Tim Z. Hernandez returns to the show to talk about his new book, "Mañana Means Heaven," which is a portrait of Bea Franco, the "Mexican Girl" in Jack Kerouac's writings. Tim tells Daniel and guest co-host Nancy Lechuga about what led him to write about Bea, and about the long search to find her. Tim also talks about the beat influence on Chicano writers. We'll also hear about the research Tim undertook to identify the Mexican deportees killed in a plane crash in 1948 in Los Gatos Caynon in California. The deportees were buried in a mass gravesite with no identification. Thanks to Tim's efforts, a new headstone with all their names was recently erected. http://timzhernandez.com/
For this week's Poem of the Week, Nancy Lechuga reads "Bowery Blues" by Jack Kerouac.
And in this week's Poetic License, Benjamin Alire Saenz contributes part 3 in his "Words, Language, and Memory" series with a reflection on how words decipher the world, and about the movement between English & Spanish in his writing.
Aired Dec. 15, 2013.