members. Anyone who has taken on this role can tell you that it's hard and demands some big sacrifices. This week on Hyphenación, host Xorje Olivares gets together with Poet Yosimar Reyes and Professor Anita Tijerina Revilla to talk about the struggle of sacrificing to be a caregiver while trying not to lose yourself in the needs of others.

Read the transcript of this episode here.



Guests:

Yosimar Reyes (Instagram/ poetry)

Anita Tijerina Revilla (Instagram)

Want to give us feedback on the series or have an idea to share? Shoot us an email at [email protected]

Credits:

Hyphenación is a KQED Studios production. It’s produced by Ana De Almeida Amaral, Alex Tran, and Xorje Olivares. Chris Hambrick is our editor. Mixing and mastering by Jim Bennett and Christopher Beale. Jen Chien is executive producer, and KQED’s director of podcasts. 

Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. San Francisco Northern California Local.

The Hyphenación team is supported by our audience engagement producer Maha Sanad; podcast operations manager Katie Sprenger; video operations manager Vivian Morales; and our Chief Content Officer Holly Kernan. Special thanks to Chris Egusa, Martina Castro, Paulina Velasco and Megan Tan for their development support.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s been much debate amongst Latinos about the proper term to use when addressing the community-at-large. Who exactly is included in the word Latino? Who is left out of their own demographic based on appearances or perceptions? This week on Hyphenación, host Xorje Olivares gets together with Maria Burgos and Ian Paget, two Latinos who feel like their belonging in this group is often questioned because of the way they look. 

Read the transcript of this episode here.

Guests:

Ian Paget (TikTok/ Instagram/ Tres Leches Podcast)

Maria Burgos (Instagram)

Want to give us feedback on the series or have an idea to share? Shoot us an email at [email protected]

Credits:

Hyphenación is a KQED Studios production. It’s produced by Ana De Almeida Amaral, Alex Tran, and Xorje Olivares. Chris Hambrick is our editor. Mixing and mastering by Christopher Beale. Jen Chien is executive producer, and KQED’s director of podcasts. 

Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. San Francisco Northern California Local.

Special thanks to Maha Sanad and Alana Walker for their audience engagement support; to podcast operations manager Katie Sprenger; video operations manager Vivian Morales; and our Chief Content Officer Holly Kernan. Thanks to Chris Egusa, Martina Castro, Paulina Velasco and Megan Tan for their development support.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hyphenación debuts April 15!

Join host Xorje Andrés Olivares and guests to explore what it means to live within a hyphenation. Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to have easy conversations about hard things: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. Hyphenación—where conversation and cultura meet!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices