Texas Public Radio Reviews Texana

Texas Public Radio reviews a Texas book, sometimes two, on almost all of its weekly broadcasts of its "Texas Matters" half-hour program.  The program is usually 3-5 segments of several minutes each, and the book review/author interview is usually last.  http://www.tpr.org/programs/texasmatters.html 

 Its self-description is "Texas is a big state with a growing, diverse population and as the population grows, the issues and challenges facing its residents multiply.  Texas Matters is a locally produced news show that spends half an hour each week looking at the issues, newsmakers and culture of Texas.

The locally produced program features co-hosts David Martin Davies and Yvette Benavides.  The husband and wife team talk directly with policymakers and newsmakers in a lively discussion designed to shed light on issues too often overlooked by other media.

About the Hosts

David Martin Davies, Texas Public Radio's news director, is a veteran journalist with almost 20 years experience covering Texas, the border and Mexico.  In 2008, he won three regional Murrow Awards for stories that aired on Texas Matters.  He was named the 2007 Radio Journalist of the Year by the Houston Press Club and was awarded a 2007 Lone Star Award for his feature reporting. He co-produces "Texas Matters" with Yvette Benavides which was named the Best Radio Talk Show and Best Pubic Affairs Program by the Houston Press Club. Texas Matters is carried weekly by 10 radio stations in Texas. Davies was also recognized by the Texas Associated Press Broadcasters for his coverage of the U.S.-Mexico border.  Davies has filed radio reports for NPR's Morning Edition, APM's Marketplace and BBC's The World.  He is also a weekly columnist for the San Antonio Express-News.

Yvette Benavides is co-host and co-producer of Texas Matters.  She is also an English professor at Our Lady of the Lake University, where she teaches creative writing and Mexican-American literature.  Yvette has had her poetry published in journals such as The Americas Review, Texas Observer and Mothering magazine, among others.  Her articles have appeared in the San Antonio Express-News and Latina magazine.  She is also a regular book critic for the San Antonio Express-News.  Benavides has been a frequent contributor for NPR's Latino USA."