Listen and Be Heard Network

Cipriano Belser is co-founder of Black Lantern Books, housing the Legacy Library, a collection of some 10,000 books curated by organizer, Kwazi Nkrumah. Poetry by Shizue Seigel, Joseph Jason Santiago Lacour. New music with Celia Cruz, Arturo O'Farrill and Fred Wesley and the New JB's.

Kim McMillon talks about Black Heaven, Joel Beverly talks about The Absence of Belief, Widespread Panic plays Slipping Into Darkness, Bowery Jazz Messengers

Tony Robles, talks about his new book: Soup for the Storm, and reads some poetry from the book and about his experiences in Waialua, Hawaii, during and after the recent storm. The conversation also touches on Robles’s move from San Francisco to Hendersonville, North Carolina, and how his poetry reflects the people and places he encounters, the impact of Hurricane Helene on the community, including the evacuation of his mother and the devastation in nearby areas like Chimney Rock.

Iyas Sartawi on dispossession and resistance. Seth Donnelly on taxpayer duty to address genocide. Judy Talaugon draws parallels with First Nation communities.

Saumya Choudhury, poet and organizer, joins Martha in the audio garden from Delhi. We also feature archival poetry from Barbara Tran. Hernan shares a rare live recording from 1986 of Eddie Harris in Paris. As always some brand new music and poetry from the garden to you.

Tony Robles, talks about his new book: Soup for the Storm, and reads some poetry from the book and about his experiences in Waialua, Hawaii, during and after the recent storm. The conversation also touches on Robles’s move from San Francisco to Hendersonville, North Carolina, and how his poetry reflects the people and places he encounters, the impact of Hurricane Helene on the community, including the evacuation of his mother and the devastation in nearby areas like Chimney Rock.

Why Hernan, formerly known as Jay, is going back to his birth name. What can men do right now? Capitalism and patriarchy or Comunas? Fierce poetry by women...

Tony Robles welcomes Kenneth Yu to the audio garden. Yu is an award-winning author from the Philippines known for his short story fiction. New Music you won't hear anywhere else...

Mikey Cullen, a spoken word poet from Dublin. Also: About Bad Bunny...New Poetry and Exclusive Newly Released Music for Coltrane's 100th birthday.

Judy Talaugon and Martha Cinader welcome activist, artist, and cultural organizer, Sarah Sophie Flicker. Their far-reaching conversation explores the role of culture and community in driving change, and the importance of intersectionality in cultural organizing, and listening, to the advancement of feminist ideals and social justice.

A remix of poetry and storytelling from our 2026 guests, reporting from South Carolina by Tony Robles on ICE protests, exclusive live music from Craig Harris' Harlem Nightsong Band and Hernan Rodriguez Sierra playing solo saxophone at a Federal Hall freedom of speech event. reflections on community and healing, the sacred role of women, the importance of listening and being heard.

Karla Brundage leads Writers Across Oceans, June 2026 in Hawaii. Remembering Sammy Young jr.. New music with John Medeski, Ches Smith, Nick Dunston recorded live at Smalls. Hassan Qasai - Iranian Flute. Freda Epum reads from The Gloomy Girl Variety Show and new music and poetry by Martha and Hernán.

Judy and Martha invite you to Auntie's table as we explore origin stories, goddess stories, the divine feminine, the Witches' Hammer, motherhood and more.

Cipriano Belser is co-founder of Black Lantern Books, housing the Legacy Library, a collection of some 10,000 books curated by organizer, Kwazi Nkrumah. Poetry by Shizue Seigel, Joseph Jason Santiago Lacour. New music with Celia Cruz, Arturo O'Farrill and Fred Wesley and the New JB's.

Wailuku, a poem by Vanessa Lee-Miller, Del Gonzales on "The Adventures of Beastie," and Phys Fest NYC, 2026. New music, a Groove Collective tribute to Tito Puente, featuring Eddie Bobet, and The I Am, featuring Nappy G. Poetry by Nikki Giovanni and new poetry streams by Martha Cinader.

Ni Rivera joins Judy Talaugon and Martha Cinader in a conversation about housing, homelessness, food sovereignty, social justice and the importance of lived experiences in shaping policy and community action. Featuring Poetry by Julia De Burgos and Ni Rivera

Elizabeth Perlman, author of Word Magic: The Power of Writing to Reframe Your Story and Claim Your Intuition is our guest in the audio garden. Hernan shares new music: Freedom, Equity, and Justice for the People Song, and El Brujo. Poetry by Crystal Cauley, an essay by Jocelyn Grover and new poetry streams...

Tony Cranston shares his passion for storytelling. We explore universal themes found in myths and folk tales across cultures and he tells a Chinese folk tale about a kind-hearted girl named Mei Mei. An exclusive live recording from Berk's' Jazz Fest, featuring Joe Lovano. Poetry by Glenis Redmond.

Judy Talaugon and Martha Cinader speak with Olga Kavran, founding director of JUSTICOM, about her extensive experience in international criminal law and outreach, focusing on the communication of justice, and defining justice as a multifaceted concept that varies based on individual experiences and societal contexts. They go on to discuss genocide as legally defined, the role of international courts, the challenges they face and a growing expectation for justice and accountability in the international community.

Saumya Choudhury, poet and organizer, joins Martha in the audio garden from Delhi. We also feature archival poetry from Barbara Tran. Hernan shares a rare live recording from 1986 of Eddie Harris in Paris. As always some brand new music and poetry from the garden to you.

Author of the Murray McBride Trilogy, Joe Siple, joins Tony Robles in the audio garden. We feature poetry by Mary TallMountain and Suzette Clark Bradshaw, a new live recording from Hernan Ramiro Rodriguez Sierra, and also rare live recordings of Jim Pepper with Don Cherry.

Judy Talaugon has a wide ranging discussion with Angela Marino about Venezuela and the Americas. She also gets an update from Seth Donnelly on Tax Payers Against Genocide. Hernan Ramiro talks with Olga Kavran about international criminal law.

Zakiyyah Modeste, a spoken word artist, actress and athlete based in Harlem, is our special guest in the audio garden. We also listen to new music from Sound System Culture at Smalls Live, new poetry and Genny Lim, ninth poet laureate of San Francisco.

Azucar, poet, therapist and open mic host, is Martha's guest in the audio garden. Also featured, a hidden track from Groove Collective, Sarah Sophie Flicker talks about the Mamdani Campaign, and Zakiyyah Modeste, aka SistaZock, on her training in theater and track.

...starting with when she met Judy Talaugon in San Francisco, as the teen flame of Metallica star Kirk Hammett. We continue all the way to being a mother of three in Brooklyn and an organizer of the Women's March on Washington. Reflecting on the relevance, or lack thereof, of pussy hats, and millions of enthusiastic people with nowhere to go...

Please enjoy this last episode of 2025, into the first week of 2026... We will be back on January 7, with fresh poetry, fresh new guests, fresh conversations and new music that you won't hear anywhere else.

Happy Holidays Remix Volume 8 features the collaborations of Martha Cinader and Hernan Ramiro (Jay) Rodriguez Sierra, reflections on the past year, and announcements about the new parent non-profit of L&BH Network, Sound System Culture, upcoming appearances, internships and more...

Our Season 2 begins in January, 2026. Please enjoy this rewind during our production break. Nilsa Rivera, in Florida, brings her professional and personal experience of home insecurity to a conversation with Judy Talaugon, in California, and Martha Cinader, in New York. The conversation covers housing policies, motherhood, experiencing houselesness and other forms of housing insecurity, the punitive treatment of mothers and children, land trusts and more.

Please enjoy this rewind during our holiday production break. Remix Volume 6 by Jay Rodriguez Sierra features Q.R. Hand jr., Martha Cinader, Genny Lim, Meredith Leigh, Donna Janell Bowman, Dorsía Smith Silva, Mary Oishi, Kellie Richardson, Eileen Tabios, Ozier Muhammad, Tony Robles, Megan Marshall, Kim McMillon and Alice Walker reads Zora Neal Hurston.

Remix Volume 7 features Barbara Tran, Candelario Obeso, Eileen Tabios, Vi Khi Nao, Freda Epum, Martha Cinader, Hazel Smith, Megan Marshall, Monica Maconsantos, Mary Oishi, Vida Cruz Borja, Tony Robles, Olivia Eggena, Joseph Jason Santiago Lacour, Trinh Mai, Brian Kimmel, Cal Hoffman, Henry Dumas, Caroline Cabading, Blagovesta Momchedjikova, Pying Threadgill and Mosab Abu Toha

Martha Cinader, Judy Talaugon and Jay Rodriguez Sierra are joined by darkroom masters Russell Frederick, Anderson Zaca and Ozier Muhammad to talk about Season One of the Darkroom MCs, the making of it, and the photographers who are featured.

Remix Volume 6 by Jay Rodriguez Sierra features Q.R. Hand jr., Martha Cinader, Genny Lim, Meredith Leigh, Donna Janell Bowman, Dorsía Smith Silva, Mary Oishi, Kellie Richardson, Eileen Tabios, Ozier Muhammad, Tony Robles, Megan Marshall, Kim McMillon and Alice Walker reads Zora Neal Hurston.

This week we take the opportunity to revisit this illuminating conversation between Monica Maconsantos and Tony Robles, originally aired on June 26, 2025. Our featured guest is essayist, Monica Macansantos, author of Returning to My Father's Kitchen, interviewed by Tony Robles Our featured poet is Elizabeth Perlman. New music by Billy Harper, sung by Judy Bady, and a montage of words of music created by Jay Rodriguez Sierra, featuring poetry by Martha Cinader, Kahlil Gibran, Zora Neal Hurston, Nikki Giovanni and James Baldwin.

Martha Cinader, Judy Talaugon and Jay Rodriguez Sierra are joined by Arnoldo García, community-based poet, musician, visual artist, human rights organizer and dedicated restorative justice practitioner/trainer. The conversation begins with a comparison between west coast and east coast activism. It progresses from there to land based activism, and the difference between the idea of an immigrant worker and a displaced indigenous person. It ends with a discussion about the role of art and artists in the ongoing struggle for human rights and the environment.

Remix Volume 5: featuring our guests from Seasons 3 reading their poetry and stories. Deepika Singh, C.L. Willis, Billy Mills, Brett Cook, Andrew Lam, Zora Neale Hurston, Alejandro Murgía, Jonathan Thirkield, Dorsía Smith Silva, Suzette Clarke Bradshaw, Martha Cinader, Donna Janelle Bowman, Jay Rodriguez Sierra, Tony Robles, Elizabeth Perlman, Dao Strom, Judy Talaugon, The Cipher Crew, Blagovesta Momchedjikova and Genny Lim. A new recording of Paul Pena.

This week we take the opportunity to revisit this illuminating conversation between Brian Kimmel and Martha Cinader, originally aired on February 13, 2025. Martha talks with Brian Kimmel about Blue Skies, Troubled Waters, a World War II account of an Indonesian American girl. We listen to Zora Neale Hurston sing and Tony visits her hometown celebration. Also, Eileen Tabios on Kendrick Lamar's half-time show, Henry Dumas' "Love Song" as a chorale.

We are taking the opportunity during the holiday months to highlight some of our favorite episodes from the first season of Beyond Borders, while we work on Season 2 just for you, beginning January 17, 2026. Martha Cinader, Judy Talaugon, Jay Rodriguez Sierra and Tony Robles are joined by award winning photo journalist Ozier Muhammad.

Tony Robles welcomes Vida Cruz-Borja to talk about Philippine speculative fiction, the inactive protagonist, and where stories begin. Poetry by Martha Cinader, Lena Norris Ramen on writing for self compassion, Richard Clements on the legacy of Barry Harris, new music from Jay Rodriguez Sierra, and a visit to 1992 Columbus Day protests at San Francisco City Hall with Judy Talaugon on the mic.

Tony Robles speaks with participants in the Cork International Short Story Festival, part 2. We listen to an Irish poem and fairytale. Jay Rodriguez Sierra plays with Chucho Valdez in a rare live recording. New poetry from Martha Cinader.

Nilsa Rivera, in Florida, brings her professional and personal experience of home insecurity to a conversation with Judy Talaugon, in California, and Martha Cinader, in New York. The conversation covers housing policies, motherhood, experiencing houselesness and other forms of housing insecurity, the punitive treatment of mothers and children, land trusts and more.