Words on a Wire

In this episode of Words on a Wire , host Daniel Chacón talks with debut author Eugenie Montague about her novel Swallow the Ghost , a genre-bending narrative that plays with the conventions of crime fiction, digital life, and storytelling itself. Montague shares how the novel began as a writing experiment that grew into something larger—originating with the character Jane and evolving into a stor...

Mikhail Carbajal es un escritor y educador que ha desarrollado una obra que explora la identidad en la frontera norte de México, y su cultura. Desde hace algunos años también está a cargo de un proyecto muy particular que combina literatura y redes sociales en una plataforma que ha trascendido, hablamos de “La gramática del Meme”.   Mikhail Carbajal is a writer and educator who has developed a wor...

This week, our host Tim Z. Hernandez shares a live recording of a panel he was recently on at the Tucson Festival of Books, which took place March 15 & 16. The panel was titled "Unexpected Legacy of History," and features a conversation between Jason De Leon, Lee Hawkins, Tim Z. Hernandez, and moderator, Jill Jordan Spitz. 

In this episode of Words on a Wire, host Will Rose speaks with journalist and former El Paso news anchor Stephanie Valle. They talk about Stephanie’s two-decade career at KVIA ABC-7 and her new role at the El Paso District Attorney’s Office. During her career, Stephanie anchored morning and evening newscasts and often reported her own investigative stories. She turned her passion for reporting int...

In this engaging episode of Words on a Wire , host Daniel Chacón sits down with acclaimed poet and author Gume Laurel III to discuss his journey into poetry, the power of storytelling through verse novels, and the inspiration behind his works. From his early resistance to poetry to discovering its rhythm and depth through spoken word, Gume shares how he found his literary voice and carved a space...

Mijail Lamas, poeta, traductor y crítico, egresado de nuestra Maestría en Escritura Creativa en El Paso, conversa con nosotros sobre su trayectoria. Nacido en Culiacán, Sinaloa, Lamas ha publicado numerosos poemarios y se ha adentrado en la traducción poética. En esta entrevista, reflexiona sobre su relación con la poesía y la riqueza de su formación en UTEP.   Mijail Lamas, a poet, translator, an...

In this episode of Words on a Wire , host Will Rose sits down with author Luis Jaramillo to discuss his novel The Witches of El Paso . Jaramillo delves into his connection to El Paso, a city that has inspired his storytelling through family history, cultural richness, and a sense of magic woven into everyday life. He shares insights into his writing process, the influence of the region’s bicultura...

In this episode of Words on a Wire , host Daniel Chacón sits down with investigative journalist and author Lise Olsen to discuss her chilling yet deeply compelling book, The Scientist and the Serial Killer: The Search for Houston’s Lost Boys . The book unearths the harrowing story of the Candyman Killer, Dean Corll, who preyed on teenage boys in 1970s Houston, and the relentless efforts of forensi...

In this episode of The Storykeeper , from Words on a Wire, host Tim Z. Hernandez sits down with author Cristina Herrera to discuss her book Welcome to Oxnard: Race, Place, and Chicana Adolescence in Michelle Serros's Writing . The conversation delves into the legacy of Michelle Serros, an influential writer whose work captured the complexities of growing up in Oxnard, California. They explore them...

In this special Words on a Wire episode, hosts Daniel Chacón and Tim Z. Hernandez sat down with painter, writer, professor, and cultural historian Maceo Montoya at a recent public event at the University of Texas at El Paso. With a live audience in attendance, the trio discusses Montoya’s upbringing in a small California town, his dynamic artistic career, and the ever-evolving narratives of the Ch...

In this episode of The Story Keeper , from Words on a Wire , host Tim Z. Hernandez welcomes visual artist and educator Lorena Williams. Lorena shares deeply personal stories of her family's history, including the impact of the Mexican Repatriation and the intergenerational effects of migration on identity and belonging. Drawing inspiration from her upbringing in El Paso, Texas, and Juarez, Mexico,...

In this episode of The Writer and the Brain , from Words on a Wire, host Daniel Chacón welcomes author Richard Z. Santos to discuss his novel Trust Me and its rich exploration of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Santos reflects on the city’s paradoxical energy, where ancient history meets contemporary wealth, and how this unique environment inspired his storytelling. Together, they delve into the challenges...

In this captivating episode of The Writer and the Brain , a Words on a Wire production, host Daniel Chacón sits down with poet and artist Octavio Quintanilla at the Texas Book Festival to explore his latest poetry collection, The Book of Wounded Sparrows . This deeply personal collection delves into themes of family separation, dislocation, and the transformative power of memory and time. Octavio...

In this episode of Words on a Wire , host Will Rose sits down with Rus Bradburd—former UTEP and NMSU assistant basketball coach turned author—to discuss his debut novel, Big Time (Etruscan Press, 2024). This sharp satire delves into how money and sponsorships are reshaping higher education in America, all through the lens of the fictional Coors State University. Bradburd, who coached Division I ba...

In this episode, host Daniel Chacón sits down with his longtime Words on a Wire co-host, Tim Z. Hernandez, to discuss Tim’s latest book, They Call You Back . Diving into themes of search, memory, and connection, the conversation unravels the deeply personal and poetic journey behind Hernandez’s work. This episode delves into the liminal spaces between the living and the dead, storytelling as a por...

In this episode of Words on a Wire, longtime host Tim Z. Hernandez introduces "The Storykeeper," an exciting new segment on Words on a Wire. Drawing from his extensive experience from his years of gathering stories, Hernandez explains how The Storykeeper will bring powerful, transformative narratives to listeners. He offers a preview of upcoming episodes, including an interview with a family affec...

 In this engaging conversation, Host Daniel Chacón speaks with California Poet Laureate Lee Herrick. They discuss his latest work "In Praise of Late Wonder: New and Selected Poems," a collection that marks a profound exploration of his identity as a Korean adoptee. While Herrick has long been known as an adopted poet, this book represents his deepest dive yet into themes of adoption, identity, and...

In this episode of Words on a Wire , host Will Rose sits down with Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker staff writer and author of the New York Times Top 10 Book of 2024, Everyone Who Was Gone Is Here . Blitzer delves into the intricate and often overlooked ties between U.S. foreign policy in Central America and the modern immigration crises at the southern border. Drawing on years of immersive reporting...

In this episode of Words on a Wire, host Tim Z. Hernandez speaks with poet Yaccaira Salvatierra. Yaccaira’s poems have appeared in POETRY Magazine, The Nation, Prairie Schooner , and Rattle among others. Her collection, Sons of Salt , was published with BOA Editions September 2024. She has been an organizer for the San Francisco International Flor y Canto Literary Festival and is currently transla...

Host Daniel Chacón talks with mystery writer Teresa Dovalpage about her thirteenth novel, Last Seen in Havana (Soho Press, 2014).

In this engaging podcast episode, host Daniel Chacon sits down with poet Gabriel Dozal to discuss Dozal’s book The Border Simulator and explore themes of identity, technology, and the concept of borders. Their conversation dives into Dozal's inspirations, blending personal experiences of crossing the U.S.-Mexico border with an imagined digital landscape where borders feel like a "simulation." The...

On this episode of Words on a Wire, host Tim Z. Hernandez talks with poets ire'ne lara silva and Jen Yáñez-Alaniz. ire’ne lara silva, 2023 Texas State Poet Laureate, is the author of five poetry collections, furia, Blood Sugar Canto , CUICACALLI/House of Song , FirstPoems, and the eaters of flowers, two chapbooks, Enduring Azucares and Hibiscus Tacos , a comic book, VENDAVAL , and a short story co...

Host Daniel Chacón talks with Dr. Tara López, author of Chuco Punk: Sonic Insurgency in El Paso (University of Texas Press, 2024).

In this episode of Technically, Literate, host Leah O'Daniel speaks with author Joesph Lezza. Joseph Lezza is a writer in New York, NY with an MFA in creative writing from The University of Texas at El Paso. His debut memoir in essays, I'm Never Fine: Scenes and Spasms on Loss (Vine Leaves Press), was a finalist for the 2021 Prize Americana in Prose and was named by Buzzfeed LGBTQ and Lambda Liter...

Host Will Rose talks with fiction writer and essayist Dagoberto Gilb about his two new books, New Testament: Stories (City Lights, 2024) and A Passing West: Essays from the Borderlands (University of New Mexico Press, 2024).