LatinX Audio Lit Mag

Reyna Grande takes us behind the scenes and under the hood of her latest novel 'A Ballad of Love and Glory.' Tune in to find out what Irish immigrants and Latino immigrants to the US had in common. And if you didn't know that the US-Mexico border started just below Oregon as late as 1821, this is the episode for you.  Reyne Grande is an award-winning author who released her latest novel,&nbsp...

A Ballad of Love and Glory is historical fiction inspired by true events and real-life figures and also illuminates a little-known chapter of the Mexican-American War: An Irish soldier in the Saint Patrick’s Battalion, a regiment of foreign-born soldiers that deserted the U.S. Army to fight for Mexico, falls in love with a widowed nurse in the Mexican Army, and together they must fight for th...

If you've ever had an idea (or a story) that only you believed in, then this is the episode for you. Stop what you're doing and have a listen. Margo Candela was born and raised in Los Angeles and began her writing career when she joined Glendale Community College’s student newspaper. She transferred to San Francisco State University as a journalism major, and upon graduation began writing for webs...

"When we were little, our dad would sit one of us on his lap as he drove to The Boys supermarket in Highland Park. He’d leave us in the car with the motor running while he ran in to pick up a six-pack or two and pork rinds for himself, and a bag of Ruffles chips, and a bottle of Mexican Coke for me and my sisters to share on the drive back to Boyle Heights." Margo Candela's novel 'The Neapolitan S...

There is the age-old question of whether an artist's personal life should impact your perception of their work. In this episode Martha walks us through how she came to focus on Pablo Neruda. Featured in Latinos Magazine among the Top Ten Most Successful Mexicans in Canada, and named also one of the Top Ten Most Influential Hispanic-Canadians , Martha Bátiz was born and raised in Mexico City, but h...

What kind of person refers to their disabled infant daughter as a semi-colon? Listen to this episode and find out. This story is part of the story collection ' No Stars in the Sky, ' which came out in May, and is published by House of Anansi Press. Featured in Latinos Magazine among the Top Ten Most Successful Mexicans in Canada, and named also one of the Top Ten Most Influential Hispanic-Canadian...

Are donuts the most perfect food on earth? Is it weird to thank them for their service to the human race? Get the answers to these questions and more on this behind-the-scenes episode. We do manage to talk about Lin's awesome poem. Eventually. Lin Flores (she/they) lives and works in SLC, UT as a full-time poet and creative writing student. They are enrolled in the online Creative Writing Masters...

"A dad and a dog, delirious as tío. Unreliable like a rainstorm, he’d go years without a call." Check out this moving piece from Lin Flores, a poem about family, inconsistent parenting, and the aftermath it leaves behind. Lin Flores (she/they) lives and works in SLC, UT as a full-time poet and creative writing student. They are enrolled in the online Creative Writing Masters Program at the Univers...

Sometimes a story isn't hopeful because everything turned out right. Sometimes it's hopeful because the person stood up for themselves and demanded what they deserved. Mary Jo walks us through 'Insignificant,' explaining the subtler aspects of this quietly provocative story. Mary Jo Garrido is a Dominican-Canadian fiction author who lives in Toronto, Canada. Her stories have appeared in English in...

In this dreamy story, Mary Jo takes us to a cafe in sun-drenched Santo Domingo, and a transcendent moment with an unfaithful ex.  Mary Jo Garrido is a Dominican-Canadian fiction author who lives in Toronto, Canada. Her stories have appeared in English in Raconteur literary magazine and Dreamers Creative Writing. In Spanish, her work appears in “Nostalgia bajo cero,” an anthology awarded Best...

Roy talks about the way he crafts his poetry to showcase the layers of his identity--Indigenous/Latino/Irish. He says (to paraphrase) that we're often like a car speeding down the road, dropping things to lighten the load. Often, one of the things we drop is culture. His job as a writer and a teacher involves stopping the car and picking up the things that shouldn't have been dropped.  Roy Co...

'“Who are you?” she cried, voice cracking and shrieking. “Where is the river, the night sky?"' Roy Conboy is a Latino/Irish/Indigenous writer and teacher whose 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...

In this episode, we learn vital information such as: Does Sonia have a plant named Shmoney? And what research went into deciding that succulents would talk smack?  Sonia Alejandra Rodriguez is a Mexican writer and educator living in Queens, New York. Her stories have been published in Strange Horizons, Acentos Review, Longreads, Okay Donkey, Reckon Review, Mixed Mag, Hobart After Dark, and el...

If you've ever wondered what your plants think of you, this is the episode to listen to. In 'Lily,' Sonia Alejandra Rodriguez delves deep into the life of a Peace Lily and its human companion known only as 'they.' This story first appeared in the pages of Hispanecdotes in May of 2020. Sonia Alejandra Rodriguez is a Mexican writer and educator living in Queens, New York. Her stories have been publi...

Some of the best fiction comes from lived experience. Listen to Ramon discuss how his personal history informed his short story 'Not Catholic Anymore.'  Ramon Jimenez is a member of the Mexican Diaspora who is from LA but is now lost in the city of Seattle. He teaches at T he Boot and writes poetry and short stories. You can follow him on Insta at @RamonLovesWriting and @ InfiniteCookingAddic...

What do you do when you love your family, but don't vibe with Catholicism? In this short story, Jose grapples with his quest to be his own person within the context of his family, friends, and culture.  Ramon Jimenez is a member of the Mexican Diaspora who is from LA, but now is lost in the city of Seattle. He teaches, and writes poetry and short stories. You can follow him on Instagram at @R...

Is the food Tax makes magical? Did she really use the dark arts to find herself a husband? Find the answer to these questions and more in this episode of Latinx Lit Mag.  The transcript for this episode will be up at Latinx Lit Mag starting Saturday July 23rd. TAK Erzinger is an American/Swiss poet and artist with a Colombian background. Her poetry has been featured in Bien Acompañada from Co...

This is, hands down, the most sensual (in the most literal meaning of that word) piece on the podcast. Listen to Talk as she talks about family, memory, and the foods that bind then together.  The transcript (with bonus recipes!) of this episode will be available on Latinxlitmag.com starting Saturday July 23rd. TAK Erzinger is an American/Swiss poet and artist with a Colombian background. Her...

Warning: This episode might leave you hungry for tacos. This is probably the first time Teresa has ever heard a sonnet described as a meditation, but once you hear what Rodrigo has to say, you might never look at a sonnet the same way again.  Rodrigo Toscano  is a poet and essayist based in New Orleans. He is the author of ten books of poetry. His newest book is The Charm & The Dread...

Stuck at the airport? Enjoy this meditative sonnet while you're waiting to see where your personal flight plan will take you.  You can find a full transcript of this episode on LatinxLitMag.com starting Saturday, July 16th. Rodrigo Toscano  is a poet and essayist based in New Orleans. He is the author of ten books of poetry. His newest book is The Charm & The Dread (Fence Books, 2022...

This episode first appeared in January 2022. Is this piece based on Victoria's actual life? Can you eat a Hermit crab essay, and if so, does it taste like chicken?  Victoria Buitron is a writer and translator who hails from Ecuador and resides in Connecticut. She received an MFA in Creative Writing from Fairfield University. She writes about the intersection of identity and place, family hist...

This episode first appeared in January of 2022. It seemed appropriate to share it again on the 4th of July, as the main character frees a chainsaw to follow its own bliss...far, far away from her. Victoria Buitron is a writer and translator who hails from Ecuador and resides in Connecticut. She received an MFA in Creative Writing from Fairfield University. She writes about the intersection of iden...

Somehow, we keep talking about food on this show. In this episode, we cover vegan Puerto Rican food, spirit animals, and an old tale of an escaped slave named Carabali. A complete transcript of this episode will be available on latinxlitmag.com on Friday July 1. Kim Vasquez grew up in Puerto Rico and moved to New York to study Dramatic Writing at Tisch School of the Arts NYU. The lack of represent...

Sometimes, the universe sends you help right when you need it. In this story, Kim shares the tale of a cat in old San Juan. A complete transcript of this episode will be available on latinxlitmag.com on Friday July 1. Kim Vasquez grew up in Puerto Rico and moved to New York to study Dramatic Writing at Tisch School of the Arts NYU. The lack of representation and diversity in children's books drove...

How do you add social issues into your writing without coming off as preachy or too heavy? And is brunch the answer to everything? Get the answer to these questions and more during this episode. A full transcript of this episode will be available on LatinxLitMag.com beginning Friday, June 25th. TOMAS MONIZ’s debut novel, Big Familia , was a finalist for the 2020 PEN/Hemingway, the LAMBDA, and the...