Ep 78: Migrations, Writing About The Puerto Rican Diaspora, Sofia Jirau, Service Worker Protests Continue
Author J.L. Torres discusses his latest book Migrations, Roberto Clemente being confronted with racism & writing about the Puerto Rican diaspora. Migrations is a collection of stories focused on selected moments in Puerto Rican history & their impact on everyday people. In the second half of the show, we break down the latest Puerto Rican News, including Sofia Jirau becoming the first Victoria's Secret model with Down Syndrome and the continuation of the worker protests on la Isla.
Ep 76: Olga Dies Dreaming - Exploring Puerto Rico’s Status Issues, Gentrification & Class Dynamics with Author Xochitl Gonzalez
Author Xochitl Gonzalez stops by the show! She has worn many hats - entrepreneur, wedding planner, tarot card reader. Now, people are loving her work as an author with her debut novel, Olga Dies Dreaming. We cover a lot of ground in this interview, including the ways her novel explores Puerto Rico's status issues, class dynamics, gentrification, and the questioning of the American Dream. We also discuss the cast, which includes actors Aubrey Plaza and Jesse Williams, and a deleted scene from her upcoming HULU pilot based on Olga Dies Dreaming.
Episode 42: The Taste of Sugar & the Publishing Industry with Novelist Marisel Vera
We welcome novelist, Marisel Vera, to the show! We talk about growing up in Chicago, specifically in the Humboldt Park neighborhood, the white-dominated publishing industry, and, among other things, her latest novel, The Taste of Sugar. Without giving too much away, the story takes place just shortly after Puerto Rico came under U.S. rule in 1898. It follows newlyweds Valentina Sánchez's and Vicente Vega’s journey from Puerto Rico to work on sugar plantations in Hawaii after losing everything in the San Ciriaco hurricane.
Episode 41: Knowing Our Roots & Sharing Our History w/Adrián Román
Visual artist and children's book author, Adrián Román, joins the show to discuss his revolutionary roots, his art, the importance of educating the next generations of Boricuas on the historical figures in Puerto Rican history and how his family inspired him to create the children’s book series, Caras Lindas.