Caption: Demetria Martinez
Demetria Martinez 

Journalist and poet Demetria Martinez

Series: New Letters on the Air
From: New Letters on the Air
Length: 00:29:00

Columnist and poet Demetria Martinez is known for her investigative journalism in the '80s on El Salvadoran refugees. She reads poetry and prose from hCONFESSIONS OF A BERLITZ-TAPE CHICANA and THE DEVIL’S WORKSHOP and shares some stories of her life. Read the full description.
${title}
To hear the full audio, sign up for a free PRX account or log in.

Also in the New Letters on the Air series

Caption: James Richardson

Poet and aphorist James Richardson (00:29:00)
From: New Letters on the Air

Poet James Richardson has called himself an "accidental aphorist," but his well-crafted works are no accident. He reads from his 2010 book, BY THE NUMBERS: POEMS AND ...
Caption: Peggy Shumaker

Alaska's State Writer Laureate, 2010-2012, Peggy Shumaker (00:29:00)
From: New Letters on the Air

Peggy Shumaker, Alaska's State Writer Laureate, 2010-2012, is adept at capturing the beauty of landscapes, both internal and external. She reads from her poetry collection ...
Caption: Lorraine Lopez

PEN/Faulkner Award Finalist Lorraine Lopez (00:29:00)
From: New Letters on the Air

Fiction writer Lorraine Lopez was a 2010 finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award, with her collection HOMICIDE SURVIVORS PICNIC AND OTHER STORIES. She's also published three ...
Caption: Michelle Boisseau

Poet Michelle Boisseau (00:29:00)
From: New Letters on the Air

Poet Michelle Boisseau talks about her collection A SUNDAY IN GOD-YEARS, which examines borders between black and white, free and slave, living and dead, and wrestles with ...
Caption: Robert Bly

National Book Award-winning poet and translator, Robert Bly (00:29:00)
From: New Letters on the Air

Esteemed poet and translator, Robert Bly, is joined by sitarist David Whetstone in this public reading for the Midwest Poets Series. Bly reads a variety of poems, including ...
Caption: Wayne Miller

Poet, editor, and translator, Wayne Miller (00:29:00)
From: New Letters on the Air

Poet and editor Wayne Miller reads from his 2011 collection, THE CITY, OUR CITY, and discusses the art of translation. Miller also shares poems from his 2006 book, ONLY THE ...
Caption: Sapphire

Poet and fiction writer, Sapphire (00:29:00)
From: New Letters on the Air

Poet and fiction writer Sapphire, best-known for her novel PUSH, which became the award-winning film PRECIOUS, reads from her 2011 novel, THE KID, which follows the son of ...
Piece image

When She Named Fire (00:29:00)
From: New Letters on the Air

The title our Clarion Award-winning show, "WHEN SHE NAMED FIRE," is taken from an anthology of contemporary poetry by American women. Edited by poet Andrea Hollander Budy, ...
Caption: Mariko Nagai

Japanese poet and fiction writer, Mariko Nagai (00:29:00)
From: New Letters on the Air

Japanese poet and fiction writer Mariko Nagai draws from history and personal experience to explore different types of love and desire, and to depict characters facing ...
Caption: William Trowbridge

Missouri poet William Trowbridge (00:29:00)
From: New Letters on the Air

Unafraid of incorporating pop culture in his work, poet William Trowbridge, the author of five poetry collections, including THE COMPLETE BOOK OF KONG, shares poems from his ...

Piece Description

Known for her journalistic investigations in the 1980s into stories about El Salvadoran refugees, Demetria Martinez is a fearless writer. Winner of the 2006 International Latino Book Award for her collection of essays and poems called CONFESSIONS OF A BERLITZ-TAPE CHICANA. Demetria Martinez shares some of her stories about her life and reads both poetry and prose from this book.

Broadcast History

This program originally uplinked to PRSS' Content Depot on August 21, 2009 for delivery to member stations.

Timing and Cues

UPLINK DATE: 04/30/2010
PROGRAM LENGTH: 29:00 minutes
INCUE: (music) "Creativity is a habit anyone can learn and is not dependent upon inspiration..."
OUTCUE: "...I'm Angela Elam. Thanks for listening to NEW LETTERS ON THE AIR."

Musical Works

Title Artist Album Label Year Length
Havana Moon Studio Cutz Production Library Latin Flavor. Studio Cutz 00:00
Latin Lover Studio Cutz Production Library Latin Flavor. Studio Cutz 00:00

Additional Credits

New Letters on the Air is a production of the University of Missouri-Kansas City and the quarterly literary magazine NEW LETTERS. Partial financial support also comes from the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency.

Related Website

http://www.newletters.org/radio