Tony Diaz speaks with Richard Santos and Monica Villarreal regarding the importance of representation, whether in the work Richard does providing literary access to youth in Austin, or through the arts and performances Monica does through her dancing.
Richard Z. Santos is a novelist and the Executive Director of Austin Bat Cave, a nonprofit that provides creative writing workshops to students in underrepresented areas. He's a former high school English and Social Studies teacher, and in a previous career worked for some of the nation's top political campaigns, consulting firms, and labor unions. Trust Me, published by Arte Público Press, was named one of the best debuts of 2020 by Crime Reads and was a finalist for The Writers League of Texas Novel Prize.
Monica Villarreal
is an interdisciplinary artist native to Houston. Her art explores ethnic identity, gender roles, migrant and environmental issues. She is a recipient of multiple awards in photography and filmmaking, and has participated in installation and performing art productions organized by Voices Breaking Boundaries, Project Row Houses, Houston Arts Alliance, Multicultural Education and Counseling through the Arts, Santa Fe Arts Institute, and Alabama Song.
Monica studied typography under Mainz Gutenberg Award winner Mahendra Patel and is currently learning printmaking from Master Printer Armando Rodriguez. She has a B.A. in Entrepreneurship from the University of Houston and an M.A. in Digital Media Studies from the University of Houston-CL. Monica wears various hats, as the founder of Creative Women Unite, a local feminist arts collaborative and as a traditional Aztec dancer with Danza Azteca Taxcayolot, a local group that practices Mexican indigenous traditions through spirituality, and community engaging performances. She has over a decade of experience organizing with local grassroots and nonprofit organizations. Staying active allows her to continue her research and create art focused on issues she's passionate about.
Thanks to
Roxana Guzman, Multiplatform Producer
Rodrigo Bravo, Jr., Audio Producer
Radame Ortiez, SEO Director
Marc-Antony Piñón, Graphics Designer
Leti Lopez, Music Director
Bryan Parras, co-host and producer emeritus
Liana Lopez, co-host and producer emeritus
Lupe Mendez, Texas Poet Laureate, co-host, and producer emeritus
Writer and activist Tony Diaz, El Librotraficante, hosts Latino Politics and News and the Nuestra Palabra Radio Show on 90.1 FM, KPFT, Houston’s Community Station. He is also a political analyst on “What’s Your Point?” on Fox 26 Houston. He is the author of the forthcoming book: The Tip of the Pyramid: Cultivating Community Cultural Capital.
www.Librotraficante.com
www.NuestraPalabra.org
www.TonyDiaz.net
Instrumental Music produced / courtesy of Bayden Records
Website | http://baydenrecords.beatstars.com
