KXEP-LP Empower House Radio

Interview w/ The Sacred Underground and Patricia Castillo

The Resilience Within Ep. 5 w/ Jacque Salame - Palestine and Politics

In this episode we speak with Jacque Salame, a teaching artist, dancer, choreographer, nutritionist and owner of Rev Well Studio. Jacque shared about the effects of adrenaline and stress chemicals in her daily life, and her current wrestlings with mitigating that stress. We spoke about some of the societal issues that spark that stress - which is also a source of passion - including the issues around police brutality and genocide. 

The Resilience Within Ep. 4 w/ Excy Guardado (Ceiba Ili) - Caretaking

In this episode we speak with Excy Guardado, also known as Ceiba Ili, a cultural educator and musician from Honduras who skillfully incorporates indigenous instruments and languages into her music. Her work bridges the worlds of migrant communities, and indigenous rights, and promotes environmental justice. She shared about her current wrestlings with caregiving and making sure that she is able to find a place of balance in the midst of the needs of her loved ones. As someone who had grown up in a culture of mutual aid due to extreme need, she honors the value of showing up for our communities but also recognizes how it can swallow our lives up unless we learn how to set healthy boundaries.
 

Platica Y Poetics Ep.4 w/ Ire'ne Silva Lara

Our conversation with the 2024 Texas Poet Laureate was nothing short of a cosmic comadre platica. Ire'ne welcomed us into her creative sanctuary, where the blank page held limitless potential. In this sacred exchange of poetic wisdom, we delved into the significance of indigeneity in literature and the reclamation of identity after transcending historical traumas. The author of “Furia”, “Blood Sugar Canto”, “Cuicacalli”, and “The Eaters of Flowers” spoke of the “necessity” to write, describing poetry as a lifeline, a way to navigate grief and carve out space for understanding ancestral wounds. Through Ire'ne, we were reminded of the path of love or pain, leaving with her savant poetic brilliance as lyrical ancestral medicina.

Platica Y Poetics Ep.1 w/ Carmen Calatayud

Our first Platica is a cuento about how poetics has been a lifeline for Carmen, nourishing her innate ability to bring the healing art of storytelling to life through poetry. As both a psychotherapist and poet, Carmen explores the transformative power of healing through words.In this conversation, we dive into her surreal poetic memoir, “This Tangled Body,” as she navigates themes of family history, war, migration, and the raw complexities of relationships.Through lyrical language, Carmen searches for ways to rescue a body that has known pain, addiction, and generational trauma.

The Resilience Within Ep. 3 w/ Celinda De La Fuente - Redefining Rest and Medicine

In this episode we get a glimpse into healing practitioner Celinda De La Fuente’s journey from debilitating sickness to health and wellness. She touches on some of the modalities that have helped her and she uses to help others on their journey, including curanderismo, Reiki, and QiGong. Her current question is: "How can I be of service today?" Spoiler: Sometimes the answer is to rest. We spoke about redefining words like ”rest,” from seeing rest as something that is a waste of time to seeing rest as something that is productive and necessary.

Platica Y Poetics Ep. 3 w/Olivia Ortiz

In our Mera Platica with Olivia, we explored her journey into the art world, beginning with her apprenticeship alongside her husband, Cruz Ortiz. Olivia shared how she navigates various mediums, from printmaking to oil on canvas and warehouse painting, and how personal life experiences influence artistic expression. Speaking about her feminine divine modernism style illuminates the female experience under male patriarchy, addressing themes of labor and limited autonomy. How Olivia describes abstract depictions of feminine beauty invites us to immerse ourselves in sensual art and the divine within her pieces. Our artistic space was one that manifested a divine poetic portal.

The Resilience Within Ep. 2 w/ Patricia Castillo - A Story of P.E.A.C.E.

In this episode we speak with Patricia Castillo of the P.E.A.C.E. Initiative about her journey into being an advocate to end domestic violence. We learn more about the influence of a beloved friend and mentor who has left a lasting impression in her life. We also look at a toxic iteration of “familismo” and how it can stop people from telling their stories. Patricia speaks on the power of telling one’s story, and the generational chains that can be broken when we normalize conversations around this difficult topic of violence and abuse within families.

Attainable Housing W/Jessica Conrad Special Guest Sarah Davis (SALSA)

Platica Y Poetics Ep.2 w/ Anel I. Flores

Our Platica with Anel was a sensual, sensory experience, where they explored generational voices, queer identity, and their parallel existence as both a painter and writer. A Xicane, Queer, Trans author and artist, Anel is a cherished icon of San Antonio. We delved into the pleasures of aligning with sensual space, discussing their work, including “Empanada: A Lesbiana Story en Probaditas” and the forthcoming “Cortinas de Lluvia”. Anel's episodic and sensory memory weaves a cosmic tapestry that shapes queer narratives. Sharing queer poetic space with them, a poetic flow session, improvising a poem on the spot, was an erotic delicacy.