While living in Miami as a grassroots scholar doing graduate studies, I realized there were very few spaces to showcase non-mainstream migrant, female, and Afro-descendant creatives. This led me to create two podcast series: Miami Alternativo and Word Culture / Cultura de la Palabra.

 

Miami Alternativo was a pilot project of five one-hour bilingual episodes, co-produced with Artistnator, featuring local artists.

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Word Culture / Cultura de la Palabra emerged during the pandemic lock down and became a larger endeavor, nearly 50 one-hour interviews, all hosted and produced by me. These conversations spotlighted a diverse range of creatives, including internationally acclaimed Cuban musicians and Miami-based artists in music, visual arts, dance, education, radio, production and wellness. Together, the series document a vital and at the time underrepresented cultural movement in the city.

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Shortly after these podcasts were launched, there was a visible emergence of online spaces showcasing diverse creatives, confirming the importance of creating platforms that center underrepresented voices and stories. These projects helped affirm the need for more diversified cultural storytelling in the city and in the Cuban diaspora.