On this episode of Words on a Wire, Host Tim Z. Hernande speaks with Cassie Holguin-Pettinato, a Chicana poet, collage artist, and theremin musician from the El Paso/Juárez frontera. A fourth-generation resident of La Calavera, the last historic neighborhood of Smeltertown, she channels her rich cultural background into her work. Cassie is the author of The Lamb’s Tail (Bottlecap Press, 2022) and The Five Stages of Stuttering (Flowersong Press, 2024). She holds a B.A. in Creative Writing from The University of Texas at El Paso. In 2024, she was honored with the Poet and Author Fellowship at the Martha’s Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing. Currently, she serves as an academic writing tutor at El Paso Community College.

[Listener note: This episode's conversation is conducted in Spanish] Ricardo Pohlenz es un escritor iconoclasta, ha atravesado la poesía concreta, la crítica cinematográfica y la literatura como acto de irreverencia. En este episodio iniciamos una nueva temporada de Patos Salvajes con esta entrevista sorprendente que tuvimos en persona en la Ciudad de México. Patos Salvajes es el espacio radiofónico de los estudiantes del M.F.A. en Escritura Creativa Bilingüe en la Universidad de Texas en El Paso.

[Description translation] Ricardo Pohlenz is an iconoclastic writer, he has traversed concrete poetry, film criticism and literature in general as an act of irreverence. In this episode we start a new season of Patos Salvajes with this astonishing interview we had in person in Mexico City. Patos Salvajes is the radio program of the students of the M.F.A. in Bilingual Creative Writing at the University of Texas at El Paso.

Host Daniel Chacon speaks with author, playwright, and theater director Octavio Solis.

Host Tim Z. Hernandez speaks with author and historian David Dorado Romo about "the true story of America, from the Mexican American perspective."

Host Daniel Chacón speaks with author and attorney Daniel A. Olivas about his latest novel, Chicano Frankenstein (Forest Avenue Press, 2024).

Longtime hosts Daniel Chacón and Tim Z. Hernandez kick off season 16 of Words on a Wire. They discuss season 16 guests, forthcoming projects, addiction, and the honor of being invited to the Texas Book Festival.

In this special episode of Words on a Wire, join host Daniel Chacon as he brings you an extraordinary collaboration with the renowned Spanish podcast Todo Empieza con Una Palabra. Recorded in Madrid, this episode features a rich, bilingual discussion with students and faculty from the University of Texas, El Paso, and the Escuela de Escritores. Hear diverse perspectives on the craft of writing, and experience the vibrant synergy between writers from different cultures. 

On this special episode of Words on a Wire, host Daniel Chacón invites writers from the Macondo community, a writing workshop founded by Sandra Cisneros. Guests include writers Carla Trujillo, Miguel Angel Ramirez, and Erasmo Guerra.

Patos Salvajes es el espacio radiofónico de los estudiantes del M.F.A. en Escritura Creativa Bilingüe en la Universidad de Texas en El Paso. Hoy tendremos un encuentro muy especial con dos maravillosas poetas locales. Nancy Lorenza Green es una una voz imprescindible en la frontera, su cultura de origen combina la rama materna mexicana con la raíz paterna afroamericana, escritora absolutamente bilingüe que además es un músico sorprendente. Se define como Afro-Chicana y todas las fronteras confluyen en ella. Toni Beatriz Fuentes, en tanto, es una poeta de raíces originarias Apaches y, como lo dice ella misma, un alma mexicana, expresión de esta sensibilidad que no reconoce fronteras.

Patos Salvajes is the radio program of the students of the M.F.A. in Bilingual Creative Writing at the University of Texas at El Paso. Today we will have a very special encounter with two wonderful local poets. Nancy Lorenza Green is an indispensable voice on the border, her culture of origin combines the Mexican maternal branch with the Afro-American paternal root, an absolutely bilingual writer who is also an amazing musician. She defines herself as Afro-Chicana and all borders converge in her. Toni Beatriz Fuentes, meanwhile, is a poet of native Apache roots and, as she herself says, a Mexican soul, an expression of this sensibility that recognizes no borders.

Edward Vidaurre is the author of nine collections of poetry. His poems have appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Avalon Literary Review, The Acentos Review, Poetrybay, as well as other journals and anthologies. He is the 2018-2019 City of McAllen, TX Poet Laureate and publisher of FlowerSong Press and its sister imprint Juventud Press.