Activism, writing, and film: Tune in to learn about the Gemini Ink Literary Conference; actions to stop #babyjails from forming; and a new documentary created by 2 Latinas to explore how the illicit drug trade decimated a small town.
Guests: From Gemini Ink Alexandra Vandekamp-Interim Director & Amanda Ireta-Goode; Poet and Activist Blanca Alanis Rodriguez; Mayra Garza and Melissa Santillan who created the documentary “Ciudad Mier”.
Bios:
Blanca Rodriguez Alanis a Mexican American poet, poetry teacher, folk artist, and human/civil rights activist. In 2008 she opened the first Spanish bilingual bookstore in Houston. Her first work was published by Boundless 2010, The Río Grande Valley International Poetry Festival. Her Spanish bilingual poetry book, Puro Corazón was released in 2013. Blanca has participated in Houston WAT Poetry Tour, Frida Festival, Women with Disabilities Empowerment Fair, and Houston’s Women International Festival. Her work is inspired by Mother Earth, humanity, and justice. She is a Curandera, she studies and practices traditional medicines of Mexico.
Mayra was born in Laredo, Texas and raised just across the United States-Mexican border in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas. After receiving a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication from Texas A&M International University (TAMIU), she started her career in broadcast production as a technical director in Laredo’s NBC affiliate KGNS-TV. She currently works at the TAMIU-KLRN TV studio, where she helped to establish the university’s first student reporting lab. Additionally, she is the assistant editor of the Laredo Morning Times’ Spanish section, where she occasionally writes about border culture and the local art scene.
Melissa Santillana was born in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Melissa has a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and a Master’s Degree in Communication with a concentration in Border and Latin America Media Studies from Texas A&M International University. She was recently granted admission to a Ph.D. program in Media Studies at UT Austin. She is currently the Spanish Editor at Laredo Morning Times and Public Speaking Adjunct Instructor at Texas A&M International University.
Alexandra van de Kamp: Originally from New York, Alexandra van de Kamp has called San Antonio, TX her home for over three years now. She is the Interim Executive Director for Gemini Ink, a literary arts nonprofit based in San Antonio that creates a wide range of programming all around the power of engaging with creative writing and literature. Van de Kamp is a working poet and the author of two full-length collections of poems: The Park of Upside-Down Chairs (CW Books 2010) and Kiss/Hierarchy (Rain Mountain Press 2016).
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