Joseph Rios

Raza Si, Migra No

On this episode I chat with University of Minnesota Chicano Studies Prof. Jimmy Patino on his new book Raza Si Migra No the book is primarily about the san diego Chicano Activist response to the formation of the border patrol. And its also a book that is over 300 pages so its much more then that. Take a listen and as Jimmy and I wax poetic about the state, being chicano,and power Of specific interest to me is this lost of history of Chicano radical poliitics. If you are enegaged at all in chicano history I think you will find this book to be nourishing.

Chaun Webster - GeNtry!fication

Poet and graphic designer Chaun Webster draws from an interest in the work of sign in graffiti, the layering of collage, and the visuality of text. These methods are used in Webster’s work to investigate race – specifically the instability of blackness and black subjectivities, geography, memory, and the body. Correspondingly much of these investigations engage the question of absence, how to archive what is missing from the landscape particularly as a number of communities watch in real time, neighborhoods once populated with familiar presences, dissolve in the vernacular of redevelopment and its attendant colonial logic.

Manchita

Twin Cities' own rap 'hellion,' Manchita (GRRRL PRTY, Tha Clerb), recently released her debut sola project, One, with Minneapolis-based producer-performer-composer, Bionik (Aaliyah, R. Kelly, Lizzo). Though Bionik is known for his danceable, in-your-face, pulsing, electronic bass music, the EPs production showcases an unexpected moodiness, tenderness, and an attention to subtlety that is made visible and is amplified by the gritty content of Manchitas words, and her whispy falsetto. As a whole, the project reveals a more introspective, heavy-hearted body of work centered on love, loss, and survival.

Joseph Rios

On October 24th at the Loft Literary Center I had the opportunity to interview Joseph Rios on his new collection, Shadowboxing. Joseph Rios was born and raised in Clovis, CA. He is the author of The Opening Bell (Achiote Press) and Shadowboxing: Poems and Impersonations (Omnidawn, 2017). He is a recipient of the John K Walsh residency fellowship from Notre Dame and a VONA alumnus. He is the founder of Doña Helen’s, a poet’s residency at his grandparents’ longtime home in the San Joaquin Valley. The event was co-presented by Ancestry Books and the Loft, and is part of the Loft's thematic programming, Vigilance. Photo by Michele Serros

Latinx In Snow

Today the youth give tips on how to navigate the ice and snow of their Midwest home. In the winter, snow becomes a central protagonist for Minnesota residents. It adds extra layers of complexity to the simplest of tasks. In particular, how to walk on ice without falling and having everyone notice.