Shows
2026-02-1135 min
Empower House Radio KXEP-LPPlatica Y Poetics S4E7 : Eduardo “Eddie” VegaSeason 4, Episode 7 : Eduardo “Eddie” Vega
If we both had shown up with a bag of tacos in hand, our platica would have run for hours.
Where we would have forgotten the whole interview and entered a taco platica, where we would
have talked in the language of taquito, and painted a culinary picture in the studio where like a
‘Water for Chocolate’ aroma fumes would have peeked and emerged out of our mics. Eddie
being a taco connoisseur and myself a cocinera estilo revolución would have perfected the
perfect taco. One that exist in the...
2026-02-1051 minEmpower House Radio KXEP-LPPlatica Y Poetics S4E6- Octavio QuintanillaEpisode 6, Season 4: Dr. Octavio Quintanilla
Grey cumulus clouds hung low like a soft, familiar plush blanket, as an heirloom passed down to
keep us warm through dark days. In this intimate plática, poetic creation stories were bestowed
as a gift by Texas Poet Laureate Dr. Octavio Quintanilla as he reflected on who he is as an artist,
tracing the ways poems emerge from image, ritual, and lived experience. A fluid space unfolded
between visual art and language as Quintanilla spoke of his interdisciplinary practice, where
FRONTEXTOS ‘arte fronteriza,’ art born from the in-between...
2026-02-1050 min
Empower House Radio KXEP-LPPlatica Y Poetics S4E5 - Dr. Norma E. Cantú- Intimate, reverent, and border epistemology plática
2026-01-111h 00Empower House Radio KXEP-LPPlatica Y Poetics S4E4- Cloud Cardona- A jean jacket dressed in nostalgia.
2026-01-1152 minEmpower House Radio KXEP-LPPlatica Y Poetics S4E3 w/ Sonya Rosario- The Sofa as Witness, Memory, and Agency
2026-01-1154 min
Empower House Radio KXEP-LPThe Empower Hour w/ Armando Estrada - Patricia Jimenez, The Raul Jimenez Thanksgiving DinnerThe Raul Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner was started 46 years ago with the intention to serve the elderly community of San Antonio. Today we talk to Patricia Jimenez, Rauls daughter, about the event, the history and the importance of community.
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Empower House Radio KXEP-LPThe Empower Hour w/ Johnny Rivers Guest- Adriana Montoya - Hispanic Heritage Month
2025-09-2459 min2025-09-1835 min2025-09-1850 minEmpower House Radio KXEP-LPPlatica Y Poetics S4E2: Alex SalinasIn Episode 2 of Season 4 of Plática y Poetics, the only thing missing was a bucket of butter popcorn and a nostalgic 80’s movie playing in the background. My plática with Alex Salinas, author of Hispanic Sonnets, a striking collection that blends humor, vulnerability, and cultural critique. With its bold red cover, reminiscent of a retro Talking Heads album, it immediately draws the eye, much like Alex’s poetry draws readers into his categorically layered world of memory, critique, and transcendence. His work merges the mundane and the nostalgic—whether through malls, family lore, music, or movies—illuminating how the ev...
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2025-09-031h 062025-09-031h 032025-09-0351 minEmpower House Radio KXEP-LPPlatica Y Poetics S3E12 w/ Candy 'The Love Poet' NievesCandy ‘The Love Poet’ Nieves
In opening this interview, I honored the voices of Indigenous poets by reading from Enriqueta
Lunez—whose words in Tsotsil reflect the depth and dignity of oral traditions that long predate
colonization, a perfect segway to enter our plática with Candy “The Love Poet” Nieves, whose
work pulses with ancestral memory, sacred sensuality, and poetic resistance. As Candy read from
The Invention, a poem that honors Mayan cosmology and the brilliance of her ancestors, who
introduced the world to the number zero, an an...
2025-07-311h 02Empower House Radio KXEP-LPPlatica Y Poetics S4E1 w/ Rita La ‘Golondrina’ OrtizThe smell of lingering PEMEX gas fumes, fresh masa on comals, along with echoes of traffic
horns resonated in the studio as my interview began to take flight. I had the honor of
interviewing La Golondrina, Rita Ortiz, a multidisciplinary artist whose work transcends genre
and boarders. I opened with a poetic offering, by reading Coral Bracho’s Desde esta luz, a piece
whose sensory lyricism, spiritual depth, and metaphysical textures echo and parallels Rita’s
artistic voice. Bracho’s dreamlike language and delicate attention to presence helped set the to...
2025-07-3155 minEmpower House Radio KXEP-LPPlatica Y Poetics S3E11 w/ Diamond BraxtonDiamond Braxton
My plática with Braxton just lacked a cafecito and a sliver of pastelito as we divulged into queer
legacy, creative intuition, and building literary home. I opened with a reading of ‘Sobre La
Mesa’, my personal prose vignette ‘Like Water for Chocolate’ queer version, knowing the
culinary connection would take us down a sensory lane. Diamond, from the Gulf Coast, has
shaped her work by matrilineal memory and storytelling is both a personal ritual and collective
act. Diving into her acclaimed works like “Sugar Rush” and “...
2025-07-1758 minEmpower House Radio KXEP-LPPlatica Y Poetics S3E10 w/ Dr. Hector GarzaDr. Hector Garza
In a wholesome and intimate conversation, Dr. Héctor Garza, a celebrated San Antonio artist and
educator, opened up to us about his lifelong journey as a creator rooted in borderland identity,
queer expression, and pedagogical purpose. Known for his vibrant fusion of Mexican
iconography with American pop culture, Garza’s work transcends boundaries—most notably in
his reinterpretation of la lotería, where sacred figures like la Virgen and political symbols like
Uncle Sam co-exist, inviting viewers to reflect on cultural dualities. He traces...
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2025-05-2933 min2025-05-2332 min2025-05-2339 min2025-05-2358 minEmpower House Radio KXEP-LPPlatica Y Poetics S3E9 w/ Liz Coronado CastilloQueer Lineage, Landed Memory, and Healing Narratives were the themes in an intimate and layered platica inspired by Gabriela Mistral’s “Dame la Mano,” with playwright and poet Liz Coronado Castillo to explore the intersections of queerness, ancestry, and storytelling. Just as Mistral’s work offers a quiet but potent manifesto of unity and sensual resistance, Liz’s voice emerges from the soil of West Texas and northern Chihuahua, to honor the complexities of identity and belonging. She spoke of how her family's roots—working-class, resilient, and deeply spiritual—continue to shape her voice as a queer Chicana writer navigating the...
2025-05-2359 min2025-05-2345 min2025-05-1326 minEmpower House Radio KXEP-LPPlatica Y Poetics S3E8 w/Osmani OchoaMigrant Futurism, Poetics, and Survival were themes in my cosmic resonant conversation with Osmani Ochoa—queer Mexican-Xicanx poet, editor, and immigrant rights organizer. He shared insight into their creative and political vision, deeply informed by lived experience, collective struggle, and radical imagination. Their forthcoming chapbook, ‘How to Survive an Asthma Attack in a Climate Apocalypse’, fuses bodily precarity with ecological collapse, revealing the intimate links between environmental violence and racialized breathlessness. His poetry pulses with urgency, queerness, and tenderness, all while channeling migrant futurism as both a political framework and a narrative strategy. Drawing on their work as an organi...
2025-05-121h 002025-05-1256 min2025-04-3056 min2025-04-3054 minEmpower House Radio KXEP-LPPlatica Y Poetics S3E7 w/ Gina Ortiz-JonesIn an intimate and layered conversation, Gina Ortiz Jones, a proud daughter of San Antonio’s
Westside and former Under Secretary of the Air Force, shared how her upbringing, military
service, and education have shaped her deep commitment to public service and social justice.
From formative years at John Jay High School and lessons learned from her mother—a
Harlandale High School teacher for 25 years and inspiration of grit and resilience—Jones shared
how education and civic responsibility were foundational to her leadership journey. Bringing a
rare blend...
2025-04-2936 min2025-04-1056 minEmpower House Radio KXEP-LPPlatica Y Poetics S3E6 w/ Jessica BetancourtIn honor of National Poetry Month, I began this conversation by reading Dr. Carmen Tafolla’s
poem “Fashion Advice to Women over 40” from the SOMOS XICANAS anthology—a reminder
that style and self-worth deepen with time, and that fashion can be a radical, poetic act. In this
special plática, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Jessica Betancourt, also known as Palo
Santo Poet—a San Antonio native, writer, performer, and sustainable fashion stylist who
embodies the power of expressive living. Through our conversation, we explored the intimate
2025-04-1056 minEmpower House Radio KXEP-LPPlatica Y Poetics S3E5 w/ Rachel AguirreFor this Women’s History Month episode of Plática y Poetics, we opened the show by honoring
the powerful SOMOS XICANAS anthology from Riot of Roses Press—an offering of lyrical
solidarity and a celebration of the Xicana woman in all her poder. Featuring voices like Dr.
Carmen Tafolla, Irene Lara-Silva, Ada Limón, Sandra Cisneros, Jen Yanez Alaniz, and publisher
Brenda Vaca, the anthology speaks to the sacredness of our intersectional identities, our lineages,
and our language. I began by sharing the foreword written by Jen Yanez Alaniz...
2025-04-1059 min2025-04-1034 min2025-04-1035 minEmpower House Radio KXEP-LPPlatica Y Poetics S3E4 w/ Mx. Ratiqing RiosIn my sit down with Mx. Ratiqing Rios—a poet, artist, teacher, and education advocate a
profound understanding of artistry and advocacy arose. Speaking about how their work bears
witness to the struggles of marginalized youth meanwhile affirming the power of creativity as a
tool for survival and transformation. Their poetry transforms everyday experiences into powerful
narratives of identity, resilience, and community. Our interview opened with Audre Lorde's "A
Litany for Survival," setting the tone for exploration of survival and creativity as acts of
resistance. Mx’s poet...
2025-03-261h 022025-03-2549 minEmpower House Radio KXEP-LPThe Resilience Within S3E7 w/ Sonya Rosario- Forgiveness as a form of Self-CareSeason 3 is about self-care, because self-care is community care. Independent filmmaker Sonya Rosario shares her powerful story of self-determination and empowerment as a daughter of Mexican -American heritage who was ready to break out of the confinements of patriarchy. She also shares one of the most important acts self-care she could give to herself: forgiveness of her father, and ultimately even of herself.
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Sonya Rosario is an independent filmmaker, owner and CEO of Sonya Rosario Productions, founded in 2000. Sonya lived in Idaho, 1994-2023, now lived in San Antonio. An Award-winning filmmaker, dedicated to give voic...
2025-03-251h 002025-03-2556 minEmpower House Radio KXEP-LPThe Resilience Within S3E5 w/ Violeta Garza - Los 13 Aires CósmicosSeason 3 is about self-care, because self-care is community care. Violeta Garza sat with me in the studio and shared some of her journey from external validation to internal knowing. After a series of TBI’s (traumatic brain injuries), she realized she had no choice but to ✨slow down✨ and pay attention to her body’s needs and capacities. This stance of radical self-care has led her into a beautiful life doing what she loves with people she loves: creating art and using her voice. She also shared the medicine of “Los 13 Aires Cósmicos,” a way to work with the “icky” fe...
2025-03-251h 00Empower House Radio KXEP-LPThe Resilience Within S3E4 W/ Lesley Ramsey - Community Care is Self-CareLesley Ramsey believes that self-care is community care, and also that community care is self-care. She shares how as an activist she found herself in burnout because of the demand of urgency that didn’t allow time for personal needs, including grieving the loss of her mother. She finally took a year off and went on the road with her mom’s dog, where she realized she wanted to help others in the nonprofit world change the culture of self-neglect and burnout. She wants to spark the notion of self-care as a necessary part of the day, so she foun...
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2025-03-2012 min2025-03-2059 minEmpower House Radio KXEP-LPPlatica Y Poetics S3E3 W/ Amber OrtegaIn honoring Women’s History Month, we engaged in a profound platica with poet Amber
Ortega, exploring the intersections of embodied writing, ancestral memory, and the healing
power of the natural world. The episode opened with a tribute to influential female poets,
including Gabriela Mistral, Sylvia Plath, Gloria Anzaldúa, Audre Lorde, Idea Vilariño, Rupi
Kaur, Laura Esquivel, Isabel Allende, Alejandra Pizarnik, and Natalie Diaz—with a reading of
Diaz's evocative poem "The First Water is the Body." Throughout the interview, Amber reflected
on the intimate relati...
2025-03-201h 002025-03-0649 min2025-02-2753 min2025-02-2753 min2025-02-2748 min2025-02-2743 minEmpower House Radio KXEP-LPPlatica Y Poetics S3E2 w/ Autumn Brooke CraneIn this interview, Autumn Crane delved into the emotional landscapes explored in Dead People’s
Clothes, a self-published poetry collection that intimately navigates love, grief, and acceptance.
Autumn reflects on the personal catalyst behind the collection and how writing became a vessel
for processing loss. Our platica highlighted the symbolic weight of clothing in grief and memory,
as well as the blurred boundaries between personal vulnerability and universal experiences of
mourning. Through our discussion on the role of sensory detail—smell, touch, sound, and
taste—Autumn unpacked how th...
2025-02-271h 00Empower House Radio KXEP-LPPlatica Y Poetics S2E1 w/Alejandra ‘Mera Mera’ Sanchez AlanisAlejandra, host of Plática y Poetics, is a queer translingual poet, songwriter, radio DJ, and
abstract artist whose work dissolves the boundaries between language, music, and visual art. A
lyrical architect of sensory experiences, they merge auditory, poetic, and visual elements into an
intoxicating tapestry of expression. Drawing from their background as a language teacher and
music mixer, Alejandra explores the rhythmic interplay of words and sound, coining ‘white
space foreplay’ as an invitation to indulge in the hypnotic cadence of sensory pleasure. Their
debut poetry book...
2025-02-2747 minEmpower House Radio KXEP-LPPlatica Y Poetics S2E12 w/ Agosto CuellarIn this electrifying conversation that took place in his atelier in Southtown, I welcomed avant-
garde designer and San Antonio fashion icon Agosto Cuellar, known for his bold, Rasquache-
infused sustainable designs and unapologetic approach to style as resistance. This episode is a
love letter to creativity, sustainability, and the power of fashion as a revolutionary act. We began
by unpacking the essence of Rasquache aesthetics—a resourceful, and rebellious style that
thrives on ingenuity. Agosto shared how his cultural approach influences his sustainable fashion,
bridging the ga...
2025-02-2758 minEmpower House Radio KXEP-LPThe Resilience Within S3E3 w/ Nathan Brown - Writing as a form of Self-CareSeason 3 is about self-care, because self-care is community care. Our guest this week, Nathan Brown, shares how his writing practice has been a powerful act of self-care, including his practice of writing one poem a day for the last 30 years. He shares his journey through big changes, including the pandemic shutdown which caused him to pivot and to create “fireside sessions,” a livestream weekly performance on Facebook that is still happening. He says that currently silence is one of the most healing resources in his life.
Nathan Brown is an author, songwriter, and award-winning poet who holds a Ph...
2025-02-2659 minEmpower House Radio KXEP-LPThe Resilience Within S3E2 w/ Jen Yáñez-Alaniz- Land and LineageSeason 3 is about self-care, because self-care is community care. Today Jen Yáñez-Alaniz, a Chicana Mestiza activist, educator, poet, and PhD Fellow in Culture, Literacy, and Language at UT San Antonio shares some of her experiences working with refugee students in both the classroom and the garden setting. She also shares about how she is addressing her chronic pain through a deepening relationship with the land and her lineage. Through the mentorship of her indigenous elders and relatives, she is cultivating a renewed relationship with the plant medicines of this region.
2025-02-261h 00Empower House Radio KXEP-LPThe Resilience Within S3E1 w/ Estrella- “Apapacharte “Season 3 is about self-care, because self-care is community care. Today’s guest Estrella shares what it’s like to be a migrant in a society that’s not shaped to support and care for migrant bodies. She shares about her own journey of self-care and how it has landed her back home in her childhood community, caring for her land, her parents, her child, and her own body. Self-care also includes things like dancing, even while caregiving, as well as the modalities she’s picked up through her years of seeking and training, including sound, drumming, yoga, and massage, into her...
2025-02-261h 04Empower House Radio KXEP-LPThe Resilience Within S2E14 My Prayer Was Answered w/ Irene Lara SilvaThe finale of Season 2: “Grief” airs today with guest ire’ne lara silva, who experienced the life, love, and loss of her brother Moises, whom she was roommates, co-creator, and caregiver for 20 years. Moises strove for beauty which came out in his painting, his cooking, and in the way he showed up in the world. You simply must take the time to listen. Spoiler alert: you cry. We moo like cows. You have to be there.
ire’ne lara silva, 2023 Texas State Poet Laureate, is the award-winning author of five poetry collections, two chapbooks, a comic book...
2025-02-2655 minEmpower House Radio KXEP-LPPlatica y Poetics S2E9 Jo Reyes-BoitelMy sit-down with Jo Reyes-Boitel began with a platica as if we were sitting down at a small
vintage metal table with cafecito Cubano in hand. She began by sharing who the artist and
individual are setting the stage by exploring who she is and how she exists in the world. This
unique foundation led seamlessly into a discussion of her work, focusing on her distinctive voice
and the sensuous undercurrents that define her writing. Jo shared with us her favorite sensory
pleasures—offering insights into how these elements enrich her creative process and de...
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2025-02-1823 min2025-02-1428 min2025-02-1443 minEmpower House Radio KXEP-LPThe Resilience Within S2E13 Pilgrimage w/ Carla PinedaCarla lost her husband Paul in July 2024 after 10 years of major health challenges and 36 years of a life well loved. She shares her journey of grieving the loss of her beloved husband, Paul Pineda, who passed away 6 months ago. She shares some of the surprises along the way, and likens her experience to a pilgrimage, where it is about the journey, not the destination. Carla finds that Paul is still with her on this journey.
Carla is a journaling/writing workshop and retreat leader with a background in psychology/counseling and is a certified spiritual director. She ma...
2025-01-2953 minEmpower House Radio KXEP-LPThe Resilience Within S2E12 Feeling The Feelings w/ Daniel RamirezDaniel Ramirez, poet and teaching artist, shares about his journey of feeling the depths of his emotions through meditation and breath. For Daniel, sacred poetry - by sacred poets such as Rumi and Hafez - was a deep medicine in his grieving process. These days he continues to show up in the world with a conscious, intentional connection to what’s happening within.
2025-01-2956 minEmpower House Radio KXEP-LPThe Resilience Within S2E11 A Moment To Reflect w/ Armando EstradaHappy New Year! Today Armando Estrada joins me in the studio to take a moment to look at Empower House Radio and what it’s all about. Then we spoke about The Resilience Within and the spirit behind it.
2025-01-2936 minEmpower House Radio KXEP-LPThe Resilience Within S2E10 Reclaiming The Narrative w/ Sarah Joy ThompsonSarah Joy Thompson shares the story of navigating loss and grief after the passing of her father and then later undergoing treatment for aggressive breast cancer. She found ways to ‘reclaim the narrative,’ including through the exploration of movement, dance and poetry.
Sarah Joy Thompson is a Filipina-American poet and the author of a chapbook The Everyday, the Mundane, and the Brave (Finishing Line Press, 2019) and a full-length poetry collection Driving into Black Mountains (FlowerSong Press, 2020).
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2025-01-291h 082025-01-2930 minEmpower House Radio KXEP-LPPlaticas Y Poetics S2E11 w/ Clementina VillarealAll that was missing was fresh pan dulce and cafecito with my sit-down with Clementina. Our
platica explored the power of transformation, healing, and self-discovery. The episode began
with a reading of Gloria Anzaldúa, titled ‘Acts of Healing’, which was the inspiration of our
encounter, setting the tone for a discussion on Latine resilience, identity, and spiritual
awakening. We both shared our journey of transcending grief and staying true to oneself—
especially in the ever-evolving role of motherhood. She divulged with us what led her on the
path as a motivational coach/spiritu...
2025-01-2950 minEmpower House Radio KXEP-LPPlaticas Y Poetics S2E10 w/Joaquin “Muerte” AbregoI felt like one lucky fan at a personal concert on the perfect sunny Sunday where my platica with
Joaquin Muerte was an intimate and inspiring exploration of his life, artistry, and philosophy.
Joaquin, a musician, songwriter, and activist living in San Antonio, shared stories of his
childhood in the barrio of San Felipe in Del Rio, where his parents instilled in him a deep love
for music and activism. With a sound that blends neo-Chicano soul reminiscent of Stevie
Wonder and Sunny Ozuna, Joaquin's music captures nostalgia, love, and a deep connection to...
2025-01-2949 minEmpower House Radio KXEP-LPPlaticas Y Poetics S2E8 w/Translanguage Poetic Workshop at The Latino Resource Collection San Antonio Central Public LibraryThe Translanguage Poetic Pleasure Workshop was a generative workshop led by Alejandra
Sanchez Alanis, a dynamic facilitator and multidisciplinary artist known for her ability to create
inclusive, empowering spaces for self-discovery and creative exploration. As a poet, DJ, and
advocate of pleasure activism, Alejandra skillfully combined somatic practices, music, and
sensory engagement to guide participants toward deeper connection with their bodies, emotions,
and languages. Her approach guided and rooted in honoring diverse identities encouraged
participants to tap into their intuition and sacral energy. With warmth, clarity, and a deep
commitment to fostering...
2025-01-2952 minEmpower House Radio KXEP-LPThe Resilience Within S2E9 Fairy Tale Love w/Laura Riojas-NoriegaLaura Riojas-Noriega is a small town girl from Taft, Texas with a fairy tale love story. She is learning to live this story in a new way since her husband Ruben’s passing Jan 4, 2020. As she describes for us: the depth of her pain is the depth of her love. The magic she has experienced with Ruben is still here: in the love of those who still surround her, in signs and messages, in dreams… and in butterflies.
2024-12-3057 minEmpower House Radio KXEP-LPHappy Hour w/ Elda and Venus, Guest: Greg LondoA Restorative Justice week Special!
2024-12-291h 04Empower House Radio KXEP-LPThe Resilience Within S2E8 Priceless w/ Amalia OrtizAmalia Ortiz, award-winning author, poet, teatrista, educator, and creator of @the_cancion_cannibal_cabaret and @las_hijas_de_la_madre shared a glimpse of her love and heartbreak for her best friend Maria Ibarra. Maria was a Chingona powerhouse teatrista, artist, poet, mother and educator who impacted our community in infinite ways. Amalia’s medicine includes writing, where she says she writes about the issues she feels she has little control over. Witnessing Maria’s experience with the healthcare system while needing treatment for cancer led Amalia to compose the song “Value of a Human Being (Song for Maria)”
2024-12-2059 minEmpower House Radio KXEP-LPPlatica Y Poetics S2E7 w/ Marc Anthony LealIn my platica with Marc Anthony Leal his poetry offered a rich tapestry of imagery, emotion, and cultural reflection, seamlessly weaving themes of nature, spirituality, memory, and community. His works, such as “A Moment in Flight,” “As Do,” “If Heaven is a Real Place,” “Woodlawn Sunsets,” and “Take Pause My Love,” serve as vivid explorations of life’s complexities, celebrating both its beauty and imperfection. The profound connections he forges
between personal experiences and universal truths is a craft deeply rooted in sensory experiences and visual storytelling. Sharing how inspiration often comes from the natural world and the vibrant community arou...
2024-12-2054 minEmpower House Radio KXEP-LPPlatica Y Poetics S2E6 w/ Melissa “Mo” GuerraMelissa “Mo” Guerra a poetic hermana took us on an intimate journey through her poetry, weaving together themes of cultural identity, grief, resilience, and spiritual transcendence. Her work invited readers to walk in an exploration of raw emotions and shared humanity. Our platica delved into a deeper understanding of her creative process and the stories that have shaped her confessional voice. Speaking on her experiences of cultural assimilation, generational trauma, and the tension of navigating identity as a Latina she spoke candidly about how the sacrifices of her grandmother and mother were acts of survival, yet they left a trac...
2024-12-2049 minEmpower House Radio KXEP-LPThe Resilience Within S2E7 w John Lambert - Settling In to LoveJohn Lambert - Settling In to Love
In this episode John Lambert, widowed father of two, shared the story of Ivania, his beloved wife, who passed away from cancer. They were married when he was very young, and her loving existence shaped how he shows up in the world today.
John is a writer, actor, and curator of San Antonio’s Sacred Underground Film Festival (fourth installment takes place November 2025).
2024-12-1158 minEmpower House Radio KXEP-LPThe Resilience Within S2E6 w/ Carmen Calatayud - Grief Work, The JourneyCarmen Calatayud - Grief Work, The Journey
In this episode Carmen Calatayud, poet and author of In the Company of Spirits and This Tangled Body shared about her grief work as a mental health counselor who specializes in trauma and grief. She shared parts of her journey that led her to grief work and where her current questions lie.
2024-12-1155 minEmpower House Radio KXEP-LPThe Resilience Within S2E5 w/ Joaquin Muerte - Xicanx Masculinity and GriefJoaquin Muerte - Xicanx Masculinity and Grief
In this episode Joaquin Muerte shared about his Xicanx vs Aliens podcast, which was created to normalize conversations around the supernatural and destigmatize these experiences. He shares some of his activist upbringing, and his own journey of healing through food with his dad. He finishes with how healing for the Xicanx masculine can start with the nervous system- Xicano Soul being an avenue to help a vato relax into vulnerability. He also spoke about a project around grief that he’d love to start through his music.
Joaquin is th...
2024-12-111h 03Empower House Radio KXEP-LPThe Resilience Within S2E4 w/ Valerie McKenzie & Terry Calderon - Alchemizing Trauma & GriefValerie McKenzie & Terry Calderon - Alchemizing Trauma & Grief
Content warning: loss through suicide. In this episode Ancient Roots Alchemy co-founders Valerie McKenzie & Terry Cameron share the story of the loss of their son Gavin by suicide.
They speak about the medicine, the rituals, and the community that helped them stay connected with their son and immediately begin the healing process from the trauma of this event.
(If you’re struggling, help is available. Please call the Suicide Hotline: 988)
2024-12-1159 minEmpower House Radio KXEP-LPThe Resilience Within S2E3 w/ Mandy Lynn- Disenfranchised GriefMandy Lynn- Disenfranchised Grief
In this episode poet, singer, actor, and community advocate Mandy Lynn shared her experience of loss and “disenfranchised grief.” She spoke about two loved ones who passed recently - her brother Adam and her friend Carlos - and what it feels like to carry grief that others don’t know about. Her biggest encouragement for others is to slow down and sit in the feelings/pain.
2024-12-101h 01Empower House Radio KXEP-LPPlatica Y Poetics S2E5 w/ Gume Laurel IIIIn my candid and heartfelt platica with Gume Laurel III, we delved into his literary artistry and personal journey as a queer, millennial, BIPOC author whose works explore identity, love, and cultural dualities. Gume opened the conversation by sharing an autobiographical poem that reflects his borderland, queer Chicanx creative voice. His poetry collections capture the cyclical nature of queer romantic relationships, blending raw honesty with sensitivity to inspire dialogue and reflection. In Assimilated Natives, Gume examines the tension between preserving cultural heritage and adapting to Americanization, drawing from his experiences growing up in the borderlands. This liminal space deeply...
2024-12-0949 minEmpower House Radio KXEP-LPPlatica Y Poetics S2E4 w/ Eduardo Cavazos GarzaIn the presence of Chicano icon Eduardo Cavazos Garza—founder of the Jazz Poets of San Antonio, artist, musician, and spiritual practitioner—we explored the pivotal moments of his life and the intersections of art, activism, and resilience. I absorbed his wisdom and cuentos as he shared the richness of his journey, shaped by his familia’s influence, cultural roots, and personal trials. Growing up in the tight-knit community of El Indio, Eduardo was immersed in deep values of solidarity and resilience. The teachings of la siembra del campo—the sowing of the land—continue to inform his activism and artist...
2024-12-0956 minEmpower House Radio KXEP-LPPlatica Y Poetics S2E3 w/ Mandy LynnMandy Lynn In my conversation with dear friend, and poet colleague, Mandy Lynn Lara, themes of feminism, motherly love, and poetics intertwined beautifully, illuminating how deeply her writing is rooted in both strength and tenderness. Feminism emerges in her poetry not only as a call for equality but as a powerful act of self-preservation. Maternal fierce love takes on a protective stance, with her speaking to the necessity of raising young women to recognize and resist the dangers in a world that often objectifies and silences them. Her work underscores the feminist principle of self-agency, demonstrating how women can...
2024-11-1849 minEmpower House Radio KXEP-LPPlatica Y Poetics S2E2 w/ Zack SokoloskiWhere punk vibes met Ram Dass my platica with Zack Sokoloski, we launched on a deep,
holistic exploration that felt more like a universal reflection session than a traditional Q&A. Our
cosmic convo was rooted in the present moment, gifting us space to delve into the multifaceted
intersections of Zack's identity as an educator, poet, and musician. As layers unfolded of his
poetic journey, we spoke of how he exists within both the punk rock and poetics realms, two
worlds that seem disparate yet share a rebellious, raw energy. The intersections came through
2024-11-1854 minEmpower House Radio KXEP-LPPlatica Y Poetics S2E1 w/ Alexandra GilliamEpisode 1 of season 2 was welcomed with poetic Thai delicacy. My interview with friend and poetic colleague Alexandra Gilliam we explored the emotional gravitas of her poetry collections Femmestuary and Lightsheen. Gilliam shared how the BP oil spill, environmental destruction, and marginalized identities are interwoven to critique societal neglect and environmental desecration. Offering a visceral engagement with ecological and feminist issues, encapsulating her concern for both environmental and bodily autonomy. Her deft balance between personal grief and societal trauma, includes themes of police violence, addiction, and the degradation of Louisiana’s coastline. In "Exile," a poem about the last moments of...
2024-11-0857 min2024-11-0622 minEmpower House Radio KXEP-LPThe Resilience Within S2E2 w/ Raíz Infinita - Reframing the Gifts of our AncestorsIn this episode we hear from Raíz Infinitida, poet, artist, educator and community advocate. We spoke about the experience of loss and how we learn to grieve from our culture and ancestors. The lineage of survival, being tough, and using strength support our families up in challenging environments has led us to be unfamiliar with vulnerability and tenderness. She tells her own family's story of loss of her grandfather, and how his wife and daughters had no option but to be strong. She shares how she uses her art & writing to move into new ways of being for he...
2024-11-0656 minEmpower House Radio KXEP-LPThe Resilience Within S2E1 w/ Aminah Decé - Showing up to GriefThis episode begins Season 2 of The Resilience Within, where we are focusing on the theme of grief, and showing up to the conversation not as experts, but humans who are learning how to deal with loss. Aminah Dece, artist, rapper, poet, and educator tenderly held space in the studio and shared what helped her in her own journey of grief, including "The Grief Recovery Handbook." We sit together in a slow, contemplative way, sharing a space of tenderness and contemplation. This episode is dedicated to JB Averitt, 1974 - 2024.
2024-11-0655 min