Words on a Wire

On this episode of The Storykeeper on Words on a Wire, host Tim Z. Hernandez speaks with poet and journalist Adolfo Guzman-Lopez about his collection, California Southern: Writing from the Road, 1992–2025. Together they reflect on three decades of poetry, journalism, and cultural activism—spanning the San Diego–Tijuana border, Los Angeles, and beyond. Guzmán-López shares the stories behind his work, his journey from performance-poetry with the Taco Shop Poets to award-winning reporting at NPR affiliates, and how history, migration, and community shape his art.

Antena es la primera novela de misterio extraterrestre ubicada en las entrañas de la Argentina agroexportadora de los últimos años. Francisco Marzioni retrata la interioridad y la subjetividad de los entornos rurales agropecuarios de un país que ha sabido usar la Ciencia Ficción como una poderosa metáfora de sus tensiones y contradicciones políticas ¿Quienes son los extraterrestres en un país saqueado por el oportunismo extractivista? El viaje de los visionarios cósmicos no parece haber acabado para un país que apunta al Sur como respuesta.

Antena is the first extraterrestrial mystery novel set in the bowels of agro-exporting Argentina in recent years. Francisco Marzioni portrays the interiority and subjectivity of the rural agricultural environments of a country that has been able to use Science Fiction as a powerful metaphor for its political tensions and contradictions. Who are the aliens in a country plundered by extractivist opportunism? The journey of the cosmic visionaries does not seem to be over for a country that points to the South as an answer.

La Cuarta Raya Del Tigre y Casa Barullo son la manera en que la escritura se hace comunidad, juego, amistad y consigue sobrevivir al aislamiento y la desfinanciación cultural de este nuevo milenio en Colombia y el mundo. En esta charla aprendemos sobre el arte del encuentro, el contagio y la identidad en los extremos donde la literatura y la autoría devienen colectivos ¿Cómo podemos madurar y crecer en la creación literaria, y de un nuevo mundo?

La Cuarta Raya Del Tigre and Casa Barullo is the way in which writing becomes community, play, friendship and manages to survive the isolation and cultural defunding of this new millennium in Colombia and the world. In this talk we learn about the art of encounter, contagion and identity in the extremes where literature and authorship become collective. How can we mature and grow in literary creation, and of a new world?

Una joven operaria de una fábrica, ¿puede aspirar a convertirse en escritora, ganar premios, publicar y ayudar a otras escritores-operarios a publicar? En el paisaje de la frontera estas historias resultan posibles invocando y subvirtiendo a personajes fantásticos como los superhéroes que ahora hacen justicia donde históricamente ha reinado el abuso y la explotación. Elpidia García Delgado nos cuenta su maravillosa historia con una alegría y un orgullo revolucionario.

Can a young factory worker aspire to become a writer, win awards, publish and help other writer-workers publish? In the frontier landscape these stories are made possible by invoking and subverting fantastical characters such as superheroes who now bring justice where historically abuse and exploitation have reigned. Elpidia García Delgado tells her wonderful story with revolutionary joy and pride.

In this episode of Words on a Wire, host Daniel Chacón speaks with Javier Sagarna, a Spanish writer and director of Escuela de Escritores in Madrid. Sagarna shares his journey from pharmaceuticals to fiction, reflecting on how literature and workshops can create community and foster imagination. He discusses the role of utopias in storytelling, arguing that writers should move beyond dystopian visions to imagine better futures. The conversation also touches on a major blackout in Madrid, where instead of chaos, neighbors gathered, talked, and supported one another—an experience Sagarna likens to the potential of creative writing communities. With insights on craft, teaching, and the transformative power of desire over talent, Sagarna emphasizes writing as both an art and a way of life. This episode explores imagination, resilience, and the courage to live—and write—your own story.

In this wide-ranging conversation, host Daniel Chacón speaks with poet Matt Sedillo— called “America’s greatest political poet”—about his poetic mission, international travels, and deep commitment to social justice. Sedillo reflects on the legacy of revolutionary poets like Roque Dalton and Pablo Neruda, and shares his experiences participating in international poetry festivals, including a recent trip to Cuba where he read a poem to Olympic gold medalist Mijaín López.

The episode explores Sedillo’s literary and political inspirations, his role in building bridges between Chicano poetry and audiences across Latin America, and his passion for promoting working-class voices through El Martillo Press, which he co-founded. He also speaks candidly about the importance of mentorship, cultural reciprocity, and networking for emerging writers.

In this episode of Words on a Wire, host Daniel Chacón speaks with UTEP math professor Lawrence Lesser and digital humanities scholar Elisabet Takehana about the surprising connections between poetry, mathematics, and data. What starts as a discussion about a poem on the number π unfolds into a wide-ranging conversation about creativity, meaning, and the human role in interpreting both language and numbers. Together, they explore how algorithms, literature, and mathematics all reflect a deeply human impulse to find patterns—and beauty—in the world around us.

In this thought-provoking episode of Words on a Wire, host Daniel Chacón welcomes author and theologian Keith Giles for an engaging conversation about his book The Quantum Sayings of Jesus: Decoding the Lost Gospel of Thomas. Giles shares his spiritual journey from being a Southern Baptist pastor immersed in conservative evangelicalism to becoming what he calls “mystic-curious.”

The episode dives deep into the Gospel of Thomas, a non-canonical collection of Jesus’ sayings that Giles argues holds profound spiritual insight when read through the lens of non-duality and oneness. Giles explains how his rethinking of foundational Christian doctrines led to a years-long process of spiritual deconstruction, culminating in a series of books challenging traditional views of politics, scripture, and more.

In this episode of Words on a Wire, hosts Daniel Chacón and Tim Z. Hernandez sit down with Felicia Cocotzin Ruiz—award-winning author, respected curandera, and revered herbal educator—whose healing practices are rooted in the traditions of the Sonoran Desert. Known affectionately as the “Kitchen Curandera,” Felicia shares stories from her journey into traditional healing, from her great-grandmother’s teachings in Old Town Albuquerque to her own transformative work with food, dance, and plant medicine.

Felicia discusses the philosophy behind her acclaimed book Earth Medicines, her evolving role as a healer, and the importance of language, ancestry, and “indigenizing” wellness practices. She reflects on the power of naming, the wisdom of plants, and the spiritual connection between body and creativity. With warmth and insight, she explores how ancient indigenous knowledge is often validated—if not co-opted—by modern science, and emphasizes the importance of honoring traditions rather than rebranding them.

In this episode of Words on a Wire, host Daniel Chacón welcomes back poet Adela Najarro to discuss her powerful new collection, Variations in Blue, published by Red Hen Press. With warmth, candor, and insight, Najarro reflects on how art, memory, and community shape her work. Najarro also pays tribute to her literary influences, including Pablo Neruda, while critically reimagining their legacies through a feminist lens. This moving dialogue is a testament to the power of poetry to confront silence, reclaim narrative, and build connection.