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Nuestra Palabra: Latino Writers Have Their Say w/ Tony Diaz
By Tony Diaz Tells It Like It IsArts
Nuestra Palabra: Latino Writers Have Their Say w/ Tony Diaz episodes
- Sin Muros Festival Showcase!The Sin Muros Festival at @stageshouston has been celebrating and lifting up Latinx artists for six years.Listen on 90.1 FM @kpfthoustontx Tuesday, May 23rd at 7:00 PM CST as we feature organizers and participants of the festival!More than 300 Latinx artists have benefited—both financially and creatively—from participating in the festival. This year, a committee of some of the most influential Latinx voices in Houston has selected four plays by Latinx playwrights and nominated three individuals who serve the Latinx art community to be celebrated in a weekend-long festival May 25-28.The 6th annual Sin Muros Festival, a weekend of play readings and workshops, is a celebration of Latinx voices and stories throughout Texas.Tony Diaz @librotraficante speaks with several of the artists who are a part of the festival as well the organizers. @JasminneMendez, co-founder of Tintero Projects, has been involved in the Sin Muros Festival for years. @thepoetmendez, co founder of Tintero Projects and Current Texas Poet Laureaute, will also join us as well.Additionally, we will also speak withDavid Davila @davidodavilaJosie Nericcio @jotolkinRicardo DávilaJesús I. Valles @thejesuciawho's plays have been selected for the readings!In addition to the readings, the festival will present the Premio Puente. The honorees are:Ashley Dehoyos @ashleydelaraDeniz Lopez @deecolonizeGonzo247 @gonzo247Tony DiazWriter and activist Tony Diaz, El Librotraficante, is a Cultural Accelerator. He was the first Chicano to earn a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Houston Creative Writing Program.In 1998, he founded Nuestra Palabra: Latino Writers Having Their Say (NP), Houston’s first reading series for Latino authors. The group galvanized Houston’s Community Cultural Capital to become a movement for civil rights, education, and representation.When Arizona officials banned Mexican American Studies, Diaz and four veteran members of NP organized the 2012 Librotraficante Caravan to smuggle books from the banned curriculum back into Arizona.He is the author of The Aztec Love God. His book, The Tip of the Pyramid: Cultivating Community Cultural Capital, is the first in his series on Community Organizing.* This is part of a Nuestra Palabra Multiplatform broadcast.* Video airs on www.Fox26Houston.com.* Audio airs on 90.1 FM Houston, KPFT, Houston's Community Station, where our show began.* Live events.Thanks toRoxana Guzman, Multiplatform ProducerRodrigo Bravo, Jr., Audio ProducerRadame Ortiez, SEO DirectorMarc-Antony Piñón, Graphics DesignerLeti Lopez, Music DirectorBryan Parras, co-host and producer emeritusLiana Lopez, co-host and producer emeritusLupe Mendez, Texas Poet Laureate, co-host, and producer emeritusWriter and activist Tony Diaz, El Librotraficante, hosts Latino Politics and News and the Nuestra Palabra Radio Show on 90.1 FM, KPFT, Houston’s Community Station. He is also a political analyst on “What’s Your Point?” on Fox 26 Houston. He is the author of the forthcoming book: The Tip of the Pyramid: Cultivating Community Cultural Capital.www.Librotraficante.comwww.NuestraPalabra.orgwww.TonyDiaz.netNuestra Palabra is funded in part by the BIPOC Arts Network Fund.Instrumental Music produced / courtesy of Bayden RecordsWebsite | baydenrecords.beatstars.com51 min
- 2022 Texas Poet Laureate Lupe Mendez's Book "Why I Am Like Tequila" banned in North Texas.As book bans become fashionable and favorable vs just outright discrimination, one of our own Librotraficantes has been deemed too controversial for K-12.Lupe Mendez, 2022 Texas Poet laureate and award winning author, has had his book "Why I Am Like Tequila?" banned at a Texas Panhandle school along with other BIPOC and LGBTQi+ books.Tony Diaz speaks with our hermano about why this happened, what this means, and what the next move is in the Librotraficante movement.Originally from Galveston, TX, Lupe Mendez (Writer // Educator // Activist) is the author WHY I AM LIKE TEQUILA (Willow Books, 2019), winner of the 2019 John A. Robertson Award for Best First Book of Poetry from the Texas Institute of Letters. He is the founder of Tintero Projects which works with emerging Latinx writers and other writers of color within the Texas Gulf Coast Region, with Houston as its hub. Lupe earned his Masters of Fine Arts from the University of Texas @ El Paso. Mendez’s work can been seen in print and online formats including the Kenyon Review, Gulf Coast Journal, the Texas Review, the L.A. Review of Books, Split This Rock, Poetry Magazine and Poem-A-Day from the Academy of American Poets. Mendez is the 2022 Texas Poet Laureate. Follow Lupe on Twitter, at @thepoetmendez and on Instagram, at @ellupis.Tony DiazWriter and activist Tony Diaz, El Librotraficante, is a Cultural Accelerator. He was the first Chicano to earn a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Houston Creative Writing Program.In 1998, he founded Nuestra Palabra: Latino Writers Having Their Say (NP), Houston’s first reading series for Latino authors. The group galvanized Houston’s Community Cultural Capital to become a movement for civil rights, education, and representation.When Arizona officials banned Mexican American Studies, Diaz and four veteran members of NP organized the 2012 Librotraficante Caravan to smuggle books from the banned curriculum back into Arizona.He is the author of The Aztec Love God. His book, The Tip of the Pyramid: Cultivating Community Cultural Capital, is the first in his series on Community Organizing.* This is part of a Nuestra Palabra Multiplatform broadcast.* Video airs on www.Fox26Houston.com.* Audio airs on 90.1 FM Houston, KPFT, Houston's Community Station, where our show began.* Live events.Thanks toRoxana Guzman, Multiplatform ProducerRodrigo Bravo, Jr., Audio ProducerRadame Ortiez, SEO DirectorMarc-Antony Piñón, Graphics DesignerLeti Lopez, Music DirectorBryan Parras, co-host and producer emeritusLiana Lopez, co-host and producer emeritusLupe Mendez, Texas Poet Laureate, co-host, and producer emeritusWriter and activist Tony Diaz, El Librotraficante, hosts Latino Politics and News and the Nuestra Palabra Radio Show on 90.1 FM, KPFT, Houston’s Community Station. He is also a political analyst on “What’s Your Point?” on Fox 26 Houston. He is the author of the forthcoming book: The Tip of the Pyramid: Cultivating Community Cultural Capital.www.Librotraficante.comwww.NuestraPalabra.orgwww.TonyDiaz.netNuestra Palabra is funded in part by the BIPOC Arts Network Fund.Instrumental Music produced / courtesy of Bayden RecordsWebsite | baydenrecords.beatstars.com31 min
- Encuentro: The Native American Roots of Texas Mexican FoodTony Diaz spotlights the upcoming event “Encuentro: The Native American Roots of Texas Mexican Food.”Several food scholars explore the culinary scene with chefs and writers, and sometimes, both!Victoria Elizondo is chef owner of Cochinita Co. in Houston where she insists that fresh and preferably local ingredients are key to her vibrant and flavorful Mexican food. At her restaurant in the Greater East End, Cochinita co., she usually has sever al dishes featuring the ancient food that is native to Texas for thousands of years: nopalitos. When she was 12, Elizondo left her native Nuevo Leon, south of the Texas Mexican border, with her mother to move to the United States, where she became a DACA recipient. Following in her mother’s footsteps, she got her first job at 16 as a restaurant hostess. During her career she has worked at top Houston restaurants like State of Grace, Pax Americana and Xochi. In 2016 she started her own business venture, Cochinita Co., initially a food truck concept that pivoted to a pop up and catering model, now a small restaurant that is receiving high honors. The Houston Chronicle named Cochinita Co. one of the top 25 Best Restaurants of 2022. This year, Elizondo is nominated for the prestigious national Emerging Chef James Beard Award.Chef Joseph Gomez, is honoring his roots through his new food truck Con Todo, focusing on comida frontera (Spanish for “border town food”). The Rio Grande Valley native debuted the truck in 2021 at Celis Brewery’s new beer garden in North Austin. Gomez who’s worked at Austin restaurants such as Be More Pacific, Tha i Kun, She’s Not Here, and Easy Tiger sees the truck as showcasing the foods and stories of the Rio Grande Valley and his family. It’s through the menu that he wants to jump start “a long conversation about Mexican food in south Texas,” and what it truly is. Eater named Con Todo one of America's 15 best new restaurants of 2022.Lilliana Patricia Saldaña is an Associate Professor of Mexican American Studies (MAS) at UTSA and is co-director of the UTSA MAS Teachers’ Academy. Her activist scholarship draws from Chicana/x studies, decolonial and anti-colonial studies, Indigenous epistemologies, and Chicana/Latina feminisms to investigate teacher identity and consciousness, and decolonial practices in schools and community spaces. She’s published in nationally recognized journals, including Latinos & Education, Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education & Society, and Association of Mexican American Educators Journal, and has published in various edited volumes. When she’s not teaching or researching, she’s learning about Mexican and Indigenous foodways, facilitating gastronomy workshops, and tending to her kitchen garden.Adán Medrano is a Chef, Food Writer and Filmmaker. Author of “Truly Texas Mexican: A Native Culinary Heritage In Recipes” – Book Of The Year Finalist by Foreword Reviews. His most recent book, Don’t Count the Tortillas – The Art of Texas Mexican Cooking, is reviewed and listed by “Spruce Eats” in “The 8 Best Mexican cookbooks to read in 2021.” Both history/cookbooks are academically peer-reviewed and published by Texas Tech University Press.Adán Medrano is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. His professional work in restaurant kitchens includes fine dining at “Restaurant Ten Bogaerde” in Belgium, and volunteering as the Chef of Houston’s Casa Juan Diego, a shelter for homeless persons.Adán is also an award-winning filmmaker and holds a Master of Arts degree in Radio, Television and Film from the University of Texas at Austin. In 1976 he founded the San Antonio CineFestival, the first and now longest-running Latino film festival in the USA. His recent documentary feature film, Truly Texas Mexican, won “Best Documentary” at the New York Independent Cinema Awards.46 min
- 2023 ALMAAHH Visual Artist: Viri Ramos - Te Bajé La Luna Y Las Estrellas2023 ALMAAHH Visual Artist: Viri Ramos - Te Bajé La Luna Y Las EstrellasOn today's bonus episode, Tony Diaz speaks with Viri Ramos in support for the ALMAAHH Silent Auction going on now.Viri Ramos was introduced to painting at an early age by her mother who was a classically trained oil painter. Growing up they would often work along side each other. Upon graduating college, she made the move from Monterrey, México to Houston, Texas. It was during her time living on her own that she discovered acrylics, which were better suited for her not so well ventilated studio apartment. She found in acrylics the best match for her laid back relaxed aesthetic and personality. Her paintings are filled with life and fun. They are happy and playful.. at times serious, but mostly not at all. She favors rough strokes and bold colors.Instagram: @viriviriramosWebsite: www.viriramos.comTony DiazWriter and activist Tony Diaz, El Librotraficante, is a Cultural Accelerator. He was the first Chicano to earn a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Houston Creative Writing Program.In 1998, he founded Nuestra Palabra: Latino Writers Having Their Say (NP), Houston’s first reading series for Latino authors. The group galvanized Houston’s Community Cultural Capital to become a movement for civil rights, education, and representation.When Arizona officials banned Mexican American Studies, Diaz and four veteran members of NP organized the 2012 Librotraficante Caravan to smuggle books from the banned curriculum back into Arizona.He is the author of The Aztec Love God. His book, The Tip of the Pyramid: Cultivating Community Cultural Capital, is the first in his series on Community Organizing.* This is part of a Nuestra Palabra Multiplatform broadcast.* Video airs on www.Fox26Houston.com.* Audio airs on 90.1 FM Houston, KPFT, Houston's Community Station, where our show began.* Live events.Thanks toRoxana Guzman, Multiplatform ProducerRodrigo Bravo, Jr., Audio ProducerRadame Ortiez, SEO DirectorMarc-Antony Piñón, Graphics DesignerLeti Lopez, Music DirectorBryan Parras, co-host and producer emeritusLiana Lopez, co-host and producer emeritusLupe Mendez, Texas Poet Laureate, co-host, and producer emeritusWriter and activist Tony Diaz, El Librotraficante, hosts Latino Politics and News and the Nuestra Palabra Radio Show on 90.1 FM, KPFT, Houston’s Community Station. He is also a political analyst on “What’s Your Point?” on Fox 26 Houston. He is the author of the forthcoming book: The Tip of the Pyramid: Cultivating Community Cultural Capital.www.Librotraficante.comwww.NuestraPalabra.orgwww.TonyDiaz.netNuestra Palabra is funded in part by the BIPOC Arts Network Fund.Instrumental Music produced / courtesy of Bayden RecordsWebsite | baydenrecords.beatstars.com20 min
- Texas Folk Life presents the 34th Annual Accordion Kings & Queens CelebrationTony Diaz will feature some special talent for the upcoming event: The 34th Annual Accordion King & Queens (AKG)Join Texas Folklife for a night as big as the Lone Star State, showcasing the amazing musical diversity of Texas accordion styles. It will be on June 3rd, 2023, from 7PM - 10PM at the Miller Outdoor Theatre.Texas Folklife’s Accordion Kings & Queens (AKQ) draws thousands annually to Houston’s Miller Outdoor Theatre. The event celebrates the cultural diversity of Texas by bringing communities together for an evening of roots music, featuring a variety of Texas accordion music genres.Get your tickets here! https://texasfolklife.org/index.php/AKQCharlie Lockwood has a decade of experience as a nonprofit arts administrator and public folklorist. A Native Texan, he holds an MA in Ethnomusicology from UC Santa Barbara, where he played the oud with the UCSB Middle East Ensemble and did research with the Mardi Gras Indians of New Orleans. As the Executive Director of Texas Folklife, Lockwood has overseen a variety of flagship public programs and initiatives, including an archival preservation project to organize, digitize and ultimately disseminate the organization’s rich archival holdings dating from 1984. Over the last several years Lockwood has spearheaded programs focusing on the intersections of folk and traditional arts and health, including a military veterans folklore and storytelling initiative with support from NEA Creative Forces and Hechos, No Miedo (Facts, Not Fear), a covid-19 PSA Series in partnership with a variety of central Texas partners.In 2014 he co-produced Traditional Music of Texas Volume 1: Fiddle Recordings from the Texas Folklife Archives, and in 2015 was honored with a Community Sabbatical Research Award from the University of Texas at Austin Humanities Institute to research historic and contemporary Texas regional music recordings. Lockwood served as Vice President (2018-2019) and President of the Society for Ethnomusicology Southern Plains Chapter (2019-2020), Journal of Folklore in Education 2019 The Art of the Interview Advisory Committee, is a member of the American Folklore Society and Society for Ethnomusicology. In 2021-2022 Lockwood served on the UTSA Institute of Texan Cultures Task Force: Museum of the Future. He is a former board member of the Americans for the Arts Emerging Arts Leaders Austin chapter and has served on a variety of grant review panels and advisory committees for local and national institutions.Lupe Olivares is the Production Coordinator for 34th Annual Accordion Kings & Queens. He is also the Founder, Creator of Bohemeo's music, art, coffee, LLC. Fall of 2006. Located in Houston's Historic East End. Voted one of Houston's most diverse music venue, restaurant, art gallery and community center. Promoting healthy eating and opening minds to art and human compassion. Written and celebrated by NY Post, Houston Chronicle, Houston Press, Free Press, and Music News publications. Exposing East End Pride.Artistic Director, and Production Coordinator, for Houston International Festival since 1986 to present. Advancing all top level shows between IFest, artist agents and touring mng. Providing logistical support for artist: Transportation, equipment, PA, Lighting, hospitality, security. Stage mng. heading over 30 support personal on site to assure all shows start and end on time. Owner of G. O. Productions, consulting in all things Festivals, and artist/band development: Audio recording, Photography, Video, and distribution of product.Tony DiazHe is the author of The Aztec Love God. His book, The Tip of the Pyramid: Cultivating Community Cultural Capital, is the first in his series on Community Organizing.www.Librotraficante.comwww.NuestraPalabra.orgwww.TonyDiaz.netNuestra Palabra is funded in part by the BIPOC Arts Network Fund.Instrumental Music produced / courtesy of Bayden RecordsWebsite | baydenrecords.beatstars.com58 min
- Nuestra Palabra Presents: Huizache Magazine Spotlight!Today we highlight various authors, poets and educators what have been spotlighted from Huizache Magazine!Maceo Montoya is an author, visual artist, and educator who has published books in a variety of genres, including four works of fiction: The Scoundrel and the Optimist, The Deportation of Wopper Barraza, You Must Fight Them: A Novella and Stories, and Preparatory Notes for Future Masterpieces. Montoya has also published two works of nonfiction: Letters to the Poet from His Brother, a hybrid book combining images, prose poems, and essays, and Chicano Movement for Beginners, which he both wrote and illustrated. Montoya is a professor of Chicana/o Studies and English at the University of California, Davis where he teaches courses on Chicanx culture, literature, and creative writing. He is editor of the literary magazine Huizache and lives in Woodland, CA.Dagoberto Gilb was born in the city of Los Angeles, his mother a Mexican who crossed the border illegally, and his father a Spanish-speaking Anglo raised in East Los Angeles. Gilb's first publication was a small press chapbook out of El Paso, Winners on the Pass Line (1985), which came after he won his first literary prize, the James D. Phelan Award from the San Francisco Foundation. The book's first notice was heard on National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" in a review by Alan Cheuse. Gilb went on to earn more recognition, including a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship and the Texas Institute of Letters' Dobie Paisano Fellowship. He lives in Austin, Texas. He has been a visiting writer at the University of Texas at Austin, University of Wyoming, University of Arizona, Vassar, and Cal State Fresno. He is now a tenured professor in the Creative Writing Program at Texas State University, in San Marcos, Texas. He is also the founder of Huizache.Roberto Ontiveros is an artist, fiction writer, and literary critic. Some of his work has appeared in the Threepenny Review, the Santa Monica Review, Huizache, The Believer, and The Baffler. His collection of stories, The Fight for Space, is published by Stephen F. Austin State University Press.Vincent Cooper is the author of Where the Reckless Ones Come to Die, Aztlan Libre Press 2014, Zarzamora – Poetry of Survival, Jade Publishing 2019 and forthcoming, Infidelis, Mouthfeel Press, Fall of 2023. Cooper’s poems can be found in Huizache 6, Huizache 8, Riversedge Journal, Somos En Escrito, Dryland Lit, co-editor of Good Cop/Bad Cop Anthology, Flowersong Press 2021. He is also a member of the Macondo Writer’s Workshop selected in 2015. Cooper is former United States Marine currently living in the southside of San Antonio, TX.Yaccaira Salvatierra’s poems have appeared or are forthcoming in POETRY Magazine, The Nation, Huizache, and Rattle among others. Her collection, Sons of Salts, is forthcoming with BOA Editions in 2024. She is a committee organizer for the San Francisco International Flor y Canto Literary Festival and a contributing editor for Huizache. She lives in Oakland, California where she is a dedicated educator to historically marginalized and resilient communities.Jo Reyes-Boitel is a poet, playwright, and scholar, queer mixed Latinx, and parent, now working on their MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Texas – Rio Grande Valley, where they also serve as a teaching assistant. Their publications include Michael + Josephine (FlowerSong Press, 2019) and the chapbook mouth (Neon Hemlock, 2021). Playing with fire, their book of poetry centered on their upbringing, is forthcoming from Next Page Press in November 2023. “she wears bells”, their hybrid opera, was chosen as a finalist for Guerilla Opera’s 2022 annual virtual festival.Nuestra Palabra is funded in part by the BIPOC Arts Network Fund.Instrumental Music produced / courtesy of Bayden RecordsWebsite | baydenrecords.beatstars.com56 min
- Nuestra Palabra: 2023 ALMAAHH & MFA Studio Artists Spotlight!Nuestra Palabra: 2023 ALMAAHH & MFA Studio Artists Spotlight!Tony Diaz will be interviewing a few artists and spotlight them on their artistic work as part of the 2023 ALMAAHH & MFAH community!Viri Ramos was introduced to painting at an early age by her mother who was a classically trained oil painter. Growing up they would often work along side each other. Upon graduating college, she made the move from Monterrey, México to Houston, Texas. It was during her time living on her own that she discovered acrylics, which were better suited for her not so well ventilated studio apartment. She found in acrylics the best match for her laid back relaxed aesthetic and personality. Her paintings are filled with life and fun. They are happy and playful.. at times serious, but mostly not at all. She favors rough strokes and bold colors.Instagram: @viriviriramosWebsite: www.viriramos.comGerardo Rosales born in Venezuela is a multidisciplinary artist and educator who has been living and working in Houston, Texas, for 21 years. Rosales first started producing art as a self-taught artist, before attending the Armando Reverón Art Institute in Caracas, Venezuela, where he earned a B.A. in Fine Art. After graduating, he moved to London to study at Chelsea College of Art and Design, where he obtained an M.A. in Fine Art.Achieving recognition for his distinct and original work in Latin America's best known art venues, Rosales has continued developing his art career in Houston. Rosales’s art calls attention to social issues, using a personal iconography connected to his experience as an immigrant in the US. His work is informed by traditions of western art and Latin American folk art. Rosales’ latest art projects include: Commissioned to produce 3 big artworks for the new International Arrival Terminal at Bush International Airport; “Juicy Jungle” at Bill Arning Exhibitions, Houston (current) ; “Ornamento y Delito” at Carmen Araujo Arte , Caracas, Venezuela , 2022; “The Tree of Life” at Houston Botanic Garden (current); ¡Displaced Mundo! a wall painting at the Moody Center for the Arts, Rice University, 2021; “The Banquet” a wall painting at Lawndale Art Center , 2021. During 2018 -2019 Rosales was an artist-in-residence in The TransArt Foundation for Art and Anthropology; from 2019-2021was the artist-in-residence at Lawndale Art Center in Houston. He was awarded the 2019 Support for Artists and Creative Individual Grant from the City of Houston, through the Houston Arts Program.Nela Garzón is a multidisciplinary visual artist with a profound interest in exploring foreign media inspired by traditional crafts and cultures from all over the world. Born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia, she obtained a Bachelor’s of Visual Arts from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana on 2004. In Colombia she worked as a freelance artist and took part of national exhibitions such as 12 Salón Regional de Artistas, 41 Salón Nacional de Artistas and 4to Salón de Arte Bidimensional. She immigrated to the U.S. on 2010 and settled in Houston on 2012 where she currently lives and works. Her art has been shown around the U.S. On 2019 she was the 1st place award recipient of the Assistance League of Houston Texas Art Show curated by Jennie Goldstein, Assistant Curator of the Whitney Museum of American Art, on 2020 she was selected as a LIFTS grant recipient and two of her works were added to the West Collection located in Philadelphia, PA and on 2022 she was commissioned by the Museum of Fine Arts Houston to create a temporary sculpture that was showcased at the Lillie and Hugh Roy Cullen Sculpture Garden.Nela Garzónwww.minkstereo.comNuestra Palabra is funded in part by the BIPOC Arts Network Fund.Instrumental Music produced / courtesy of Bayden RecordsWebsite | baydenrecords.beatstars.com48 min
- The Great Tex Mex Debate W/ Jose Ralat & Gustavo ArellanoNuestra Palabra: Latino Writers Having Their Say has guest host Rodrigo Bravo filling in for Tony Diaz, El Librotraficante, author of the book "The Tip of the Pyramid: Cultivating Community Cultural Capital." Even though Tony may not be here, ya sabes que le damos esquina al Librotraficante and continue talking about cultivating cultural community capital.Nuestra Palabra welcomes Jose Ralat and Gustavo Arellano to the show to discuss their work covering cultura y nuestra gente through food. On our show, we will specifically talk about Tex Mex food, it's evolution, and how that reflects on our Latinidad. Both of our guests will be appearing at the Irma & Emilio Nicolas Media Center in collaboration with the City of San Antonio World Heritage Office to talk in the "Great SA: Tex Mex Debate" to discuss Tex Mex food, how it happened, and why it’s so controversial. This exciting panel will take place Thursday, April 20, 2023, doors at 6p, program at 7p, and discussion afterwards at 8p.Supported by:Arts & Culture, City of San AntonioCity of San Antonio World Heritage OfficeFrost Bank, & Texas Public RadioJosé R. Ralat is Texas Monthly's Taco Editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food. He is the author of American Tacos: A History & Guide. In 2022, he won a James Beard Foundation Award for his Texas Monthly Tex-Mexplainer column.Gustavo Arellano is a columnist for the Los Angeles Times, covering Southern California everything and a bunch of the West and beyond. He previously worked at OC Weekly, where he was an investigative reporter for 15 years and editor for six, wrote a column called ¡Ask a Mexican! and is the author of “Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America.” He’s the child of two Mexican immigrants, one of whom came to this country in the trunk of a Chevy.Writer and activist Tony Diaz, El Librotraficante, is a Cultural Accelerator. He was the first Chicano to earn a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Houston Creative Writing Program.In 1998, he founded Nuestra Palabra: Latino Writers Having Their Say (NP), Houston’s first reading series for Latino authors. The group galvanized Houston’s Community Cultural Capital to become a movement for civil rights, education, and representation.When Arizona officials banned Mexican American Studies, Diaz and four veteran members of NP organized the 2012 Librotraficante Caravan to smuggle books from the banned curriculum back into Arizona.He is the author of The Aztec Love God. His book, The Tip of the Pyramid: Cultivating Community Cultural Capital, is the first in his series on Community Organizing.* This is part of a Nuestra Palabra Multiplatform broadcast.* Video airs on www.Fox26Houston.com.* Audio airs on 90.1 FM Houston, KPFT, Houston's Community Station, where our show began.* Live events.Thanks toRoxana Guzman, Multiplatform ProducerRodrigo Bravo, Jr., Audio ProducerRadame Ortiez, SEO DirectorMarc-Antony Piñón, Graphics DesignerLeti Lopez, Music DirectorBryan Parras, co-host and producer emeritusLiana Lopez, co-host and producer emeritusLupe Mendez, Texas Poet Laureate, co-host, and producer emeritusWriter and activist Tony Diaz, El Librotraficante, hosts Latino Politics and News and the Nuestra Palabra Radio Show on 90.1 FM, KPFT, Houston’s Community Station. He is also a political analyst on “What’s Your Point?” on Fox 26 Houston. He is the author of the forthcoming book: The Tip of the Pyramid: Cultivating Community Cultural Capital.www.Librotraficante.comwww.NuestraPalabra.orgwww.TonyDiaz.netNuestra Palabra is funded in part by the BIPOC Arts Network Fund.Instrumental Music produced / courtesy of Bayden RecordsWebsite | baydenrecords.beatstars.com48 min
- Lizbeth Ortiz, Constance Vazzino, & Alan Gonzalez talk Frida Festival!Frida Festival Showcase! Tony Diaz, El Librotraficante, interviews artist Lizbeth Ortiz, artist and founder of Houston's Frida Festival! Also joining us are two big contributors to the event!Our show airs Tueday's on 90.1 FM KPFT Houston on Houston's Community Radio 90.1 FM at 7:00 PM CST. We will share a podcast link as well after the show!Alan Gonzalez / Alantude is an Emmy award winning fashion and costume designer based out New York. Project Runway contestant and host of Project Runway Redemption, Alan runs his namesake brand Alantude, as well as working on private commission for TV, Film & Theatre and private events.Constance Vazzino is a mixed media artist and full time educator living in Houston TX. She graduated with a BFA with a focus in Studio Painting. Her art is all about the process that includes different mediums, colors, imagery, and materials within her pieces. Her inspiration comes from oceanic and biology related images.As for Lisbeth Ortiz, she was born in Mexico City, raised in Houston, and thrust into adulthood in New York City certainly have influenced her work.Lizbeth Ortiz graduated from HSPVA/Houston and attended Pratt Institute/NYC.In 2005 along with a community of inspired artists, Lizbeth Ortiz organized the first Frida Festival in Houston.Join us and we'll see you there at the Frida Festival, a month long celebration!Viva Frida! Art ExhibitionMECA East End April 8, 6-9 pmFrida en Primavera Dinner + Fashion Show | The Ballroom at Bayou PlaceApril 19, 6-10 pmFrida Festival | MECAApril 29, 11 am – 7 pmMore info at https://www.fridafestival.org/-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Tony DiazWriter and activist Tony Diaz, El Librotraficante, is a Cultural Accelerator. He was the first Chicano to earn a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Houston Creative Writing Program.In 1998, he founded Nuestra Palabra: Latino Writers Having Their Say (NP), Houston’s first reading series for Latino authors. The group galvanized Houston’s Community Cultural Capital to become a movement for civil rights, education, and representation.When Arizona officials banned Mexican American Studies, Diaz and four veteran members of NP organized the 2012 Librotraficante Caravan to smuggle books from the banned curriculum back into Arizona.He is the author of The Aztec Love God. His book, The Tip of the Pyramid: Cultivating Community Cultural Capital, is the first in his series on Community Organizing.* This is part of a Nuestra Palabra Multiplatform broadcast.* Video airs on www.Fox26Houston.com.* Audio airs on 90.1 FM Houston, KPFT, Houston's Community Station, where our show began.* Live events.Thanks toRoxana Guzman, Multiplatform ProducerRodrigo Bravo, Jr., Audio ProducerRadame Ortiez, SEO DirectorMarc-Antony Piñón, Graphics DesignerLeti Lopez, Music DirectorBryan Parras, co-host and producer emeritusLiana Lopez, co-host and producer emeritusLupe Mendez, Texas Poet Laureate, co-host, and producer emeritusWriter and activist Tony Diaz, El Librotraficante, hosts Latino Politics and News and the Nuestra Palabra Radio Show on 90.1 FM, KPFT, Houston’s Community Station. He is also a political analyst on “What’s Your Point?” on Fox 26 Houston. He is the author of the forthcoming book: The Tip of the Pyramid: Cultivating Community Cultural Capital.www.Librotraficante.comwww.NuestraPalabra.orgwww.TonyDiaz.netNuestra Palabra is funded in part by the BIPOC Arts Network Fund.Instrumental Music produced / courtesy of Bayden RecordsWebsite | baydenrecords.beatstars.com40 min
- Diana Lopez ("Los Monstruos: Felice and the Wailing Women") & teacher Araceli Marinquenz joins us!Nuestra Palabra: Latino Writers Having Their Say's Tony Diaz the Librotraficante welcomes Award Winning Author and one of the OG Librotraficante Caravan members Diana Lopez to the show to discuss her latest book, the first in a series, "Felice and the Wailing Woman". Diana speaks with Tony about her inspiration behind the book and her literary journey and her current partnerhsip with the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center Latino Book Store's Texas Author Series to create curriculum and lesson plans from authors, all through a grant spearheaded by Joaquin Castro.To highlight this partnership, Tony also has on the show San Antonio ISD Teacher Celi Manriquez; the Bonham Middle School STEM Academy instructor is developing the lesson plans for Ms. Lopez's book so that students can read stories about them, that they can relate to, and can inspire them.We have a live event on April 14th at the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center as well as at Bonham Academy; check our next post for more details!Diana López is the author of the adult novella, Sofia's Saints, and numerous middle grade novels, including Confetti Girl, Nothing Up My Sleeve, and Lucky Luna. Her debut picture book is now available and is called Sing With Me: The Story of Selena Quintanilla. She also wrote the novel adaptation for the Disney/Pixar film, Coco. Diana retired after a 28-year career in education at both the middle grade and college levels. Her "second act" day job is helping her husband in his physical therapy clinic, FYZICAL Therapy & Balance Center, located in her hometown of Corpus Christi, Texas, but she still enjoys meeting with students when she visits schools to chat about books and writing.Araceli Manriquez is a middle school dual-language teacher in San Antonio ISD. She currently teaches eighth-grade DL social studies and started the first Mexican American Studies (MAS) course for middle school students in the district. She received her double-major bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies Bilingual EC-6 and Mexican American Studies from the University of Texas at San Antonio and also has her master’s degree in Bilingual-Bicultural Studies. Manriquez has been at the forefront of advocacy and organizing for Mexican American Studies to be offered as a course for credit throughout the state of Texas.She also helped create a MAS Summer Camp on her campus for San Antonio ISD middle and high school students and writes MAS curriculum for the district. As an educator, she ensures that her students have a rich, deep understanding of the culture and contributions of the Latinx/e community and are taught a true history of Texas.Manriquez is an active member of her local union, the San Antonio Alliance, and a founding member of its social justice caucus, PODER. She leads professional development in social studies, Mexican-American studies and culturally relevant/sustaining pedagogy for educators throughout San Antonio.Tony DiazWriter and activist Tony Diaz, El Librotraficante, is a Cultural Accelerator. He was the first Chicano to earn a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Houston Creative Writing Program.In 1998, he founded Nuestra Palabra: Latino Writers Having Their Say (NP), Houston’s first reading series for Latino authors. The group galvanized Houston’s Community Cultural Capital to become a movement for civil rights, education, and representation.When Arizona officials banned Mexican American Studies, Diaz and four veteran members of NP organized the 2012 Librotraficante Caravan to smuggle books from the banned curriculum back into Arizona.He is the author of The Aztec Love God. His book, The Tip of the Pyramid: Cultivating Community Cultural Capital, is the first in his series on Community Organizing.www.Librotraficante.comwww.NuestraPalabra.orgwww.TonyDiaz.netNuestra Palabra is funded in part by the BIPOC Arts Network Fund.Instrumental Music produced / courtesy of Bayden RecordsWebsite | baydenrecords.beatstars.com51 min
About Nuestra Palabra: Latino Writers Have Their Say w/ Tony Diaz
From the publisher's feed
Tony Diaz, El Librotraficante, is a writer, activist, and professor who tells it like it is. He co-hosts the #NPRadio Show on 90.1 FM KPFT Houston. He's also a political analyst on "What's Your…
Point?" on Fox 26 Houston. He's also an author of several books, his latest being "The Tip of The Pyramid: Cultivating Community Cultural Capital".