Latinx Visions

Latinx Cultural Politics: Visual Arts

Bienvenidas, bienvenidos, bienvenides! Welcome to season 8 of Latinx Visions. Our theme for this semester is Latinx Cultural Politics and we will be bringing you three episodes in which we will be in conversation with academics, visual artists, and authors to discuss the many ways in which they engage in cultural politics.

Cultural politics examines how power, identity, and social struggles are negotiated through cultural expressions, including art, media, language, and everyday practices. It explores how representation shapes social realities, how dominant ideologies maintain hegemony, and how marginalized communities resist through alternative narratives and artistic forms. Cultural politics intersects with race, class, gender, and sexuality. It reveals how cultural production both upholds and challenges systems of oppression. It also considers the role of aesthetic and political practices in shaping social movements and how globalization and transnationalism influence cultural exchanges and diasporic identities.  

In this episode,  interview Arlene Davila and Yasmin Ramirez, editors of the recently published book, Nuyorican and Diasporican Visual Art. This interview was recorded via Zoom on Friday, February 28th, 2025. After the interview, we share our reflections on the conversation with Arlene and Yasmin.

Latinx Visions in conversation with Joseph Caceres

Buy Nuyorican and Diasporican Visual Art

Book and Artist Conversation at the Latinx Project

Latinx Project Auction

 

Follow the podcast:

Bluesky and Instagram: @LatinxVisions

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Hosts: Rojo Robles and Rebecca L. Salois

Logo Design: Marcos Toledo

Music: Shawn P. Russell

Sound Consultant and Mixing: Shawn P. Russell

Recording and Editing: Rebecca L. Salois

Social Media and Transcripts: Jasmine Mojica

Talk to a Podcast: Caribbean Music (Student Episode)

Bienvenidos, bienvenidas, bienvenides. If you have been listening for a while, you might know that we usually release student work between semesters. We released three episodes during January and the final two will be released in February.

These episodes were fully created by the students in Rebecca's fall 2024 Survey of Caribbean Literature course. The students worked together in groups throughout the semester to create podcast episodes that reflected the literature, themes, and concepts we covered in the class. They researched the ideas that interested them the most and analyzed different forms of literature from the Caribbean including novels, short stories, poetry, songs, and film. They learned how to record, edit, and produce a podcast project that they could be proud of putting out into the world. 

Please let them know how you feel about their work by listening and sharing this episode. Give them a shout out on social media by tagging Latinx Visions on Instagram and BlueSky.

This episode was written, recorded, edited, and produced by Grace Ayodele, Thomas Ellenson, Elizabeth Gonzalez, Sovereign Mack, Clarisa Martinez, and Lesly Ramirez Melchor.

 

Transcript

Bibliography

 

Songs analyzed in this episode include:

• Una Velita, Bad Bunny
• Sin Aire, Rafa Pabón
• El Niágara en Bicicleta, Juan Luis Guerra
• Preciosa, Marc Anthony
• Africa Must Wake Up, Nas and Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley

 

Women in the Caribbean (Student Episode)

Bienvenidos, bienvenidas, bienvenides. If you have been listening for a while, you might know that we usually release student work between semesters. We released three episodes during January and the final two will be released in February.

These episodes were fully created by the students in Rebecca's fall 2024 Survey of Caribbean Literature course. The students worked together in groups throughout the semester to create podcast episodes that reflected the literature, themes, and concepts we covered in the class. They researched the ideas that interested them the most and analyzed different forms of literature from the Caribbean including novels, short stories, poetry, songs, and film. They learned how to record, edit, and produce a podcast project that they could be proud of putting out into the world. 

Please let them know how you feel about their work by listening and sharing this episode. Give them a shout out on social media by tagging Latinx Visions on Instagram and BlueSky.

This episode was written, recorded, edited, and produced by Nathalie Cabrera, Delina Forde, Kavon James, Nayhla Nazon, Marlon Ottley, and Ona Vassallo.

 

Transcript

Bibliography

Caribbean Heritage: Parent/Child Relationships (Student Episode)

Bienvenidos, bienvenidas, bienvenides. If you have been listening for a while, you might know that we usually release student work between semesters. This time we will be releasing one episode a week throughout January.

These episodes were fully created by the students in Rebecca's fall 2024 Survey of Caribbean Literature course. The students worked together in groups throughout the semester to create podcast episodes that reflected the literature, themes, and concepts we covered in the class. They researched the ideas that interested them the most and analyzed different forms of literature from the Caribbean including novels, short stories, poetry, songs, and film. They learned how to record, edit, and produce a podcast project that they could be proud of putting out into the world. 

Please let them know how you feel about their work by listening and sharing this episode. Give them a shout out on social media by tagging Latinx Visions on Instagram and BlueSky.

 

This episode was written, recorded, edited, and produced by Jeau Alvarez, Angelique Cespedes, Steven Fabiani, George Kusi, Julian Martinez-Ariza, and Lily Petak.

Transcript

Bibliography

Baddies Who Read (Student Episode)

Bienvenidos, bienvenidas, bienvenides. If you have been listening for a while, you might know that we usually release student work between semesters. This time we will be releasing one episode a week throughout January.

These episodes were fully created by the students in Rebecca's fall 2024 Survey of Caribbean Literature course. The students worked together in groups throughout the semester to create podcast episodes that reflected the literature, themes, and concepts we covered in the class. They researched the ideas that interested them the most and analyzed different forms of literature from the Caribbean including novels, short stories, poetry, songs, and film. They learned how to record, edit, and produce a podcast project that they could be proud of putting out into the world. 

Please let them know how you feel about their work by listening and sharing this episode. Give them a shout out on social media by tagging Latinx Visions on Instagram and BlueSky.

 

This episode was written, recorded, edited, and produced by Grace Ayodele, Shania Clark, Juliemarie Hernandez, Bianca Peterkin, Ariana Purisic, and Leticia Rodriguez

Transcript

Bibliography

Sanky Panky and Other Literature (Student Episode)

Bienvenidos, bienvenidas, bienvenides. If you have been listening for a while, you might know that we usually release student work between semesters. This time we will be releasing one episode a week throughout January.

These episodes were fully created by the students in Rebecca's fall 2024 Survey of Caribbean Literature course. The students worked together in groups throughout the semester to create podcast episodes that reflected the literature, themes, and concepts we covered in the class. They researched the ideas that interested them the most and analyzed different forms of literature from the Caribbean including novels, short stories, poetry, songs, and film. They learned how to record, edit, and produce a podcast project that they could be proud of putting out into the world. 

Please let them know how you feel about their work by listening and sharing this episode. Give them a shout out on social media by tagging Latinx Visions on Instagram and BlueSky.

 

This episode was written, recorded, edited, and produced by Mercy Colon, Daniela Diaz, Imani Gonzalez, Yael Leon, Julia Shi, and Daniela Zoquier. Sound Consultant and Mixing by Shawn P. Russell

Transcript

Bibliography

 

 

Narrativas Especulativas Latinas: Cine (Sleep Dealer w/Enrique González Conty)

Para este episodio que cierra nuestra temporada número 7 sobre narrativas especulativas hemos invitado a Dr. Enrique González Conty. Enrique es profesor de español y cine en Ithaca College y buen amigo de Rojo.

En este episodio abordaremos la película del 2008 Sleep Dealer dirigida por Alex Rivera con las actuaciones de Luis Fernando Peña como Memo Cruz, Leonor Varela como Luz Martinez, y Jacob Vargas como Rudy Ramirez.

Enrique hablará sobre la militarización de la frontera y el uso de la tecnología para ello. Rebecca examinará el trabajo virtual de los migrantes en los Estados Unidos y yo, Rojo, discutiré el modelo de escritura neurológica en las redes que presenta la película.

Transcript

Follow the podcast:

Bluesky and Instagram: @LatinxVisions

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hosts: Rojo Robles and Rebecca L. Salois

Logo Design: Marcos Toledo

Music: Shawn P. Russell

Sound Consultant and Mixing: Shawn P. Russell

Recording and Editing: Rebecca L. Salois

Social Media and Transcripts: Jasmine Mojica

Latinx Speculative Narratives: Graphic Novel

In this episode we discuss the graphic novel Low, Low Woods. First, we provide a synopsis of the book along with brief introductions of its authors: Carmen Maria Machado and artist Dani. In the context of this graphic novel, Rojo conducts an ecological and feminist analysis of body horror, with particular attention to the different meanings and representations of sinkholes. Rebecca then focuses on gaslighting as a form of psychological abuse and considers how one of the protagonists, Vee, engages in what might be considered self-gaslighting, as a form of self-preservation, but also how water serves as a symbol for gaslighting from the men of the town.

 

Follow the podcast:

Twitter and Instagram: @LatinxVisions

 

Transcript

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Hosts: Rojo Robles and Rebecca L. Salois

Logo Design: Marcos Toledo

Music: Shawn P. Russell

Sound Consultant and Mixing: Shawn P. Russell

Recording and Editing: Rebecca L. Salois

Social Media and Transcripts: Jasmine Mojica

Latinx Speculative Narratives: Podcast - La Brega w/Alana Casanova-Burgess

Today, we are in conversation with Alana Casanova-Burgess, co-creator, host, and producer of WNYC Studios’ La Brega: Stories from the Puerto Rican Experience. 

This conversation was recorded on May 2nd, 2024 in front of a live audience of our students and colleagues and it was sponsored by The Harman Program at Baruch College. Special thanks to Esther Allen and Elena Martínez for organizing the event and inviting us to participate.

At the beginning, the conversation focuses on Casanova-Burguess’s podcast. Then, it explores the speculative sci-fi episode “The Moon’s Distance/La Distancia de la Luna” from the second season of La Brega, co-written with the Puerto Rican writer, editor and scholar Sergio Gutiérrez Negrón.

We also feature a guest co-host this month, our colleague, Dr. Harold Ramdass, a Lecturer in the English Department here at Baruch and Rojo's co-instructor for the Feit Interdisciplinary Seminar course Performing the Caribbean, which they taught during the spring 2024 semester.

Transcript

Follow the podcast:

Twitter and Instagram: @LatinxVisions

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hosts: Rojo Robles and Rebecca L. Salois

Logo Design: Marcos Toledo

Music: Shawn P. Russell

Sound Consultant and Mixing: Shawn P. Russell

Recording and Editing: Rebecca L. Salois

Social Media: Jasmine Mojica

Latinx Speculative Narratives: Short Stories

Bienvenidas, bienvenidos, bienvenides! Welcome back to season 7 of the podcast! This season our focus is on speculative narratives. 

In this episode, we start by defining speculative fiction and speculative narratives. Then, we share some background information on each of the authors and collections of short stories we are analyzing today. During the main segment of the episode, Rojo explores how Chilean writer Roberto Bolaño uses the speculative genre to unpack and critique the influence of fascism en las Américas and Rebecca considers the ways in which monster stories can be re-written as a tool for women’s empowerment. And as we have done in past seasons, we wrap up with a section in which we connect the short story choices we have made to one another.

 

Follow the podcast:

Twitter and Instagram: @LatinxVisions

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hosts: Rojo Robles and Rebecca L. Salois

Logo Design: Marcos Toledo

Music: Shawn P. Russell

Sound Consultant and Mixing: Shawn P. Russell

Recording and Editing: Rebecca L. Salois