“Maíz es Vida,” by Paloma Moreno Jiménez

07/26/23 • 31 min

Today, storyteller Paloma Moreno Jiménez conjures a folkloric audio fiction about the cross-cultural, agricultural importance of corn, and its relationship with humanity. Her experimental, sound-lush story anthropomorphizes the “three sisters” crops – Maíz (Corn), Calabaza (Squash), and Frijol (Bean) – as real sisters, and follows the eldest, Maíz, as she shares the story of a fantastical journey into the spirit world with her grandchild on the other side.

Special thanks to Ace the Storyteller for contributing original music to this episode.

Inherited is a critically acclaimed climate storytelling show made by, for, and about young people. We’re a production of YR Media and distributed by Critical Frequency.

For more information about our podcast, head to our website at yr.media/inherited, and follow us on the socials @inheritedpod.

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Special thanks to Ace the Storyteller for contributing original music to this episode.

Inherited is a critically acclaimed climate storytelling show made by, for, and about young people. We’re a production of YR Media and distributed by Critical Frequency.

For more information about our podcast, head to our website at yr.media/inherited, and follow us on the socials @inheritedpod.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Previous Episode

Interview with Camara Aaron

In the first of a series of behind-the-scenes bonus episodes, Inherited host Shaylyn Martos sits down with storyteller Camara Aaron, the creative force behind Season 3, Episode 1, “Mama’s House.” Together, they talk about her creative process, growth, and next steps.

[STORYTELLER] Camara Aaron is an Aries. She is also a writer and researcher, based in New York City and working in documentary film. Outside of documentary, Camara produces Griotte’s Beat, an interview podcast focused on Black women’s everyday contributions to justice. She also writes speculative fiction; her work can be found in the YA horror anthology The Black Girls Survives in this One (winter 2024 from Flatiron Books) and Torch Literary Arts. Camara is a first-generation Dominican-American (no, not from the Republic). She explores the histories and folklores of the West Indies in her storytelling. Her happy places are the holds section of the library, any uptown movie theater, and anytime she wins a board game. You can find her on Instagram @camaraife.

[HOST] shaylyn martos (she/they) works to provide better representation of LGBTQ+ and Indigenous people in media. As an audio auntie working with BIPOC youth at YR Media, she hopes to create pathways for young journalists of color to make their passions their livelihoods. They produced multimedia projects with NPR's All Things Considered and Next Generation Radio, the Washington Post's Post Reports and KQED’s The Bay podcast. She is the first rotating host for Inherited — establishing a position for emerging BIPOC journalists to host and co-produce each new season. shaylyn also makes time for themselves, reading speculative fiction, cooking favorite CHamoru foods and GM-ing Dungeons & Dragons campaigns.

Inherited is a critically acclaimed climate storytelling show made by, for, and about young people. We’re a production of YR Media and distributed by Critical Frequency.

For more information about our podcast, head to our website at yr.media/inherited, and follow us on the socials @inheritedpod.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Next Episode

Interview with Paloma Moreno Jiménez

Inherited host Shaylyn Martos sits down with storyteller Paloma Moreno Jiménez, the creative mind behind Season 3, Episode 2, “Maíz es Vida.” Together, they talk about Paloma’s real-life inspiration for her fantastical story, as well as the joys and challenges of entering the audio industry as a young producer.

Paloma Moreno Jiménez (she/they) is an audio storyteller and a queer immigrant from the Tijuana-San Diego borderlands. Paloma is passionate about using audio as a missing mic and platform for intergenerational stories from LGBTQ+, POC, and displaced communities. She has interned with WNYC’s Radiolab, WBEZ’s Art of Power, and the Women’s Audio Mission in Oakland. Since graduating from Stanford University, Paloma has reported and produced for Feet in 2 Worlds as well as NPR's Next Generation Radio at USC Annenberg.

You can find Paloma on IG @paloalas.

Inherited is a critically acclaimed climate storytelling show made by, for, and about young people. We’re a production of YR Media and distributed by Critical Frequency.

For more information about our podcast, head to our website at yr.media/inherited, and follow us on the socials @inheritedpod.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices