Poetry, Practice and Place: A Conversation with Diego Báez

Tejer el pensamiento: arte, palabra y reparación

En este episodio de Lit & Luz Podcast en español, nos adentramos en la decimosegunda edición del festival, celebrada en la Ciudad de México en marzo de 2026, a través de una conversación íntima con la artista visual Magali Lara y la escritora Margarita Saona. Desde la relación entre cuerpo, lenguaje e imagen hasta la escritura como estrategia de supervivencia, Lara y Saona comparten procesos profundamente personales que dialogan entre sí de manera orgánica. El episodio ofrece una mirada a los retos y hallazgos del trabajo colaborativo, así como a la potencia del arte como espacio de reparación, conexión y transformación.

Poetry, Practice and Place: A Conversation with Diego Báez

Created in collaboration with the Poetry Foundation, this episode features Iván Pérez, Assistant Editor of the Foundation’s Poetry magazine, in conversation with writer and educator Diego Báez, 2024–2025 Lit & Luz Collaboration Cohort alum. Together, they engage in a wide-ranging discussion about place, practice, and collaboration. Báez reflects on his writing practice, tracing his early encounters with poetry, his work in fiction and literary criticism, and the nonlinear path that led to the publication of his poetry collection, Yaguareté White (University of Arizona Press, 2024). Pérez and Báez share their experiences as writers, exploring the role of political urgency in reactivating creative work and the interdependence of reading and writing, and what it means to write across genres, across borders, and in collaboration with others. In this episode, Báez also offers behind-the-scenes insights into his collaboration with visual artist Ana Gallardo for the 2024–2025 Lit & Luz Festival, including their performances at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago and Museo del Chopo in Mexico City.

Promesas a la Tierra: Ana Hernández, territorio, identidad y transformación

Este episodio especial de Lit & Luz Podcast está dedicado a la doceava edición del festival Lit & Luz, que se llevará a cabo en Chicago del 9 al 14 de noviembre de 2025. En esta conversación, Sofía Gabriel, directora de MAKE Lit, la organización detrás del festival, charla con la artista oaxaqueña Ana Hernández, participante de esta edición. Ana reflexiona sobre su origen en el Istmo de Tehuantepec, la migración y la conexión entre cuerpo, materia y territorio, además de compartir detalles sobre su exposición Náa’ Reza [Mano rota] en el Laboratorio Arte Alameda en la Ciudad de México. También nos cuenta sobre el proceso creativo de la obra que está desarrollando en colaboración con la poeta Stefania Gómez, radicada en Chicago, la cual presentarán durante el Live Magazine Show el 14 de noviembre de 2025 en el Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Chicago (MCA). ENGLISH This special episode of the Lit & Luz Podcast is dedicated to the 12th edition of the Lit & Luz Festival, which will take place in Chicago from November 9–14, 2025. In this conversation, Sofía Gabriel, Executive Director of MAKE Lit, the organization behind the festival, speaks with Ana Hernández, Oaxacan artist participating in Lit & Luz this year. Ana reflects on her origins in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, her migration, and the connection between body, matter, and territory, while also sharing details about her exhibition Náa’ Reza [Broken Hand] at the Laboratorio Arte Alameda in Mexico City. She also discusses the creative process behind the work she is developing in collaboration with Chicago-based poet Stefania Gomez, which they will present during the Live Magazine Show on November 14, 2025, at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (MCA).

Intimidades radicales y criaturas sin nombre: Aura Arreola y la vulnerabilidad como práctica artística

En este episodio, Estéban King, curador de la Ciudad de México y director artístico de Lit & Luz México, conversa con Aura Arreola, artista interdisciplinaria mexicana que participó en el festival en 2022. Durante esta conversación Aura comparte su recorrido artístico guiado por la danza butoh, en una búsqueda constante de expresión a través del cuerpo y el sonido, encontrando inspiración en la vulnerabilidad. Arreola narra su participación en el Festival Lit & Luz, donde colaboró con el poeta cubanoamericano Gabriel Ojeda-Sagué en la creación de una performance que explora el espacio liminal entre la apertura y el riesgo.

Where Industrial Beats Meet Quiet Noises: Israel Martinez's Tender Revolution

Our second episode, hosted by Antonio Díaz Oliva, editor at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, features multimedia artist Israel Martinez, 2019 Lit & Luz Festival alum. Journey from punk rebellion to poetic silence in "Where Industrial Beats Meet Quiet Noises - Israel Martinez's Tender Revolution." Discover how Martinez's Guadalajara underground roots, from co-founding electronic label Abolipop to transforming silence into art, fuel his radical approach to sound and collaboration. Explore his evolution from 1990s subterranean music scenes to creating performances where darkness speaks and misunderstanding becomes meaning. Hear about his Lit & Luz collaboration with Korean-American poet Emily Jungmin Yoon, a performance beginning in total darkness with "quiet noises," evolving through Chinese whispers that transform poetry into collective rumor, culminating in vocal improvisations alongside whispered verses. Uncover his "listener and reader first" philosophy and influences from Christian Marclay to contemporary Mexican art. Perfect for fans of sound art, experimental performance, and cross-cultural collaboration. Join the Lit & Luz Festival in Chicago, November 8-14, 2025! Subscribe for inspiring stories of artistic exchange across borders... don't miss out!