LatinX Audio Lit Mag

If you write about family that's still living, do you still get to go to the family reunions? Can you really put pomegranate seeds in tacos and retain your Mexican license? Get the answer to these hard-hitting questions in this episode of Latinx Lit Audio Mag. Roy Conboy is a Mixed Blood Latino/Irish/Indigenous writer and teacher who’s poetic plays have been seen in the struggling black boxes...

Roy's poem Tia Mary combines playfulness and poignancy in one beautiful punch. Roy Conboy is a Mixed Blood Latino/Irish/Indigenous writer and teacher who’s poetic plays have been seen in the struggling black boxes on the edges of the mainstream theatre in Los Angeles, Santa Ana, San Francisco, San Antonio, Denver, and more; and whose musical plays for young people have toured extensively in Ca...

Do the people who don't claim you have any right to decide who you are? Check out this behind the scenes with Kate Johnstun as he shares his family story and identity. Kase Johnston  is an award-winning novelist, essayist, and memoirist. He lives in Ogden, Utah, with his small family, and is on the board of Label Me Latina/o literary journal — just a writer who has been grappling with identity...

"By the time I was old enough to know, they only spoke in Spanish when they fought or when they swore. Then he would lift his hand and spin his finger around, directing me to dance while the first chords of La Cucaracha sang from his guitar. “La cucaracha y no puedo caminar.” And he always sang the version that included “marijuana que fumar,” and he would get another side glance and laugh fro...

Can Alfredo Pasta really cure the blues? And is a national anthem just a cringey throwback to different times? Get the answers to these questions and more in this week's Behind the Scenes with Luna Vallejo. Luna Vallejo is a 17-year-old writer who hails from Staten Island, New York with Mexican and Honduran roots. Luna is the founder and editor-in-chief of Neverland Lit , an international yout...

"The Star-Spangled Banner Is more than just a national anthem, it's the sanctified song millions of immigrants sing under their breath as their brittle backbones bend over strawberry fields slick with dew to convince themselves that America can still see their silhouettes even when their sandpaper skin isn't drenched in the dawn's early light..." Luna Vallejo is a 17-year-old...

What is a Rodeo Queen, and does it come with a golden lasso like Wonder Woman gets? Tune in to get the answer to this hard-hitting question and more as we take a deep dive into the world of Breaking Pattern. Buy Breaking Pattern from  Inlandia Books and  Barnes and Noble BIO: Chicana Feminist and former Rodeo Queen,  Tisha Marie Reichle-Aguilera  (she/her) writes so the desert landscape of her chi...

Adriana Elizabeth Herrera Bowen loves horses more than people and lives for junior rodeo competitions. For the first time, the All-Around Cowgirl saddle is within her reach. Except her old gray mare, Pearl, isn’t as fast as she used to be, and another competitor has her eye on the same prize. So Adriana needs a faster horse. Is she willing to jeopardize her friendships and vet school dreams to win...

In today's episode, Jessey Munoz shows us that you don't need a lot to have a happy childhood. And sometimes a pot of beans on the stove can be magical. Jessey Munoz is a retired teacher.  He loves poetry, writing and his Mexican-American culture. He often writes about family experiences.  He lives in Texas with his wife, Patricia.   You can find Jessey's books 'Circle of Twelve: M...

Do you remember when you thought finding a quarter made you rich? In this poem, Jesse Munoz takes us back to a simpler time. Jessey Munoz is a retired teacher.  He loves poetry, writing and his Mexican-American culture. He often writes about family experiences.  He lives in Texas with his wife, Patricia.   of — PTSD: A Puzzle Piece that Does Not Fit' on Amazon .

What an amazing Fourth Season! If you haven't had a chance to listen to the beautiful stories and poems over the last four seasons, then this is the perfect time to catch up. LatinxLit will be reading and recording submissions all summer long, and come back in September ready to rock your world. We can't wait to show you the magic. Have a great summer.

Mother's Day just passed, and we're celebrating it the Latinx Lit Audio Mag way, with a prose poem about a mother that is both beautiful and sad. Listen as David takes us through the writing of this one and how he navigated writing through grief. David Estringel is a Xicanx writer/poet with works published in literary publications, such as The Opiate, Azahares, Cephalorpress, Lahar, Poetry...

"Long has it been since I’ve heard...The thump…thump…thump of black stone on black stone—the molcajete—mashing cumino seeds, granos de pimiento negra, and cloves of garlic—with snaps and pops—into glorious salves that staved off hungers, deep and brash." David Estringel is a Xicanx writer/poet with works published in literary publications, such as The Opiate, Azahares, Cephalorpress, Lah...

Latina Muslims are the fastest-growing ethnic group in Islam. However, many of the conversations surrounding Latinas and Muslims often don't include the intersection of these groups. In today’s episode, Evelyn Alsultany will discuss her book  Broken: The Failed Promise of Muslim Inclusion  (2022), which was listed as one of the 10 best scholarly books of 2022 by  The Chronicle of Higher Educat...

In this episode, Samantha tackles the question: what can wealth mean to a creative in a capitalistic society? We also talk about the wonder of the neighborhood tamale seller. Warning: this episode might make you want tamales. Samantha is a lesbian Chicana poet from East LA. She began writing short stories when she was six and grew to love poetry throughout her educational career. She is a current...

"I want wealth in my spirit! Honoring the souls of my ancestors who made la cultura what it is today; Honoring the stories of my primos y tios y tias floating across the border; Honoring the crisp dickies and pro clubs stuffed in my drawers because they are more than just clothes, they are our way of expression."  Samantha is a lesbian Chicana poet from East LA. She began writing short s...

If you enjoyed the way Tak wove the deeply personal with the natural world in her two poems, you're going to love hearing how she came to write them. And if you're looking to purchase her book Tourist, which published on April 11, 2023, you can do so at  ⁠⁠Amazon⁠⁠  or at  ⁠⁠Sea Crow Press.⁠⁠ TAK Erzinger is an American/Swiss poet and artist with a Colombian background. Her poetry has been...

"Yo hablo, yo hablo así, you hablo así, en mi corozón… When I began to speak, I parroted  Mariposas instead of butterflies and they appeared to be tropical but I realised I was landlocked and  it was winter with dusty snowflakes..." Tak reads two poems from Tourist, her latest book of poetry. You can purchase a copy of Tourist at Amazon and at Sea Crow Press. TAK Erzinger is an American/...

In which Lysz teaches Teresa about Pastelon, forever changing her life for the better. Also, there are never enough love poems about family/friend love, and Lysz walks us through how she wrote this one. Be prepared for some deep moments, like when Lyzs says "Sometimes people save you in ways that you have no words for." Lysz Flo is an Afrolatinx, trilingual spoken word artist, author of...

"Wela, Vieja, who loves moons on her nails  and stars in my eyes." Sometimes the greatest love stories have nothing to do with romance. This is one of them. Lysz Flo is an Afrolatinx, trilingual spoken word artist, author of fiction and poetry, member of The Estuary Collective, and a podcast host of Creatively Exposed, Grubstreet educator, and Voodoonauts Summer 2020 Fellow. She released...

David talks to us about the complexity of embracing one's heritage as an adult, after a life of youthful denial.  David Estringel is a Xicanx writer/poet with works published in literary publications, such as The Opiate, Azahares, Cephalorpress, Lahar, Poetry Ni, DREICH, Rigorous, Somos en escrito, Hispanecdotes, Ethel, The Milk House, Beir Bua Journal, and The Blue Nib. David received his BA...

"Thumbing through The Borderlands , I can’t help but feel not “brown” enough. I’m Mexican Lite. Got a case of the “coconuts”. There are no rageful battle-cries inflaming this breast. No bitterness lingering on the tip of the tongue (the back of hands and the starch of white collars taste just the same no matter the bearer’s color). No tortured soul, longing for identity and re-appropriation. Just...

In today's episode we talk about telling people you love them while they are still here with you, the importance of grandparents, and the healing properties of a good chicken in duck sauce. Larissa Freitas (She/Her) is a Latina poet from João Pessoa, Brazil. She writes because she believes in the transformative power of literature. Her poems have been published in English and Portuguese. You can f...

So it doesn't have to be Valentine's Day to talk about the deep love we have for people, but if you are looking for a pure ode to the love of a grandma, this week's episode is for you.  Larissa Freitas (She/Her) is a Latina poet from João Pessoa, Brazil. She writes because she believes in the transformative power of literature. Her poems have been published in English and Portuguese. You can...

Is it a sin to eat mac and cheese and Pozole in the same sitting? Get the answer to this question and more in this hard-hitting episode. Spoiler: Teresa liked this poem so much she was pretty much incoherent in her acceptance, but tried to do better in the actual interview. Mateo Omar is a writer, poet, and artist currently based in San Diego county, California. So far his writing has been publish...