Two Characters in Search of an Author

Photo: Lalo Alcaraz

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On Latino USA this week, two characters in search of an author. Meet Irene and Gerardo, two people who are living in Arizona and who feel stuck, each in his or her own way. We enlist the help of a satirist Lalo Alcaraz to offer suggestions for breaking out of the script they’ve written for themselves. Also: visual artist Ester Hernandez on the power of speaking through art. And Maria reflects on the phenomenon of summer music.

Photo: Thomas Lieser

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Late night radio in Colombia carries the voices of wives and children: calling into the ether with stories of life back home — hoping to penetrate the jungle and reach the kidnapped. Annie Correal tells the powerful story of the role radio plays for families who wait and hope, even as they try to maintain a connection with those who have been taken from them.

Photo: Esparta on Flickr

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On this week’s Latino USA, more details about the U.S. Justice Department’s lawsuit against Arizona’s tough new immigration law. We’ve also got two pieces from StoryCorps Historias, and an update on the week’s other news stories.