PODCAST · arts
Words on a Wire
by Words on a Wire
Words on a Wire is a radio show about fiction, poetry, the writing community, and whatever other issues concern literary writers and readers of books. Hosted by Daniel Chacón and Tim Z. Hernandez. Originally broadcasted on www.ktep.org Write to us: [email protected]
Episodes
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Episode 35: Andrew Bertaina
In this episode of Words on a Wire, host Will Rose speaks with writer Andrew Bertaina about his book-length essay, Ethan Hawke and Me, which was inspired by Richard Linklater's acclaimed Before trilogy. Blending memoir, literary criticism, and cultural reflection, Bertaina explores how the films...
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Episode 34: Chris Walker
Artificial intelligence is transforming the way we work, raising difficult questions about expertise, creativity, and the future of professional life. In this episode of Words on a Wire, host Will Rose speaks with Chris Walker, author of The Frequency Era, about his argument that society is...
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Episode 33: Jay Stratton
In this episode of Words on a Wire, host Daniel Chacón sits down with actor, director, and The University of Texas at El Paso theater professor Jay Stratton for a wide-ranging conversation about creativity, performance, teaching, and life in the arts. Stratton reflects on his years as a working...
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Episode 32: Reyna Grande
In this episode of Words on a Wire, host Daniel Chacón speaks with acclaimed author Reyna Grande about her latest book, Migrant Heart: Essays About Things I Can’t Forget. Their conversation explores the lasting emotional impact of migration, family separation, motherhood, memory, and the...
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Episode 31: Gabriela Baeza Ventura
Host Daniel Chacón sits down with Dr. Gabriela Baeza Ventura, director and publisher of Arte Público Press—widely recognized as the nation’s leading publisher of U.S. Latinx literature. Their conversation begins on the U.S.–Mexico border, tracing Dr. Ventura’s upbringing between Ciudad Juárez and...
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Episode 30: Jazmine Ulloa
In this episode of Words on a Wire, host Will Rose sits down with Jazmine Ulloa, national political and immigration reporter for The New York Times, to discuss her powerful new book, El Paso: Five Families and One Hundred Years of Blood, Migration, Race, and Memory. Ulloa traces the lives of five...
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Episode 29: Josh Korwin
In this episode of Words on a Wire, host Will Rose sits down with graphic designer Josh Korwin to explore the often unseen craft behind book and literary magazine design. With a career rooted in typography and a passion for shaping how readers encounter text, Korwin has worked on the identities…
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Episode 28: The Writer's Pick #2: María Esquinca
In this episode of The Writer’s Pick, hosts Luis Marquez and Charissa Wong welcome poet, educator, and journalist María Esquinca for a conversation on writing, identity, and the power of storytelling. Esquinca discusses her award-winning collection Where Heaven Sinks, a deeply personal reflection...
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Episode 27: Lauren D. Woods
In this episode of Words on a Wire, host Will Rose sits down with author Lauren D. Woods to discuss her debut short story collection, The Great Grown-Up Game of Make-Believe—a book that moves fluidly between realism and the surreal, blending sharp emotional insight with inventive, often…
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Episode 26: The Writer's Pick #1
Join hosts Jack Bishop, a father and veteran from the Appalachian Mountains, and Luis Marquez, a Mexican American writer based in the borderlands, as they navigate the vibrant and challenging landscape of creative writing. This first episode of the Writer's Pick is a deep dive into the minds of...
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Episode 25: David Dorado Romo
This special episode of Words on a Wire brings together host Daniel Chacón and historian David Dorado Romo to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Romo’s groundbreaking book Ringside Seat to a Revolution. Before an audience of students, faculty, and community members, the conversation revisits a…
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Episode 24: Caleb Lara
In this episode of Words on a Wire, host Will Rose speaks with Caleb Lara, whose work on social media and through community projects has brought renewed attention to the rich and often overlooked history of the borderland. Lara shares how a childhood fascination with downtown architecture grew…
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Episode 23: Richie Marrufo
In this episode of Words on a Wire, host Daniel Chacón sits down with poet, educator, and community organizer Richie Marrufo for a wide-ranging conversation about art, identity, and what it means to stay human in a digital world. They explore how AI is changing the way students write—and what may...
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Episode 22: Jessica Goudeau
In this episode, host Will Rose sits down with journalist and author Jessica Goudeau to discuss her ambitious and deeply personal new book, We Were Illegal. After writing about refugee families rebuilding their lives in Texas, Goudeau began asking a question she had never considered about…
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Episode 21: Maria Esquinca
On this episode of Words on a Wire, host Sylvia Aguilar Zéleny guides us through an inspiring conversation with acclaimed poet, journalist, and educator Maria Esquinca. Maria, the 2024 Andres Montoya Poetry Prize winner for her collection "Where Heaven Sings," reveals how her multifaceted...
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Episode 20: Stephanie Austin
In this episode, host Will Rose speaks with author Stephanie Austin about her debut novel, Burn, which will be released on February 3, 2026, from Cowboy Jamboree Press. Stephanie reflects on the novel’s remarkable twenty-year journey to publication, tracing how the story evolved across drafts,...
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Episode 19: Jeff Roche
In this episode of Words on a Wire, host Will Rose speaks with historian Jeff Roche, author of The Conservative Frontier: Texas and the Origins of the New Right (University of Texas Press), about how West Texas became one of the most conservative regions in American political life. Roche traces…
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Episode 18: Christian Iglesias (@ChristianChurches)
In this episode of Words on a Wire, host Will Rose speaks with El Paso–based photographer and videographer Christian Iglesias, widely known on social media as @ChristianChurches. Iglesias has built a devoted following by documenting the landscapes, people, and everyday moments of the borderlands....
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Episode 17: Scótt Russell Dúncan
In this episode of Words on a Wire, host Daniel Chacón speaks with writer, editor, and cultural critic Scótt Russell Dúncan about identity, futurity, and the politics of who gets to imagine the future. Dúncan discusses Chicanx futurism as an act of reclamation—of land, history, and...
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Episode 16: Roberto Avant-Mier
In this episode of Words on a Wire, host Daniel Chacón sits down with Dr. Roberto Avant-Mier, Chair of the Communication Department at the University of Texas at El Paso and a leading scholar of Chicano film. Their wide-ranging conversation uses Wim Wenders’ film Perfect Days as a point of entry...
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Episode 15: Max Perry Mueller
In this episode of Words on a Wire, host Will Rose speaks with historian Max Perry Mueller about his groundbreaking new book, Wakara’s America: The Life and Legacy of a Native Founder of the American West. Mueller uncovers the complicated, often misunderstood history of Chief Wakara, the...
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Episode 14: Michelle Morgante
In this episode of Words on a Wire, host Daniel Chacón speaks with writer and journalist Michelle Morgante about her journey from a small agricultural town in California’s San Joaquin Valley to a globe-spanning career in journalism, and ultimately, to fiction writing. Morgante begins by…
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Episode 13: (Part 2) The Storykeeper: Olga Talamante
Listen to part 2 of Tim Z. Hernandez's conversation with Olga Talamante. Be sure to catch part 1 right here on the Words on a Wire podcast.
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Episode 12: (Part 1) The Storykeeper: Olga Talamante
In this episode of The Storykeeper from Words on a Wire, host Tim Z. Hernandez sits down with activist and community leader Olga Talamante to explore the extraordinary journey behind her life’s work. Drawing from her migrant childhood in Gilroy, her early experiences as a student leader, and her...
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Episode 11: Making a Living as a Writer in 2025 and Beyond
In this candid and forward-looking conversation, host Will Rose sits down with longtime Words on a Wire co-host Daniel Chacón to examine how profoundly the writing life has changed—and what the new realities mean for anyone trying to build a writing career in 2025. Drawing from personal…
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Episode 10: Frederick Luis Aldama
In this episode, host Daniel Chacón sits down with Fredrick Luis Aldama—the award-winning author, theorist, and editor known as Professor Latinx—to explore how stories shape our minds, our culture, and even our bodies. Aldama discusses his astonishingly prolific career, from editing FlowerSong...
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Episode 9: The Storykeeper: Darren J. de Leon
In this episode of The Storykeeper on Words on a Wire, host Tim Z. Hernandez sits down with poet, performer, and educator Darren J. de Leon to explore his new collection The Hoops and Crosses of Mt. Vernon (Hinchas Press, 2025). Blending poetry and fiction, de Leon’s debut offers vivid portraits…
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Episode 8: Anton Hur
In this episode of Words on a Wire, host Will Rose speaks with award-winning author and translator Anton Hur, celebrated for bringing contemporary Korean literature to English-speaking readers through works like Bora Chung’s Cursed Bunny. What began as a practical skill evolved into a creative...
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Episode 7: Jessica Powers
On this episode of Words on a Wire, host Daniel Chacón speaks with Jessica Powers—publisher at Catalyst Press, author, and editor—about the hard truths and hopeful possibilities of a writing life. Jessica, who also writes under the name J.L. Powers, reflects on why so few books sell beyond a...
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Episode 6: Stephanie Elizondo Griest
On this episode of Words on a Wire, host Daniel Chacón welcomes award-winning author Stephanie Elizondo Griest, whose adventurous spirit has carried her from the Texas/Mexico borderlands to 50 countries and 49 states. A celebrated writer of six books—including Around the Bloc, Mexican Enough, All...
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Episode 5: The Storykeeper: Adolfo Guzman-Lopez
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…
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Episode 4: Patos Salvajes #11: Francisco 'Gogui' Marzioni [En Español]
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...
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Episode 2: Patos Salvajes #9: Colectivos Literarios de Colombia [En Español]
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...
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Episode 2: Patos Salvajes #10: Elpidia García Delgado [En Español]
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...
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Episode 1: Javier Sagarna, director of Escuela de Escritores in Madrid
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.…
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Episode 45: Matt Sedillo: Poetry, Politics, and the Power of Place
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...
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Episode 44: Poetry, Pi, and Patterns: A Conversation with Elisabet Takehana and Lawrence Lesser
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...
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Episode 43: Keith Giles: the Radical Wisdom of the Lost Gospel of Thomas
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...
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Episode 42: Felicia Cocotzin Ruiz: Earth Medicines and the Power of Ancestral Healing
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...
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Episode 41: Adela Najarro: Finding Light Through Poetry
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...
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Episode 40: Robert Moore on Journalism, El Paso, and Telling Stories That Matter
In this episode of Words on a Wire, host Daniel Chacón sits down with veteran journalist Robert Moore, founder and CEO of El Paso Matters, a nonprofit newsroom dedicated to high-impact local reporting. Together, they trace Moore’s career from writing obituaries at a small-town paper to leading…
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Episode 39: UTEP creative writing seniors - class of 2025
In this special episode of Words on a Wire, host Daniel Chacón sits down with four graduating creative writing students from his Senior Seminar at the University of Texas at El Paso: Diego Cerda, Cristina Flores, Sophia Ortega-Carlos, and Jesus Morales. What unfolds is a spirited, funny, and…
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Episode 38: American Oasis: Kyle Paoletta
In this episode of Words on a Wire, host William Alfred Rose speaks with journalist and author Kyle Paoletta about his new book, American Oasis: Finding the Future in the Cities of the Southwest. Paoletta takes listeners on a journey through the urban heart of the American Southwest—El Paso,...
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Episode 37: Tucson Festival of Books: Rex Ogle and Melani “Mele” Martinez
In this special episode of Words on a Wire, host Tim Z. Hernandez brings listeners into a moving panel discussion recorded live at the Tucson Festival of Books. Joined by acclaimed authors Rex Ogle (Abuela, Don’t Forget Me) and Melani “Mele” Martinez (The Molino: A Memoir), the conversation dives...
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Episode 36: A conversation with Liliana Valenzuela
In this episode of Words on a Wire, host Daniel Chacón sits down with acclaimed poet, translator, and world traveler Liliana Valenzuela for a rich and reflective conversation recorded just after her return from a silent meditation retreat. Liliana discusses her journey as a “reverse Chicana”—a...
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Episode 35: Eugenie Montague, author of Swallow the Ghost
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...
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Episode 34: Patos Salvajes #8: Mikhail Carbajal
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,...
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Episode 33: The Storykeeper: The Unexpected Legacy of History
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...
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Episode 32: Journalist and former El Paso news anchor Stephanie Valle
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…
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Episode 31: Samson, Solar Punks, and the Power of Words with Gume Laurel III
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...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Words on a Wire is a radio show about fiction, poetry, the writing community, and whatever other issues concern literary writers and readers of books. Hosted by Daniel Chacón and Tim Z. Hernandez. Originally broadcasted on www.ktep.org Write to us: [email protected]
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Words on a Wire
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How many episodes does Words on a Wire have?
Words on a Wire currently has 100 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Words on a Wire about?
Words on a Wire is a radio show about fiction, poetry, the writing community, and whatever other issues concern literary writers and readers of books. Hosted by Daniel Chacón and Tim Z. Hernandez. Originally broadcasted on www.ktep.org Write to us: [email protected]
How often does Words on a Wire release new episodes?
Words on a Wire has 100 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
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You can listen to Words on a Wire on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
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Words on a Wire is created and hosted by Words on a Wire.
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