Words on a Wire

In this episode of Words on a Wire, host Daniel Chacón talks with Luisana Duarte Armendáriz, author of the middle-grade mystery novels Julieta and the Diamond Enigma and Julieta and the Cryptic Rose. Julieta is a curious, art-obsessed young detective whose parents work in the art world, which gives her access to the hidden corners of the Louvre in Paris and to Diego Rivera’s murals in Guanajuato, Mexico. Duarte Armendáriz describes how Julieta took shape from Amelia Bedelia, Ramona Quimby, and Flavia de Luce, and how a character who wouldn’t leave her alone grew into a series. She also explains why she chose Diego over Frida, how she wrote Paris so vividly without ever visiting, and where Julieta might go next, from Boston to Spain’s great museums. The conversation opens with a question from Chacón’s seven-year-old daughter, Lucinda, who is reading the books alongside her dad.

Host Daniel Chacón talks with poet and translator Francisco Aragón about Handbook of Foams, the first full English translation of Gerardo Diego’s 1922 avant-garde classic. Diego belonged to Spain’s Generation of ‘27 alongside Lorca and shared the 1979 Cervantes Prize with Borges. Aragón discusses the book’s music, Diego’s friendship with Juan Gris, and the decades-long journey from a master’s thesis in Madrid to publication. He reads several poems, alternating between Spanish and English.

Host Will Rose speaks with historian and author Liza Black about her new book, How Settlers Get Away with Murder. A citizen of the Cherokee Nation and an associate professor at Indiana University, Black examines violence against Native people and the institutions that fail their families. Drawing on archival research and oral histories, she traces what she describes as a second wave of violence: the coverups, missing records, and official obstruction that can follow a killing or disappearance.Their conversation explores how laws have undermined tribal authority, how courthouses became instruments of land theft, and why Black challenges true crime’s reliance on police accounts. She also reflects on the frustrations of researching records controlled by the institutions she is investigating—and what those barriers mean for families seeking answers. Throughout, Black discusses her commitment to writing history that centers Native voices and takes families’ knowledge seriously.

Host Will Rose speaks with Pulitzer Prize-winning author and historian Marcia Chatelain about her latest book, How Bright the Path Grows: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the March on Washington, published by Pantheon. Through the lives of Black women whose contributions helped shape the civil rights movement, Chatelain offers a fuller understanding of the work, relationships, and personal sacrifices behind one of the most celebrated events in American history.The conversation explores Anna Hedgeman’s insistence that women receive recognition at the march, Rosa Parks’s financial struggles, and the everyday forms of courage that often escape public attention. Chatelain also shares her approach to research and storytelling, discussing how she brought these women’s complicated lives to the page.

In this episode of Words on a Wire, host Daniel Chacón speaks with acclaimed writer Julia Alvarez, author of How the García Girls Lost Their Accents and In the Time of the Butterflies, about her life in literature and her return to poetry with Visitations. Alvarez reflects on her beginnings as a poet, the persistence and mentorship that helped bring her work into the literary mainstream, and the generation of Latino writers who helped expand the boundaries of American literature.The conversation turns to the forces that have shaped Alvarez’s writing across decades: family, memory, language, community, and the enduring influence of the women in her life. Discussing poems from Visitations, Alvarez describes poetry as her “first love” and considers the writer’s role in keeping stories, hope, and joy alive even in times of violence and uncertainty. Throughout the conversation, Alvarez and Chacón return to the image of literature as a river—fed by generations of voices and carrying writers and readers toward something larger than themselves.

In this episode of Words on a Wire, host Will Rose speaks with writer Andrew Bertaina about his book-length essay, Ethan Hawke and Me, which was inspired by Richard Linklater's acclaimed Before trilogy. Blending memoir, literary criticism, and cultural reflection, Bertaina explores how the films shaped his understanding of romance, relationships, marriage, divorce, and the often complicated journey into adulthood.Their conversation ranges from the enduring appeal of Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, and Before Midnight to the role art plays in helping us make sense of our lives. They also discuss writing, memory, creative ambition, and the ways books and films can become companions through different stages of life.Andrew Bertaina is the author of One Person Away From You, The Body Is A Temporary Gathering Place, and The Way We Find Each Other.

Artificial intelligence is transforming the way we work, raising difficult questions about expertise, creativity, and the future of professional life. In this episode of Words on a Wire, host Will Rose speaks with Chris Walker, author of The Frequency Era, about his argument that society is entering a new economic age.Walker contends that as information becomes increasingly abundant through AI, the qualities that make us uniquely human become more valuable. Drawing on history, psychology, neuroscience, and economics, he explores why creativity, judgment, discernment, emotional resilience, and human connection may emerge as the defining skills of the future.

In this episode of Words on a Wire, host Daniel Chacón sits down with actor, director, and The University of Texas at El Paso theater professor Jay Stratton for a wide-ranging conversation about creativity, performance, teaching, and life in the arts. Stratton reflects on his years as a working actor in New York City, his journey from business student to theater artist, and the realities of building a career in regional theater. Along the way, the discussion expands into larger questions about storytelling, boredom, childhood imagination, academia, parenting, and the pressures of modern productivity. Thoughtful, funny, and deeply personal, the episode explores how art shapes the way we connect with community, culture, and ourselves. 

In this episode of Words on a Wire, host Daniel Chacón speaks with acclaimed author Reyna Grande about her latest book, Migrant Heart: Essays About Things I Can’t Forget. Their conversation explores the lasting emotional impact of migration, family separation, motherhood, memory, and the vulnerability of writing memoir. Grande reflects on the difference between fiction and nonfiction, the deeply personal process of revisiting trauma, and how essays allowed her to experiment with form and move freely through time and memory. Together, they discuss storytelling, identity, language, and the complicated inheritance of love, sacrifice, and survival across generations.

Host Daniel Chacón sits down with Dr. Gabriela Baeza Ventura, director and publisher of Arte Público Press—widely recognized as the nation’s leading publisher of U.S. Latinx literature.Their conversation begins on the U.S.–Mexico border, tracing Dr. Ventura’s upbringing between Ciudad Juárez and El Paso, and quickly expands into a deeper exploration of how literary worlds are built, sustained, and preserved. She shares the unexpected path that led her into publishing—from a graduate research fellowship to discovering a passion for editing through a stack of “damaged” books—and how that moment evolved into a lifelong commitment to amplifying Latino voices.Dr. Ventura reflects on the mentorship and vision of Arte Público founder Nicolás Kanellos, offering insight into the challenges and responsibilities of running a nonprofit press dedicated to cultural preservation. The discussion highlights the press’s mission to recover and elevate U.S. Hispanic literary heritage, bridging gaps between diasporic communities and their countries of origin while ensuring these works are recognized as part of the broader American canon.