Latinx Visions

Latinx Cultural Politics: Graphic Memoir

In this episode, we wrap up our season on Latinx Cultural Politics with a conversation by, and interview with, Cuban-American Graphic Artist, Edel Rodriguez. We are also joined by our colleague and professor of English, Dr. Jennifer Caroccio-Maldonado.

To start the episode, we provide a bit of background on Rodriguez and his career along with an overview of his graphic memoir, Worm: A Cuban American Odyssey. Then we turn to a presentation made by Rodriguez on March 27th, 2025, at Baruch College during the Harman Writer-in-Residence spring semester event. This talk was recorded in front of a live audience and was originally accompanied by a visual presentation that Rodriguez references multiple times. We highly recommend following along with this presentation if you are able, as he shares images of his work not only from his memoir, but from magazine covers, social media, and more. He also shows the audience family photos he was able to recover as part of the research process for writing his memoir. 

Next, we include a brief interview with Rodriguez conducted by Jennifer and Rebecca about the process of creating a graphic memoir and the approaches he took to telling his story in a way that was meaningful to him. And in the final segment from March 27th, we have included a selection of audience questions along with Rodriguez’s answers that we found insightful. 

To wrap up the episode, we will share our reflections on the presentation and interview.

Presentation Slides

(Note: Google may tell you this file is too large to scan for viruses, but we have opened it on our own computers and it is safe, it's just very large and must be downloaded first!)

 

 

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

Latinx Cultural Politics and Community Theater w/Miguel Trelles

In this episode, we continue our focus on Latinx Cultural Politics by conversing with artist and teatrero Miguel Trelles from Teatro LATEA. This episode includes background on LATEA and Miguel as well as an interview that was recorded in front of a live audience at El Clemente Soto Velez Cultural and Educational Center on March 7, 2025. After the interview, we return to share our reflections on the conversation with Miguel and his engagement with the audience who also asked him questions.

This conversation was part of "Speaking Volumes: A Symposium on Sound & Listening," hosted by two of our colleagues from Baruch College, Victor Sierra Matute and Camila Torres Castro, and sponsored by LATEA and El Clemente and we appreciate the invitation to join in the conversation and contribute with our interview of Miguel.

 

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: Jacob Garces Marques

Editing: Rebecca L. Salois

Social Media and Transcripts: Jasmine Mojica

 

 

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

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

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

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

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

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