LA LISTA: A Latinx Writers Podcast

Join your host, Rubén Mendive, as he compiles a list of Latino/a/x/e writers you need to know. Each episode features an in-depth interview with a writer on where they've been and where they're headed. Follow us @lalistapodcast on Instagram! lalistapodcast.com

183. ANNA SALINAS 10/28/2025

183. ANNA SALINAS AN INSECURE FREAKY LATINA WRITER For our Season 6 finale, shares growing up in the conservative retirement town of Sarasota, how teaching art gave her the confidence to pursue improv at UCB, building Latino community with her team Menudo and the show Feliz Hour, breaking into TV on Human Resources, Mo, and Loot, and how her webcomic Bad Comix by Anna and short films helped her break out as a filmmaker! Season 7 of the pod starts back up March 2026! Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks /episode/index/show/lalista/id/38775690

182. YOSIMAR REYES RETURNS! 10/14/2025

182. YOSIMAR REYES RETURNS! A LATINO WRITER WHO WRITES ABOUT JOY & GRIEF (Ep. 113) is back to talk about bringing his solo show to its LA premiere (Nov 20–23), navigating the loss of his grandmother with the help of therapy, reflecting on undocumented life in a shifting political landscape, and creating theater rooted in joy, grief, and humor! Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks /episode/index/show/lalista/id/38571970

181. STEPHANIE RODRIGUEZ 09/30/2025

181. STEPHANIE RODRIGUEZ AN AWKWARD DOMINICAN YORK WRITER shares growing up between the Bronx and Tampa, hustling her way into art school, creating her graphic novel , transitioning from comics to screenwriting, moving to LA with a New York hustle, and breaking into children’s media through the Fred Rogers Productions Writers' Neighborhood program! Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks /episode/index/show/lalista/id/38400325

180. JAMES EASON-GARCIA 09/16/2025

180. JAMES EASON-GARCIA AN ANIMATED GAY LATINX WRITER/PRODUCER shares growing up Mexican-American in Colorado, coming out as the first openly gay student at his high school, rising from a PA for Elena of Avalor to co-executive producer for "Marvel's Iron Man and His Awesome Friends," and diving into preschool animation through visual storytelling and lessons in kindness! Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks /episode/index/show/lalista/id/38182260

179. MONTSERRAT LUNA-BALLANTYNE 09/02/2025

179. MONTSERRAT LUNA-BALLANTYNE A BUBBLY & COLORFUL SPOOKY LATINA WRITER shares growing up between Monterrey and Ventura County, leaving the Mexican Consulate to break into TV with Mayans MC, surviving Zoom rooms and the strike, and finding new creative joy through Film Independent’s Project Involve with her horror/psychological thriller short ! Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks /episode/index/show/lalista/id/38049995

178. MARCELINA CHAVIRA 08/19/2025

178. MARCELINA CHAVIRA A SMART-ASS TEJANA WRITER shares growing up in Texas with Mexican and white roots, moving from anthropology into sketch and voiceover, writing for Amazon’s Upload in the thick of our AI anxieties, bringing her Texas upbringing to the King of the Hill continuation, and shaping a voice grounded in magical realism and postcolonial identity in our current climate! Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks /episode/index/show/lalista/id/37869755

177. JORGE MOLINA 08/05/2025

177. JORGE MOLINA A PROUDLY FORMULAIC IMMIGRANT WRITER shares growing up gay in Cuernavaca, Mexico and dreaming of Hollywood from afar, skipping the traditional assistant path after USC due to visa constraints, building a career curating shorts at top queer and Latino film festivals and demystifying the submission process for filmmakers, and channeling his whodunit obsession into the Gina Torres-led audio drama ! Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks /episode/index/show/lalista/id/37673105

176. HELEN FERNANDEZ 07/22/2025

176. HELEN FERNANDEZ A PROUD LATE-BLOOMER, DAUGHTER TO IMMIGRANTS, NOW TRAUMATIZED & SEARCHING FOR A HYPNOTIST shares her upbringing between Phoenix, San Antonio, and Mexico, navigating toxic assistant gigs and breaking through via the NBC TV Writers Program, how getting staffed on Happy’s Place and not being asked back taught her the highs and heartbreaks of working in TV, and creating the live comedy show to explore the absurdity of modern dating! Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks /episode/index/show/lalista/id/37468480

175. REUBEN BERNARDO QHAPAQ 07/08/2025

175. REUBEN BERNARDO QHAPAQ A QUEER LATINO-INDIGENOUS DRAG QUEEN TURNED FILMMAKER shares his journey from Ecuador to San Francisco, surviving chronic illness and a rigid adoptive home, finding community as a teenage runaway in the city’s underground Latino drag scene, going from high school dropout to AFI graduate, and why his upcoming short honors the queer elders who helped him survive. Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks /episode/index/show/lalista/id/37329770

174. RONALD HINTON 06/24/2025

174. RONALD HINTON A PROUD QUEER, AFRO-NUYORICAN WRITER, ACTOR, & PRODUCER shares growing up with his grandmother in NYC's Upper West Side, reclaiming pride in his roots through writing, launching his Queerty-nominated web series to spotlight queer life in public housing, and building community through the . Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks /episode/index/show/lalista/id/37105110

173. ALESSANDRA JARA DEL CASTILLO 06/10/2025

173. ALESSANDRA JARA DEL CASTILLO A TEXAN PERUVIAN LATINA WRITER OBSESSED WITH FANTASTICALLY FLAWED WOMEN shares growing up between Peru and Texas, discovering screenwriting at UT Austin after starting in journalism, breaking into writers’ rooms through Twitter and mentorship, channeling her love of messy family dynamics into her scripts, and gaining rare production access as an assistant thanks to generous showrunners. Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks /episode/index/show/lalista/id/36866545

172. KAHLIL MASKATI 05/27/2025

172. KAHLIL MASKATI A MIXED-RACE WANNABE RAPPER DIY LATINO FILMMAKER shares growing up half Puerto Rican and half Indian in New Jersey, finding his creative voice through rapping and filmmaking, getting staffed on So Help Me Todd after the Paramount Writers Mentoring Program, and how making his indie feature led him to direct a new Chicano detective short set in Bakersfield. Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks /episode/index/show/lalista/id/36721970

171. YOHANNA BAEZ 05/13/2025

171. YOHANNA BAEZ A BOUNDLESS & LIMITLESS LATINX WRITER shares growing up Dominican in L.A., how a short doc on climate justice in her native DR sparked her storytelling path, her move to NYC to pursue the indie route, and turning —a genre-blending audio series about bodegas, designer drugs, and interdimensional portals—into a podcast, video game, and manga. Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks /episode/index/show/lalista/id/36514205

170. SEBASTIÁN REA 04/29/2025

170. SEBASTIÁN REA A QUEER ECUADORIAN WRITER FROM QUEENS shares his journey from Ecuador to Queens, his hustle as a teen party promoter, working with Tribeca and Jennifer Lopez’s Nuyorican Productions, and how the NBC TV Writers Program led him to his first staff job on Peacock’s upcoming limited series Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy. Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks /episode/index/show/lalista/id/36323120

169. TAWNYA BENAVIDES BHATTACHARYA 04/15/2025

169. TAWNYA BENAVIDES BHATTACHARYA A BOSS BABE LATINX WRITER WHO BUILT HER OWN LADDER & HELPS OTHERS CLIMB UP IT shares what it was like growing up in a tiny farming town in Eastern Washington, how uncovering family secrets led her to embrace her Mexican roots later in life, why she founded the screenwriting school , and how a relentless work ethic helped her staff on shows like Bel-Air, A Million Little Things, Ginny & Georgia, and My Life with the Walter Boys! Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks /episode/index/show/lalista/id/36135770

168. ELIJAH SARIÑANA 04/01/2025

168. ELIJAH SARIÑANA A QUIETLY CHAOTIC GENRE-BENDING INDIGENOUS/CHICANO WRITER shares his upbringing in California’s Central Valley, his journey from progressive rocker to writing horror and sci-fi rooted in Mexican mythology, his reconnection with his Nahua heritage, and how a La Lista mixer landed him a gig on Nocturno: Tales From the Shadows, Sonoro’s Danny Trejo–narrated horror podcast! Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks /episode/index/show/lalista/id/35948815

167. CHYNNA LADAGE 03/18/2025

167. CHYNNA LADAGE A BIRACIAL BISEXUAL BIPOLAR LATINA WRITER shares her upbringing in Burbank with her Mexican and Indonesian family, her experience traveling the country while working on Catfish: The TV Show (MTV), her journey overcoming imposter syndrome to finally call herself a writer, and how she worked her way up from office PA to story editor on All American (CW)! Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks /episode/index/show/lalista/id/35709440

166. OMAR PONCE 03/04/2025

166. OMAR PONCE A PROUD CHUNTI WRITER STRIVING FOR MEXCELLENCE In our Season 6 premiere, Omar Ponce shares his upbringing in L.A. and Hermosillo, Mexico, his journey from advertising to TV writing, the art of talking sh*t about loved ones at the ofrenda, and the significance of bringing "Mexcellence" into the mainstream on Lopez vs. Lopez! Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks /episode/index/show/lalista/id/35517215

165. KEVIN MADRIGAL GALINDO 10/29/2024

165. KEVIN MADRIGAL GALINDO A DECOLONIALISH LATINX WRITER For our Season 5 finale, shares his journey from his childhood in South San Francisco to Stanford University bioengineering student, food justice advocate, and chef, detailing how transformative experiences in nonprofit work inspired him to write poetry and publish his first chapbook, ! Season 6 of the pod starts back up March 2025! Instagram & Twitter/X - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks /episode/index/show/lalista/id/33650457

164. MARCELLA OCHOA 10/15/2024

164. MARCELLA OCHOA A PROUD TEJANA HORROR-OBSESSED LATINA WRITER & DIRECTOR shares her childhood in San Antonio, starting her career on the PR side of the industry, drawing writing inspiration from real life horror stories, and co-writing the social justice horror film, Madres, as part of Amazon’s ‘Welcome to the Blumhouse' series! Instagram & Twitter/X - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks /episode/index/show/lalista/id/33395122

163. JOSE VICENTE CHAVEZ 10/01/2024

163. JOSE VICENTE CHAVEZ A SPIRITUAL CHICANO HORROR SURREALIST LATINO WRITER shares his super Catholic upbringing in Santa Fe, building a community of horror writers with , diving into the fears of TV/film creatives on his podcast ‘’ and we preview our upcoming spooky writers mixer in DTLA! Instagram & Twitter/X - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks /episode/index/show/lalista/id/33266762

162. KAY BROCH 09/17/2024

162. KAY BROCH A QUEER, MIXED, UNAPOLOGETIC, LIBRA WITH ONLY CHILD SYNDROME LATINX WRITER shares her rebellious childhood in West Michigan, her early start as a marketing maven, writing about the drag queens who raised her, and ‘’ her podcast about shining a light on the women who’ve empowered us! Instagram & Twitter/X - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks /episode/index/show/lalista/id/33062037

161. OSCAR LEMUS 09/03/2024

161. OSCAR LEMUS A SILLY LATINX WRITER shares his upbringing in South Florida, finding his love for sketch comedy at Florida State University, working his way up from TV support staff on multiple shows to staffing on the new season of 'Phineas and Ferb', and standing with the Animation Guild during their upcoming contract negotiations! Instagram & Twitter/X - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks /episode/index/show/lalista/id/32746977

160. EDITH RODRIGUEZ RETURNS! 08/20/2024

160. EDITH RODRIGUEZ RETURNS! AN EVER EVOLVING MIDWEST BORICUA WRITER (ep. 38) returns to share her experience relocating from Dallas to LA with her family, taking a year off from her career to pursue screenwriting, how she staffed on the upcoming 'Dexter' series, and why it’s important to question your nos! Instagram & Twitter/X - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks /episode/index/show/lalista/id/32628152

159. HERNÁN BARANGAN 08/06/2024

159. HERNÁN BARANGAN A REBELLIOUS LATINX FILIPINX WRITER ON WHEELS shares his childhood in the Bay Area, dealing with cancer as a teen, how unprocessed trauma led to his feature documentary 'CANCER REBELLION' about teens diagnosed with cancer across all 50 states, and writing health narratives that ring true on Apple TV+’s LIFE BY ELLA! Instagram & Twitter/X - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks /episode/index/show/lalista/id/32450032

158. EHCRAMA MARCHE 07/23/2024

158. EHCRAMA MARCHE A HELLA BLACK MEXICAN WRITER shares her childhood in Montebello, CA, becoming a self-taught animator during the pandemic, how identity struggles inspired her hit animated web series '', and why vulnerability produces great art! Instagram & Twitter/X - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks /episode/index/show/lalista/id/32249747

157. KRISTIAN MERCADO FIGUEROA 07/09/2024

157. KRISTIAN MERCADO FIGUEROA A MIXED MEDIA GENRE-BENDING LATINX WRITER shares his childhood in Spanish Harlem and Puerto Rico, the inspiration behind his hit cyberpunk short film '', the power imbalance between Puerto Rico and the USA, and his first feature film ‘IF YOU WERE THE LAST' streaming now on Peacock! Instagram & Twitter/X - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks /episode/index/show/lalista/id/32056637

156. AITCH ALBERTO 06/25/2024

156. AITCH ALBERTO A LATINA MIAMI WRITER WITH A BITE shares her childhood in Miami while living on the run with her family, releasing her film ‘Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe’, navigating an ever-changing TV/film industry, and how your ‘ugly’ is your superpower! Instagram & Twitter/X - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks /episode/index/show/lalista/id/31872312

155. THULIO DASILVA 06/11/2024

155. THULIO DASILVA A NUANCED MULTIDIMENSIONAL HILARIOUS F****T LATINX WRITER shares his childhood as a Brazilian immigrant in Connecticut, experiencing the impact of gun violence following the Sandy Hook Massacre, our time together in The Disruptors TV Fellowship, and writing about queer & undocumented shame. Instagram & Twitter/X - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks /episode/index/show/lalista/id/31688662

154. ANGELA TREVIÑO 05/28/2024

154. ANGELA TREVIÑO A SOCIAL CLASS & SCI-FI OBSESSED LATINX WRITER shares her childhood experiences as an immigrant from a Mexican border town, switching careers to become a TV writer, how she staffed on 'Kung Fu' on the CW, and divorcing your writing from the outcome! Instagram & Twitter/X - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks /episode/index/show/lalista/id/31487412

LA LISTA: A Latinx Writers Podcast

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