Chelis López

Journalist

Chelis López is an award-winning Mexican journalist who has lived in San Francisco since 1996.  

For almost ten years she hosted the national radio show Línea Abierta at Radio Bilingüe, the National Latino Public Radio Network where she interviewed and produced diverse stories including live broadcast of The Smithsonian Folklife Festival, an annual celebration of communities and cultures in the United States and around the world presented annually in Washington, D.C. 

She is the host and producer of two Spanish-language shows on KPOO 89.5FM in San Francisco “Pájaro Latinoamericano” and “Andanzas” where she explores and offer news, comments and interviews with newsmakers and artists throughout Latin America. She is also the San Francisco correspondent for Rompeviento TV in Mexico as well as hosting locally at Marin TV.  

In 1998 she started a monthly Spanish-language reading group “Rincón Literario”, held at the San Francisco Main Library. As a cultural worker and activist, Chelis organizes book presentations, writer tributes and musical presentations. She has interviewed such greats as Eduardo Galeano; Guadalupe Rivera Marin, daughter of Diego Rivera; Concha Buika, Elena Poniatowska, Dolores Huerta, Gioconda Belli, Toto la Momposina, Carlos Fuentes, Francisco Toledo, Fernando Botero among others.  

Chelis is also a frequent host at Yerba Buena Gardens Festival and at The de Young Museum.  

In 2015 she won the Latino Heritage Media Award, and in 2013 she was awarded the prestigious Jose Martí Publishing Award by The National Association of Hispanic Publications.