Words on a Wire

Ben & Daniel talk with Veronica Reyes, author of the poetry collection "Chopper! Chopper! Poetry from Bordered Lives." Veronica is an East L.A. poet who studied at UTEP, and she talks about how her work reflects her activism and reaches out to Mexican-American and queer communities. Veronica talks about the difficulties in finding a publisher, even a Latino press, because she is a Chicana lesbian and her works don't shy away from the subject.

Veronica Reyes reads the Poem of the Week: "Desert Rain" from "Chopper! Chopper! Poetry from Bordered Lives."

In this week's Poetic License, former UTEP student, Arizona resident, and marketing specialist William Alfred Rose shares his memories of childhood piano lessons in the reflection "Electricity."

Daniel & Ben talk with Ire'ne Lara Silva, author of "Flesh to Bone." Ire'ne talks about making the leap from being a poet to a fiction writer, and shares a memory of a nightmare from her childhood that inspired her to write. Ire'ene also explains why her works tend to lean "dark." She also gives us a preview of her upcoming poetry project about diabetes & healing.

This week's Poem of the Week is by Benjamin Alire Saenz, read by the author: "Poem for Sunday."

And in this week's Poetic License, writer Conrad Romo reads "Four Jackasses," which explores what Conrad's ideal funeral would be like.

Ben & Daniel talk with Joseph D. Haske, whose recently-released debut novel is "North Texas Highway." The book grew out of a couple of stories, and the timeline flashes back & forth between the 1990s and 1980s. Joe explains why the fragmented nature of the book relates to the fragmented nature of the actual North Dixie Highway. Joe also talks about balancing his life as a writer and as the Chair of the English Department at South Texas College in the border town of McAllen, Texas.

For today's Poem of the Week, Ben reads "Friend" by Jean Valentine, written in memory of her friend Adrienne Rich.

In this week's Poetic License, Daniel shares a story from his childhood which demonstrates his mother's unusual (and dark) sense of humor.

Daniel and guest co-host Nancy Lechuga talk with poet Nicky Schildkraut. Her latest book, "Magnetic Refrain," is described by Daniel as "fierce." She talks about how her experience as a Korean adoptee influenced her writing, and about her collaboration with avant-garde artists & composers. Nicky reads the poem "Family History" from her collection, "Magnetic Refrain."

Daniel and Ben talk with poet Sheryl Luna, El Paso native and author of "Seven." She talks about why "Seven" took 7 years to write, and why she decided to split it into 7 parts to reflect the 7 Deadly Sins. Sheryl also talks about painting and how it relates to her writing. Sheryl reads the poem "Seven" from the book of the same name.

For this week's Poetic License, Ben wraps up his reflections on Memory, Language, and Memory. Ben believes memory is necessary for words and language to exist, and that human violence can lead to the extinction of certain words.

Daniel and guest co-host Nancy Lechuga talk with poet Shin Yu Pai, author of the collection "Aux Arcs." She talks about why she chose to pronounce the title of her collection "Ozarks." Shin Yu is also a visual artist, and she talks about how her photographs complement or contrast the poems in her book.

For this week's Poem of the Week, Shin Yu Pai reads "Inner Space" from her collection "Aux Arcs."

Daniel Chacon contributes this week's Poetic License with a remembrance from his high school days. It's entitled "Two Stupid Boys."

Ben & Daniel celebrate the Christmas season with reflections on their favorite memories. Ben remembers making tamales with his mom when he was young, a tradition he continues to this day. Daniel remembers proudly writing a Christmas poem about Santa driving a Cadillac...only to find out that his teacher doubted his authorship. And Ben & Daniel also talk about their favorite Christmas songs and the memories they conjure. Ben's favorite is "I'll be Home for Christmas," which he says idealizes the often-unattainable concept of "home." Daniel tears up every time he hears "The Little Drummer Boy." Ben will also read T.S. Eliot's "Journey of the Magi."

Tim Z. Hernandez returns to the show to talk about his new book, "Mañana Means Heaven," which is a portrait of Bea Franco, the "Mexican Girl" in Jack Kerouac's writings. Tim tells Daniel and guest co-host Nancy Lechuga about what led him to write about Bea, and about the long search to find her. Tim also talks about the beat influence on Chicano writers. We'll also hear about the research Tim undertook to identify the Mexican deportees killed in a plane crash in 1948 in Los Gatos Caynon in California. The deportees were buried in a mass gravesite with no identification. Thanks to Tim's efforts, a new headstone with all their names was recently erected.

For this week's Poem of the Week, Nancy Lechuga reads "Bowery Blues" by Jack Kerouac.

And in this week's Poetic License, Benjamin Alire Saenz contributes part 3 in his "Words, Language, and Memory" series with a reflection on how words decipher the world, and about the movement between English and Spanish in his writing.

Daniel and guest co-host Marcia Hatfield Daudistel talk with screenwriter Anne Heffron, an old college buddy of Daniel's. Anne co-wrote the screenplay for "Phantom Halo" with Antonia Bogdanovich (daughter of director Peter Bogdanovich), and it's based on a short film written & directed by Antonia, "My Left Hand Man." Anne talks about casting actors for the film, her collaborative experience with Antonia, and why her next project may be writing a book about her experience growing up as an adoptee. "Phantom Halo" is currently in production.

For today's Poem of the Week, Marcia keeps it Hollywood by reading "Brad Pitt" by Aaron Smith.

And for today's Poetic License, Benjamin Alire Saenz reads part 2 of his reflections on Words, Language, and Memory. Ben reflects on why we need words as tools of remembrance, and why the process of naming things is so important to poets.

Daniel and guest co-host Marcia Hatfield Daudistel talk with Patricia Engel about her new novel, "It's Not Love, It's Just Paris." Patricia explains why the book is a result of wanting to write a "Paris" novel as well as a love story without being a stereotypical "French romance" book. She also explains why she was lucky to avoid the "chick lit" label on her previous books. http://patriciaengel.com/

In this week's Poetic License, Benjamin Alire Saenz begins a series in which he reflects on Words, Knowledge, and Memory. In this entry, Ben explains how he approaches all three in his life and his work.

And in this week's Poem of the Week, Daniel reads "Be Drunk" by Charles Baudelaire.

Daniel welcomes guest co-host Nancy Lechuga, a local poet, for a conversation with Juan Ochoa, author of the novel "Mariguano," a book set on the South Texas/Mexico border during the Reagan-era War on Drugs. Juan talks about the similarities between his characters and his own experiences observing corruption and the drug trade on the border. Juan also explains why he believes the Reagan-era policies led to the large drug organizations of today.

For today's Poem of the Week, guest co-host Nancy Lechuga reads 3 short poems by the Russian poet, Vera Pavlova: "Am I Lovely? Of Course!", "He Marked the Page with a Match," and "I am in Love, Hence Free to Live." http://verapavlova.us/

For this week's Poetic License, Los Angeles poet and literary event coordinator Jessica Ceballos has a conversation with writer Chiwan Choi about his recent book, "It was Always the Weight of Everything," which is a social experiment in publishing. Chiwan began writing it on Facebook, has published it digitally, and is making it available for free to everyone. Learn more at https://www.facebook.com/theweightofeverything.