Words on a Wire

Words on a Wire
  • 4.5 (11)
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Words on a Wire is a radio show about fiction, poetry, the writing community, and whatever other issues concern literary writers and readers of books. Hosted by Daniel Chacón and Tim Z. Hernandez. Originally broadcasted on www.ktep.org Write to us: soychacon@gmail.com

  1. Scótt Russell Dúncan

    10H AGO

    Scótt Russell Dúncan

    In this episode of Words on a Wire, host Daniel Chacón speaks with writer, editor, and cultural critic Scótt Russell Dúncan about identity, futurity, and the politics of who gets to imagine the future. Dúncan discusses Chicanx futurism as an act of reclamation—of land, history, and possibility—pushing back against dominant narratives that exclude brown and Indigenous communities from visions of tomorrow. Through examples drawn from science fiction, publishing, and popular culture, he reflects on how mainstream media reinforces colonial power while marginalizing Chicanx voices. The conversation also explores Dúncan’s work as an editor and publisher, including his commitment to community-centered storytelling through Mais Poppin Press and the Puertas del Pueblo writing workshops. He speaks candidly about gatekeeping in the publishing industry, the pressure for Chicanx writers to filter their work for white audiences, and the importance of writing to one’s community rather than explaining it to outsiders. Grounded, critical, and hopeful, the episode highlights literature and collective imagination as essential tools for cultural survival and self-determination.

  2. Roberto Avant-Mier

    10H AGO

    Roberto Avant-Mier

    In this episode of Words on a Wire, host Daniel Chacón sits down with Dr. Roberto Avant-Mier, Chair of the Communication Department at the University of Texas at El Paso and a leading scholar of Chicano film. Their wide-ranging conversation uses Wim Wenders’ film Perfect Days as a point of entry into deeper reflections on cinema, music, memory, and meaning. Avant-Mier discusses how music functions as an emotional and narrative force in film, shaping human connection and inner life in ways that often go unnoticed, while Chacón reflects on his own experience of watching the film and the demands it places on attention and interpretation. From there, the discussion expands into broader cultural terrain: punk rock, horror films, Latino representation on screen, and the fundamental role music plays in human identity and community. The episode closes on a deeply personal note as Avant-Mier recounts his roots in Smeltertown, the now-vanished industrial community along the U.S.–Mexico border in El Paso, and his ongoing work volunteering at the community cemetery. What emerges is a conversation about art, place, and history—how they persist, resonate, and refuse to disappear, even when the physical spaces themselves are gone.

    1h 5m
  3. Max Perry Mueller

    12/13/2025

    Max Perry Mueller

    In this episode of Words on a Wire, host Will Rose speaks with historian Max Perry Mueller about his groundbreaking new book, Wakara’s America: The Life and Legacy of a Native Founder of the American West. Mueller uncovers the complicated, often misunderstood history of Chief Wakara, the influential Ute leader whose life intersected with Mormon settlers, the expanding American state, and the violent transformations of the 19th-century West. Through a conversation that blends archival detective work with storytelling, Mueller explains how Wakara shaped trade networks, diplomacy, intertribal relations, and the contested borderlands of the Great Basin. The discussion explores Wakara not as a mythic figure or a villain—as he has often been depicted—but as a strategist navigating colonial pressures while protecting his people’s interests.

    29 min
  4. Michelle Morgante

    12/13/2025

    Michelle Morgante

    In this episode of Words on a Wire, host Daniel Chacón speaks with writer and journalist Michelle Morgante about her journey from a small agricultural town in California’s San Joaquin Valley to a globe-spanning career in journalism, and ultimately, to fiction writing. Morgante begins by reflecting on her childhood in Lindsay, California, a tiny, heavily agricultural town she describes as a real-life “Mayberry.” She shares vivid memories of biking across town, a deeply segregated school environment, and how being a mixed-heritage kid positioned her literally and symbolically in the “in-between”—a role that crystalized when she became the school dance DJ mediating between racial groups through music. This early experience of living between worlds seeded her lifelong fascination with liminal spaces, a theme that now shapes much of her creative work. Chacón and Morgante explore how magical realism, borderland identity, and Gloria Anzaldúa’s concept of nepantla inform their artistic perspectives. Morgante describes how Latino culture sees the magical and the mundane as intertwined, a worldview that deeply influences her fiction. From there, the conversation moves into Morgante’s wide-ranging journalism career with the Associated Press, taking her to Detroit, Denver, New York, Miami, Mexico City, Portland, San Diego, and beyond. She recalls the unexpected beauty and sorrow she saw in places like Detroit, the artistic vibrancy of Mexico City’s Condesa neighborhood in the 1990s, and how newsroom layoffs and the decline of local media brought her back to the Valley. She and Chacón also discuss the impact of AI on journalism, the growing importance of human-created writing, and why authentic storytelling will matter more than ever.

    30 min
  5. (Part 2) The Storykeeper: Olga Talamante

    12/13/2025

    (Part 2) The Storykeeper: Olga Talamante

    Listen to part 2 of Tim Z. Hernandez's conversation with Olga Talamante. Be sure to catch part 1 right here on the Words on a Wire podcast.

    26 min
  6. (Part 1) The Storykeeper: Olga Talamante

    12/01/2025

    (Part 1) The Storykeeper: Olga Talamante

    In this episode of The Storykeeper from Words on a Wire, host Tim Z. Hernandez sits down with activist and community leader Olga Talamante to explore the extraordinary journey behind her life’s work. Drawing from her migrant childhood in Gilroy, her early experiences as a student leader, and her awakening as a young Chicana organizer, Olga reflects on the forces that shaped her political consciousness. She recounts her time studying in Latin America, the path that led her to Argentina in the 1970s, and the harrowing period during which she was imprisoned as a political prisoner—an experience that would galvanize her lifelong commitment to human rights and social justice. This first part of a two-part conversation offers an intimate look at the roots of Olga’s activism and the resilience that has defined her career, including decades of leadership in the Chicana/Latina community. It is a powerful story of courage, identity, and the transformative impact of bearing witness.

    30 min
  7. Making a Living as a Writer in 2025 and Beyond

    11/19/2025

    Making a Living as a Writer in 2025 and Beyond

    In this candid and forward-looking conversation, host Will Rose sits down with longtime Words on a Wire co-host Daniel Chacón to examine how profoundly the writing life has changed—and what the new realities mean for anyone trying to build a writing career in 2025. Drawing from personal experience and decades inside the MFA world, Chacón reflects on the fading era when a single book and an MFA could reliably lead to a university teaching job and a stable writing life. That model, he explains, has all but dissolved. With thousands of new MFAs minted each year and only a handful of creative-writing jobs available, the old path is no longer the norm—it is the exception. The episode explores the daunting numbers behind today’s publishing landscape: millions of new books released annually, the vast majority selling fewer than 100 copies, and the rise of self-publishing as a legitimate entry point rather than a career dead-end. Will and Daniel also discuss how writers must navigate the “attention economy” by developing skills in branding, social media, community-building, and even entrepreneurial thinking.

    30 min
  8. Frederick Luis Aldama

    11/10/2025

    Frederick Luis Aldama

    In this episode, host Daniel Chacón sits down with Fredrick Luis Aldama—the award-winning author, theorist, and editor known as Professor Latinx—to explore how stories shape our minds, our culture, and even our bodies. Aldama discusses his astonishingly prolific career, from editing FlowerSong Press and launching the Brown Ink imprint to teaching courses on narrative, wellness, and smartphone storytelling. Their conversation moves from literature to neuroscience to video games, revealing how imagination and “flow” unite mind and body in the creative act. Aldama explains how storytelling—whether on the page, the screen, or through play—is a fundamental human drive that keeps evolving, urging us to see, feel, and think in new ways.

    1h 3m
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4.5
out of 5
11 Ratings

About

Words on a Wire is a radio show about fiction, poetry, the writing community, and whatever other issues concern literary writers and readers of books. Hosted by Daniel Chacón and Tim Z. Hernandez. Originally broadcasted on www.ktep.org Write to us: soychacon@gmail.com

Information

  • Creator
    Words on a Wire
  • Years Active
    2012 - 2026
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Words on a Wire
  • Show Website
    Words on a Wire