Empower House Radio KXEP-LP

Platica Y Poetics S2E1 w/Alejandra ‘Mera Mera’ Sanchez Alanis

Alejandra, host of Plática y Poetics, is a queer translingual poet, songwriter, radio DJ, and
abstract artist whose work dissolves the boundaries between language, music, and visual art. A
lyrical architect of sensory experiences, they merge auditory, poetic, and visual elements into an
intoxicating tapestry of expression. Drawing from their background as a language teacher and
music mixer, Alejandra explores the rhythmic interplay of words and sound, coining ‘white
space foreplay’ as an invitation to indulge in the hypnotic cadence of sensory pleasure. Their
debut poetry book, Lip Liturgy’, is a spellbinding fusion of spiritual invocation and erotic
confession, weaving cultural memory into lush, sensual imagery. An advocate for diverse queer
voices, Alejandra’s work amplifies artistic expression by creating immersive, multilingual spaces
where desire, identity, and creativity coexist. Whether through poetry, performance, or radio,
they challenge audiences to engage deeply with sensation, dissolving inhibitions through
rhythmic flow and creative boldness. As co-founder of the San Antonio Queer Voices Collective
and an active member of multiple literary and artistic groups, they have performed on Marfa
Public Radio and Voices of San Antonio, leaving an indelible mark on the city’s creative
landscape. Through workshops like TransLANGUAGE Poetic Pleasure, Alejandra guides others
in channeling their sensual intuition, embodying poetry as both resistance and liberation.

Platica Y Poetics S2E12 w/ Agosto Cuellar

In this electrifying conversation that took place in his atelier in Southtown, I welcomed avant-
garde designer and San Antonio fashion icon Agosto Cuellar, known for his bold, Rasquache-
infused sustainable designs and unapologetic approach to style as resistance. This episode is a
love letter to creativity, sustainability, and the power of fashion as a revolutionary act. We began
by unpacking the essence of Rasquache aesthetics—a resourceful, and rebellious style that
thrives on ingenuity. Agosto shared how his cultural approach influences his sustainable fashion,
bridging the gap between street style and high fashion. We explored haute couture and Fashion
de la Calle, discussing how streetwear continues to challenge traditional fashion hierarchies.
Offering a behind-the-scenes look at his runway composition, revealing how he crafts an
immersive fashion experience, blending storytelling, sustainability, and Rasquache energy. His
designs are more than clothing—they are cultural statements that reflect identity, empowerment,
and the power of reclaiming space. By balancing art, commerce, and community, Agosto spoke
about the exquisite his experiences at Paris and New York Fashion Week, contrasting the global
fashion scene with San Antonio’s unique, often overlooked, yet thriving style identity,
highlighting what makes SA fashion distinct—its grassroots energy, commitment to
individuality, and deep cultural roots. He shared the story of "Keep SA Lamé," a response to
Austin’s “Keep Austin Weird.” Agosto remains a force of innovation, proving that fashion isn’t
just about clothes or haute couture—it’s about storytelling, avant-garde mindset and honoring
cultura with every stitch.

The Resilience Within S3E3 w/ Nathan Brown - Writing as a form of Self-Care

Season 3 is about self-care, because self-care is community care. Our guest this week, Nathan Brown, shares how his writing practice has been a powerful act of self-care, including his practice of writing one poem a day for the last 30 years. He shares his journey through big changes, including the pandemic shutdown which caused him to pivot and to create “fireside sessions,” a livestream weekly performance on Facebook that is still happening. He says that currently silence is one of the most healing resources in his life.
Nathan Brown is an author, songwriter, and award-winning poet who holds a PhD in English and Journalism from the University of Oklahoma where he’s taught for over 20 years. He served as Poet Laureate for the State of Oklahoma in 2013/14, and now travels full time performing readings, concerts, workshops and speaking on creativity, poetry, and songwriting. You can learn more about Nathan at brownlines.com 

The Resilience Within S3E2 w/ Jen Yáñez-Alaniz- Land and Lineage

Season 3 is about self-care, because self-care is community care. Today Jen Yáñez-Alaniz, a Chicana Mestiza activist, educator, poet, and PhD Fellow in Culture, Literacy, and Language at UT San Antonio shares some of her experiences working with refugee students in both the classroom and the garden setting.  She also shares about how she is addressing her chronic pain through a deepening relationship with the land and her lineage. Through the mentorship of her indigenous elders and relatives, she is cultivating a renewed relationship with the plant medicines of this region.  

The Resilience Within S3E1 w/ Estrella- “Apapacharte “

Season 3 is about self-care, because self-care is community care. Today’s guest Estrella shares what it’s like to be a migrant in a society that’s not shaped to support and care for migrant bodies. She shares about her own journey of self-care and how it has landed her back home in her childhood community, caring for her land, her parents, her child, and her own body. Self-care also includes things like dancing, even while caregiving, as well as the modalities she’s picked up through her years of seeking and training, including sound, drumming, yoga, and massage, into her everyday inner work and in her work with others.   She speaks about the wisdom and medicine of the fire, and how the respect of the fire as an elder is the same respect and deference she uses in caregiving her father. She also speaks about what it’s like to work with land that’s been contaminated by industrial toxins.

The Resilience Within S2E14 My Prayer Was Answered w/ Irene Lara Silva

The finale of Season 2: “Grief” airs today with guest ire’ne lara silva, who experienced the life, love, and loss of her brother Moises, whom she was roommates, co-creator, and caregiver for 20 years. Moises strove for beauty which came out in his painting, his cooking, and in the way he showed up in the world. You simply must take the time to listen. Spoiler alert: you cry. We moo like cows. You have to be there. 
 
ire’ne lara silva, 2023 Texas State Poet Laureate, is the award-winning author of five poetry collections, two chapbooks, a comic book, and a short story collection http://www.irenelarasilva.wordpress.com

Platica y Poetics S2E9 Jo Reyes-Boitel

My sit-down with Jo Reyes-Boitel began with a platica as if we were sitting down at a smallvintage metal table with cafecito Cubano in hand. She began by sharing who the artist andindividual are setting the stage by exploring who she is and how she exists in the world. Thisunique foundation led seamlessly into a discussion of her work, focusing on her distinctive voiceand the sensuous undercurrents that define her writing. Jo shared with us her favorite sensorypleasures—offering insights into how these elements enrich her creative process and deepen herconnection to the world. She spoke of the sensual clarity and inner alignment that manifest in herwriting, revealing how these qualities arose as precursors to her work or as revelations within it.Desire, she notes, operates as a central blueprint for her, a celebration of diverse identities thatinfluence her craft. In discussing Mouth, Jo delved into how her poetry navigates thecomplexities of intimate partner violence, queer survival, and femme-centered femininity. Sheexplores how lush, sensuous imagery allows her to approach difficult topics with emotionaldepth while highlighting the resilience of the queer body. Through juxtaposing pain withtriumph, her work reimagines the fairy tale narrative, gifting a voice to marginalizedperspectives. In discussing Michael + Josephine, she reflected on the exploration of queer Latinxintimacy, deepening the conversation about queerness within Latinx communities, revealing howthe divine and the everyday intertwine, speaks to the the complexities of love, humanconnection, and trauma recovery. The duality of tenderness and recklessness in her poetry, asdescribed by Anel I. Flores, reflects the vulnerability and strength of her characters, capturing themultifaceted nature of existence and her commitment to reshaping narratives of identity,survival, and liberation.

Happy Hour w/ Elda Olvera - Honoring Black History Month

Sala Artisté w/ Karla Kopalli

Sala Artisté w/ Vic Janitzi Estrada