Nuestra Palabra: Latino Writers Have Their Say w/ Tony Diaz

We will have a Christmas Special focusing on Moody Gardens and The Alley Theatre who are reaching out to the Latino community by hiring Latinos for key posts.

Sharing these amazing opportunities are Marie Elena Cortés, Public Relations Coordinator, Moody Gardens & Baldemar Rodriguez, Community Manager of Partnerships, Alley Theatre.

Marie Elena Cortés is a proud Latina who taught for 26 in Houston schools with her energetic and powerful dedication.

Marie has experience as a photographer, published author, artists, actress, model, teacher, podcast host, and educational consultant. She is also an entrepreneur under Cortes Educational Services and inspires parents and teachers through her story telling, art projects and writing workshops. Cortes and her son share a podcast; Shine with Marie & Mark, where they highlight citizens and community leaders who are doing what they love. This summer, Marie Elena moved to Galveston Island and joined Moody Gardens as a Public Relations Coordinator. Her passion continues to glow as she promotes a non-profit educational destination that utilizes nature in the advancements of rehabilitation, conservation, recreation, and research. “Never stop shining your light, because it will show you the way!”-Marie Elena Cortes

Baldemar Rodriguez (@myfilmdirector), the Manager of Community Partnerships at the @alleytheatre, will be co hosting our event at the Alley Theatre! Join us at the Nuestra Palabra 2022 & The Zocalo Committee’s “Houstonians Who Shape The Nation” event at the @alleytheatre on Monday October 3rd. Get your tickets today by clicking the bio on our link!

Baldemar Rodriguez was studied acting at the University of Houston's School of Theater where he transitioned into writing, directing, and producing. His resume includes In Search of the American Dream (2012), FlasNovelas (2015) and Grey Focus (2008).

Thanks to

Roxana Guzman, Multiplatform Producer

Rodrigo Bravo, Jr., Audio Producer

Radame Ortiez, SEO Director

Marc-Antony Piñón, Graphics Designer

Leti Lopez, Music Director

Bryan Parras, co-host and producer emeritus

Liana Lopez, co-host and producer emeritus

Lupe Mendez, Texas Poet Laureate, co-host, and producer emeritus

Writer 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.com

www.NuestraPalabra.org

www.TonyDiaz.net

Instrumental Music produced / courtesy of Bayden Records

Website | http://baydenrecords.beatstars.com

Tony Diaz speaks to featured guests Izzy Gomez and Martha Martinez Gomez about their wonderful anticipated Christmas Program dedicated to children in need in the Houston area.

Navidad en el Barrio is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization dedicated to the application of tax-deductible private donations to events designed to improve the life of the less fortunate in our communities.

Navidad en el Barrio has been providing these events since 1987 in the greater Houston area. The premier event, our Christmas Program, provides entertainment, lunch, and gifts to disadvantaged school children selected from throughout Houston Independent School District (HISD).

Navidad en el Barrio began at the Ripley House Community Center in 1987 with a $5,000 contribution from Rainbo Baking Company.

Since then, Navidad en el Barrio has grown to encompass Christmas Programs in three major cities, Snow Day in Texas and special events for our "older kids". Our hard work and dedication would have produced much less were it not for the tireless efforts of thousands of volunteers and our treasured corporate sponsors.

Reach them below!

- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NavidadEnElBarrio

- Twitter: Navidad en el Barrio (@NeebHouston) / Twitter

- Instagram: Navidad En El Barrio Houston (@navidadenelbarrio) • Instagram photos and videos

- Website: www.navidadenelbarrio.org

Thanks to

Roxana Guzman, Multiplatform Producer

Rodrigo Bravo, Jr., Audio Producer

Radame Ortiez, SEO Director

Marc-Antony Piñón, Graphics Designer

Leti Lopez, Music Director

Bryan Parras, co-host and producer emeritus

Liana Lopez, co-host and producer emeritus

Lupe Mendez, Texas Poet Laureate, co-host, and producer emeritus

Writer 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.com

www.NuestraPalabra.org

www.TonyDiaz.net

Instrumental Music produced / courtesy of Bayden Records

Website | http://baydenrecords.beatstars.com

Tony Diaz, speaks with Xavier Garza about his upcoming projects in addition to Xavier Garza reading a few pieces of his work!!

Xavier Garza was born in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. He is an enthusiastic author, artist, teacher and storyteller whose work is a lively documentation of life, dreams, superstitions, and heroes in the bigger-than-life world of South Texas. Garza has exhibited his art and performed his stories in venues throughout Texas, Arizona and the state of Washington. He has received such recognitions as the Pura Belpre Honor book and the Libro de las Americas Honor book awards. He lives with his wife and son in San Antonio, Texas, and is the author of numerous books.

Thanks to

Roxana Guzman, Multiplatform Producer

Rodrigo Bravo, Jr., Audio Producer

Radame Ortiez, SEO Director

Marc-Antony Piñón, Graphics Designer

Leti Lopez, Music Director

Bryan Parras, co-host and producer emeritus

Liana Lopez, co-host and producer emeritus

Lupe Mendez, Texas Poet Laureate, co-host, and producer emeritus

Writer 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.com

www.NuestraPalabra.org

www.TonyDiaz.net

Instrumental Music produced / courtesy of Bayden Records

Website | http://baydenrecords.beatstars.com

Tony speaks with Author Guadalupe Garcia McCall in advanced of her reading at the Latino Bookstore at the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center as well as the new manager of the Latino Bookstore: Alma Pina.

Born in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico and raised in Eagle Pass, Texas, Guadalupe García McCall is the award-winning author of several young adult novels, some short stories for adults, and many children’s poems. Guadalupe has received the Prestigious Pura Belpre Award, a Westchester Young Adult Fiction Award, the Tomás Rivera Mexican-American Children’s Book Award, and was a finalist for the William C. Morris Award and the Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy, among many other accolades.

Fluent in both English and Spanish, Guadalupe is a compelling speaker who has visited many middle schools, high schools, universities, festivals, conferences, and organizations all over the country. In 2016, she was invited to give a writing workshop and a keynote address at the Sirens Women In Fantasy Conference. In the spring of 2017, Guadalupe was selected as the Inaugural Artist in Residence by the Arne Nixon Center where she visited local high schools and taught courses at California State University Fresno. Also in 2017, Guadalupe gave the keynote for the National Latino Children’s Literature Conference in San Antonio, Texas. In 2018, she gave the keynote at the Texas Council of Teachers of English Language Arts Conference in Galveston, Texas. In 2021, Guadalupe had the honor of moderating the panel, Hispanic Heritage Month Authors Series, Celebrating Latino Experience, History, People, & Cultures, US Department of Education’s Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA with the White House Initiative on Advancing Education, Equity, Excellence and Economic Opportunity (WHIAEEEE), Washington DC. However, her greatest distinction came when her alma mater, Sul Ross State University (SRSU), selected to feature her image and biography on their Living the Dream II – Cultural Pride on Campus mural outside of the Gallego Center.

Thanks to

Roxana Guzman, Multiplatform Producer

Rodrigo Bravo, Jr., Audio Producer

Radame Ortiez, SEO Director

Marc-Antony Piñón, Graphics Designer

Leti Lopez, Music Director

Bryan Parras, co-host and producer emeritus

Liana Lopez, co-host and producer emeritus

Lupe Mendez, Texas Poet Laureate, co-host, and producer emeritus

Writer 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.com

www.NuestraPalabra.org

www.TonyDiaz.net

Instrumental Music produced / courtesy of Bayden Records

Website | http://baydenrecords.beatstars.com

On Monday, October 3, 2022, Nuestra Palabra: Latino Writers Having Their Say highlighted grassroots Latino art and culture that has changed the way we are perceived and treated across the nation. This powerful showcase of talent took place in the state of the art facilities of Houston’s Alley Theatre, a leading force for art in the U.S., through a partnership with its El Zócalo Advisory Committee headed by Baldemar Rodriguez, Manager of Community Partnership.

This event will featured the Houston release of the new book The Tip of the Pyramid: Cultivating Community Cultural Capital by Tony Diaz, El Librotraficante. Diaz is a writer and activist originally from Chicago who moved to Houston to become the first Chicano to earn a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Houston. In 1998, he founded Nuestra Palabra: Latino Writers Having Their Say, Houston's first reading series for Latino Writers, which sparked a movement for art, culture, and civil rights. NP formed the foundation for the Librotraficante Caravan, organized to defy and defeat Arizona officials banning of Mexican American Studies. His book chronicles that history.

Russell Contreras is an alum of Nuestra Palabra: Latino Writers Having Their Say, a graduate of Eisenhower High School and The University of Houston. He earned a Master of Fine Arts from Columbia University. He is the national Race and Justice Reporter for Axios News.

Alvaro Saar Rios is a Texican playwright living in Chicago. He is an alum of Nuestra Palabra: Latino Writers Having Their Say, a graduate of Lamar High School and The University of Houston. His plays have been performed in New York City, Mexico City, Hawaii, Chicago, St. Louis, Milwaukee and all over Texas. He has received playwriting commissions from various organizations, including Kennedy Center, Chicago Children’s Theatre, and Houston Grand Opera. His award-winning play Luchadora! is published by Dramatic Publishing Inc. Other plays include On The Wings of a Mariposa, Unmuted, and Carmela Full of Wishes. Alvaro holds an MFA in Writing for the Stage and Screen from Northwestern University. He is Playwright-In-Residence at Milwaukee's First Stage. Alvaro is a proud veteran of the US Army and an Associate Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Monica Villarreal is an interdisciplinary artist native to Houston. She is the founder of Creative Women Unite, a Houston feminist arts collaborative, and she is a traditional Aztec dancer with Danza Azteca Taxcayolot, a local group that practices indigenous traditions through spirituality and community-engaging performances throughout the nation and internationally. They will open the evenings events.

We will re-live the power, majesty of the Mexica through its art, culture, knowledge recapitulated over the centuries and across the continent and all over the world, and presented as Danza Azteca this evening with:

Danza Chikawa Conroe Texas

&

Danza Azteca Taxcayolot

Poet Lupe Mendez is a veteran alum of Nuestra Palabra: Latino Writers Having Their Say where he made his literary debut. He went on to become one of the co-founders of the Librotraficante Caravan, Tintero Projects, author of the poetry collection "Why I Am Like Tequila," and he is now Texas Poet Laureate.

You will hear a special announcement from Sixto Wagon about opportunities for Latino Artists through the BIPOC Arts Network Fund and Geraldina Wise, Chair of ALMAAHH- Advocates of a Latino Museum of Cultural and Visual Arts & Archive Complex in Houston, Harris County.

Mariachi performances by:

The duet of Jose Luis Rodriguez & Rigo Tapia, and solos by Keira Dalila Martinez, and Eduardo Treviño.

www.Librotraficante.com

www.NuestraPalabra.org

www.TonyDiaz.net

Instrumental Music produced / courtesy of Bayden Records

Website | http://baydenrecords.beatstars.com

Tony Diaz, literary curator of the Latino Bookstore, and the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, hold a monthly speaking engagement as part of the Texas Author Series. Flower Song Press' Edward Vidaurre presented Texas Authors Leticia Urieta & Marisol Cortez and special guests David A. Romero & Matt Cedillo for a showcase!

David A. Romero is a Mexican-American spoken word artist from Diamond Bar, CA. Romero is the author of My Name Is Romero (FlowerSong Press). Romero has received honorariums from over seventy-five colleges and universities in thirty-three different states in the USA.

Rooted in San Antonio, Marisol Cortez writes across genre about place and power for all the other border walking weirdos out there. She is the author of the award-winning South Texas cli-fi novel Luz at Midnight as well as I Call on the Earth, a chapbook of documentary poetry about the forced removal of Mission Trails Mobile Home Community. She writes to remember the land and resist all domination. For updates on projects and publications, visit mcortez.net.

Matt Sedillo has been described as the "best political poet in America" as well as "the poet laureate of the struggle". His work has drawn comparisons in print to Bertolt Brecht, Roque Dalton, Amiri Baraka, Alan Ginsberg and various other legends of the past. Sedillo was the recipient of the first ever Dante's Laurel presented in Ravenna Italy, the 2017 Joe Hill Labor Poetry award, a panelist at the 2020 Texas book festival, and a participant in the 2012 San Francisco International Poetry Festival, the 2022 Elba Poetry Festival. Sedillo has appeared on CSPAN and has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, Axios, the Associated Press among other publications.

Leticia Urieta (she/her/hers) is a Tejana writer from Austin, TX. She is a teaching artist in the greater Austin community and the Program Director of Austin Bat Cave, a literary community serving students in the Austin area, as well as the co-director of Barrio Writers Austin and

Pflugerville, a free creative writing program for youth. Leticia is also a freelance writer. She is a graduate of Agnes Scott College and holds an MFA in Fiction writing from Texas State University. Her work appears or is forthcoming in Chicon Street Poets, Lumina, The Offing,

Kweli Journal, Medium, Electric Lit and others. Her chapbook, The Monster was published in 2018 from LibroMobile Press. Her hybrid collection, Las Criaturas, was a finalist for the Sergio Troncoso Award for Best First Book of Fiction 2022 from the Texas Institute of Letters, and is out now from FlowerSong Press.

Edward Vidaurre is an award-winning poet and author of eight collections of poetry. He is the 2018-2019 City of McAllen, Texas Poet Laureate, 2022 inductee to the Texas Institute of Letters, and publisher of FlowerSong Press. His writings have appeared in The New York Times, The Texas Observer, Los Angeles Review of Books, as well as other journals and anthologies. He has edited over 50 books and anthologies. Vidaurre resides in McAllen, Texas with his wife and daughter.

Thanks to

Roxana Guzman, Multiplatform Producer

Rodrigo Bravo, Jr., Audio Producer

Radame Ortiez, SEO Director

Marc-Antony Piñón, Graphics Designer

Leti Lopez, Music Director

Bryan Parras, co-host and producer emeritus

Liana Lopez, co-host and producer emeritus

Lupe Mendez, Texas Poet Laureate, co-host, and producer emeritus

Writer 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.com

www.NuestraPalabra.org

www.TonyDiaz.net

Instrumental Music produced / courtesy of Bayden Records

Website | http://baydenrecords.beatstars.com

Nuestra Palabra: Flower Song Press Fest: Platicas y Poesia de Califa a Tejas! In a preview of our upcoming Latino Author Series at the Latino Bookstore at the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, Tony Diaz welcomes our feature guests, all part of the FlowerSong Press Familia!

David Romero

Marisol Cortez

Matt Sedillo

Leticia Urieta

David A. Romero is a Mexican-American spoken word artist from Diamond Bar, CA. Romero is the author of My Name Is Romero (FlowerSong Press). Romero has received honorariums from over seventy-five colleges and universities in thirty-three different states in the USA.

Rooted in San Antonio, Marisol Cortez writes across genre about place and power for all the other border walking weirdos out there. She is the author of the award-winning South Texas cli-fi novel Luz at Midnight as well as I Call on the Earth, a chapbook of documentary poetry about the forced removal of Mission Trails Mobile Home Community. She writes to remember the land and resist all domination. For updates on projects and publications, visit mcortez.net.

Matt Sedillo has been described as the "best political poet in America" as well as "the poet laureate of the struggle". His work has drawn comparisons in print to Bertolt Brecht, Roque Dalton, Amiri Baraka, Alan Ginsberg and various other legends of the past. Sedillo was the recipient of the first ever Dante's Laurel presented in Ravenna Italy, the 2017 Joe Hill Labor Poetry award, a panelist at the 2020 Texas book festival, and a participant in the 2012 San Francisco International Poetry Festival, the 2022 Elba Poetry Festival. Sedillo has appeared on CSPAN and has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, Axios, the Associated Press among other publications.

Leticia Urieta (she/her/hers) is a Tejana writer from Austin, TX. She is a teaching artist in the greater Austin community and the Program Director of Austin Bat Cave, a literary community serving students in the Austin area, as well as the co-director of Barrio Writers Austin and

Pflugerville, a free creative writing program for youth. Leticia is also a freelance writer. She is a graduate of Agnes Scott College and holds an MFA in Fiction writing from Texas State University. Her work appears or is forthcoming in Chicon Street Poets, Lumina, The Offing,

Kweli Journal, Medium, Electric Lit and others. Her chapbook, The Monster was published in 2018 from LibroMobile Press. Her hybrid collection, Las Criaturas, was a finalist for the Sergio Troncoso Award for Best First Book of Fiction 2022 from the Texas Institute of Letters, and is out now from FlowerSong Press.

Edward Vidaurre is an award-winning poet and author of eight collections of poetry. He is the 2018-2019 City of McAllen, Texas Poet Laureate, 2022 inductee to the Texas Institute of Letters, and publisher of FlowerSong Press. His writings have appeared in The New York Times, The Texas Observer, Los Angeles Review of Books, as well as other journals and anthologies. He has edited over 50 books and anthologies. Vidaurre resides in McAllen, Texas with his wife and daughter.

Thanks to

Roxana Guzman, Multiplatform Producer

Rodrigo Bravo, Jr., Audio Producer

Radame Ortiez, SEO Director

Marc-Antony Piñón, Graphics Designer

Leti Lopez, Music Director

Bryan Parras, co-host and producer emeritus

Liana Lopez, co-host and producer emeritus

Lupe Mendez, Texas Poet Laureate, co-host, and producer emeritus

Writer 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.com

www.NuestraPalabra.org

www.TonyDiaz.net

Instrumental Music produced / courtesy of Bayden Records

Website | http://baydenrecords.beatstars.com

Nuestra Palabra: Two Houstonians SHaping The Nation!

Tony Diaz speaks with Baldemar Rodriguez, the Manager of Community Partnerships at the Alley Theatre, will be co hosting our event; also there will be UH Grad Russell Contreras who returns to the Space City to Help Launch Axios Houston

Baldemar Rodriguez (@myfilmdirector), the Manager of Community Partnerships at the @alleytheatre, will be co hosting our event at the Alley Theatre! Join us at the Nuestra Palabra 2022 & The Zocalo Committee’s “Houstonians Who Shape The Nation” event at the @alleytheatre on Monday October 3rd. Get your tickets today by clicking the bio on our link!

Baldemar Rodriguez was studied acting at the University of Houston's School of Theater where he transitioned into writing, directing, and producing. His resume includes In Search of the American Dream (2012), FlasNovelas (2015) and Grey Focus (2008).

Russell Contreras, Race and Justice Reporter for Axios, returns to Houston, Sept. 20, to help launch Axios Houston.

Why it matters: Russell is a graduate of the University of Houston and Columbia University who began his career in journalism in Houston before moving to New York and working at The Associated Press, the Boston Globe, and now Axios. He lives in New Mexico.

Thanks to

Roxana Guzman, Multiplatform Producer

Rodrigo Bravo, Jr., Audio Producer

Radame Ortiez, SEO Director

Marc-Antony Piñón, Graphics Designer

Leti Lopez, Music Director

Bryan Parras, co-host and producer emeritus

Liana Lopez, co-host and producer emeritus

Lupe Mendez, Texas Poet Laureate, co-host, and producer emeritus

Writer 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.com

www.NuestraPalabra.org

www.TonyDiaz.net

Instrumental Music produced / courtesy of Bayden Records

Website | http://baydenrecords.beatstars.com

Nuestra Palabra Showcases Nuestra Música #HHM

Nuestra Palabra Showcases Nuestra Música #HHM

Your Host, Tony Diaz showcases Baldemar Rodriguez, Manager of Community Partnerships, Alley Theatre and the young musical talent he brings in to deliver an amazing performance.

Eduardo Trevino is an inspired 10-year-old singer and musician. He’s had a natural rhythm and ear for music since the age of two. His first inspiration came from Christian Mariachi music. During the Covid pandemic of 2020, he used that downtime to teach himself to play guitar through YouTube videos.

His first Talent Show was for “Lake Houston’s Got Talent” in 2021 and won first place. A year later in May 2022 he won first place in “Festival OTI Kids 2022.” He is also actively involved in his church choir. He hopes to one day be a famous Mariachi singer and continue the beautiful Mariachi music tradition of his Mexican culture.

Keira Dalila Martinez is 12 years old. She studied at Project Chrysalis Middle School. Keira loved singing since she was a child. At school she had mariachi classes for a short time and has been taking online singing classes for several months. Although she does not consider herself a professional, Keira continues to follow her passion for music, developing as a young singer and learning newsongs. One of her favorite songs to sing is “La Llorona.”

Jose Luis Rodriguez is 16 years old. He attends Eisenhower High School. He learned to play the accordion by watching YouTube tutorials. Part of his musical repertoire, he plays a huapango called Coconitos and a polka called Tampico Hermoso. Rigo Tapia, his best friend and accomplice in music, accompanies him playing the bass sixth.

Alan Aguilar is a 7th grader from Patrick Henry Middle School in Houston, TX, whohas demonstrated his talent in Mariachi music since the age of six. He is the1 st place winner of the most renowned mariachi singing competition worldwide, Mariachi Vargas National Vocal Contest 2021 in San Antonio. He has received a special recognition from congresswoman Sylvia Garcia for his incredible talent as a mariachi performer and now, with the support of his parents and his music teacher Jose Longoria, he takes music classes at the University of Houston and plays three instruments, guitar, violin and vihuela. Alans favorite songs to perform include “Pelea de Gallos”, “Canta, Canta, Canta”, y “Mi Reina y Mi Tesoro.”

Thanks to

Roxana Guzman, Multiplatform Producer

Rodrigo Bravo, Jr., Audio Producer

Radame Ortiez, SEO Director

Marc-Antony Piñón, Graphics Designer

Leti Lopez, Music Director

Bryan Parras, co-host and producer emeritus

Liana Lopez, co-host and producer emeritus

Lupe Mendez, Texas Poet Laureate, co-host, and producer emeritus

Writer 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.com

www.NuestraPalabra.org

www.TonyDiaz.net

Instrumental Music produced / courtesy of Bayden Records

Website | http://baydenrecords.beatstars.com

Nuestra Palabra: To Live, Love, Heal & Experience Violence as a Black Person w/ Jasminne Mendez

Jasminne Mendez talks to Tony Diaz about her book, "City Without Altar" and how her book helped her redefine her identity as a Black woman and better understand what it means to be Black.

Jasminne Mendez is a Dominican-American poet, playwright, translator and award winning author of several books for children and adults. She is the author of two hybrid memoirs, Island of Dreams (Floricanto Press) and Night-Blooming Jasmin(n)e: Personal Essays and Poetry (Arte Público Press). Her second YA memoir, Islands Apart: Becoming Dominican American (Arte Público Press) is forthcoming in May 2022 and her debut poetry collection, City Without Altar, was a finalist for the Noemi Press Book Award for Poetry and will be released in August 2022. Her debut middle grade book Anina del Mar Jumps In (Dial) is a novel in verse about a young girl diagnosed with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis and is set to release in 2023. Her debut picture book Josefina’s Habichuelas (Arte Público Press), was released last year.

Mendez has had poetry and essays published by or forthcoming in numerous journals and anthologies including The Kenyon Review, New England Review, the YA Latinx Anthology Wild Tongues Can’t be Tamed edited by Saraciea Fennell (Flatiron/Macmillan), and in The BreakBeat Poets Vol. 4: LatiNext (Haymarket Books). She has translated and written poetry and a libretto for the Houston Grand Opera and she translated Amanda Gorman’s best-selling Change Sings into the Spanish edition La canción del cambio. The dramatized version of her play in verse City Without Altar received its world premiere at Milagro theatre in Portland, Oregon this spring. She is an MFA graduate of the creative writing program at the Rainier Writing Workshop at Pacific Lutheran University, a University of Houston alumni, and a Canto Mundo Fellow.

Based in Houston, she is the Co-Founder and Program Director of the Houston based Latinx literary arts organization Tintero Projects and a co-host to the poetry and writing podcast series InkWell, a collaboration between Tintero Projects and Inprint Houston. She is a Canto Mundo Fellow, a Kenyon Review Writer’s Workshop Peter Taylor Fellow and a Macondo and VONA alumni.

When she’s not writing or napping in her hammock she enjoys playing with sand on the beach with her daughter, swimming in the ocean or a pool, practicing yoga, baking cupcakes and laughing with her partner in poetry and in life Lupe Mendez - the Texas State Poet Laureate.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jmendezmemoirs/

Twitter: @jasminnemendez

Instagram: @jasminnemendez

Website: https://www.jasminnemendez.com/

* 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 to

Roxana Guzman, Multiplatform Producer

Rodrigo Bravo, Jr., Audio Producer

Radame Ortiez, SEO Director

Marc-Antony Piñón, Graphics Designer

Leti Lopez, Music Director

Bryan Parras, co-host and producer emeritus

Liana Lopez, co-host and producer emeritus

Lupe Mendez, Texas Poet Laureate, co-host, and producer emeritus

Writer 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.com

www.NuestraPalabra.org

www.TonyDiaz.net

Nuestra Palabra is funded in part by the BIPOC Arts Network Fund.

Instrumental Music produced / courtesy of Bayden Records

Website | http://baydenrecords.beatstars.com