KZSM–'When the River Speaks' on your true community radio station

Our mission at KZSM. org is “to engage, enlighten, and entertain listeners with programming celebrating the rich diversity of our community.”

Our shows give expression to the many voices of our area. What we create in sound, the journal “When the River Speaks: A Community Published Poetry and Art Anthology in SMTX” creates in print and images.

Generated by The San Marcos Public Library, the quarterly journal exists “to highlight talent in our community and celebrate the diversity of our voices.”

This Tuesday, July 18, 4-5 p.m., our live “Bookmarked” broadcast will feature poetry from the Summer 2023 issue of the journal, which came out a week ago.

Local poet E. D. Watson, one of the founders of the journal and part of the team that puts it together, will be a guest on the show.

She plans to bring along some of the poets to read from their work– the perfect guests to celebrate our first show in our newly remodeled studio.

“Our mission is to create a platform for local poets and artists to share their work with the community at large, and get to know each other,” Watson explains. “We aim to create a space to amplify voices that might otherwise go unheard– marginalized folks as well as people new to sharing their work.”

But not all the poets are unheard: “We’ve featured work by established poets and two artists as well as people publishing for the first time, including children. It’s important to bring creatives together!”

Bringing creatives together extends beyond the journal to writing workshops and other events, including an open mic poetry reading at Wake the Dead on publication day.

“We’re excited to be on ‘Bookmarked’ July 18 to share some of the work from our latest issue and talk about what we do and why!,” Watson adds.

Tune in Tuesday to enjoy the rich variety of creative voices from “When the River Speaks”—observations of nature; reflections on the mystery of identity; vivid, haunting memories, and more. And consider adding your own voice to the counterpoint by submitting your work to the journal at submissions4wtrs@ gmail.com.

Or consider becoming part of our KZSM family. You can add your own unique voice by developing a show to share your passion, or you can volunteer your time and skills to help with production, IT, or administration– email KZSMSanMarcos@ gmail.com.