EPISODE 97 – GUSTAVO ARELLANO ON LATINOS AND JOE ROGAN, SHERIFF VILLANUEVA, THE REPUBLICAN PARTY AND MORE

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For our 97th episode, Gustavo Arellano (@GustavoArellano), author of the “¡Ask a Mexican!” column from The OC Weekly from 2004 – 2017, and now a columnist for the L.A. Times, as well as host of The Times: Daily News from the L.A. Times podcast, joins us for a dynamic conversation on the state of the world, particularly for Latinx communities in the U.S. Among other things, Arellano chats with us about “rancho libertarianism,” or what for a growing bloc of Latinx voters is belief in “rugged individualism, distrust of government and elites, conservative moral beliefs, a love of community and a hatred of political correctness — that are like catnip for Republicans,” in his words. We analyze just how such a political philosophy may play out in local elections and across the nation, especially given recent history in Orange County, and more; a can’t-miss convo on the culture at this time, for sure!

J.T.

EPISODE 31 – THELMA REYNA, GOLDEN FOOTHILLS PRESS

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In our thirty-first episode, listeners meet Dr. Thelma Reyna, P.h.D., editor-in-chief of Golden Foothills Press in Altadena, California, and an accomplished author of more than ten books, including nonfiction, poetry anthologies, and more. Dr. Reyna describes her upbringing as a baby boomer, whose formative years were spent with her working-class family in the small conservative town of Kingsville, Texas, followed by her eventual journey to Pasadena, California. She also tells us about two books she published this year, including Dearest Papa: A Memoir in Poems,a tribute to her late husband of 50 years, as well as When The Virus Came Calling: COVID-19 Strikes America, an anthology of work by 46 different authors, including Richard Blanco, President Obama’s Poet Laureate at his 2013 inauguration, not to mention, work by yours truly.

J.T.