It's a great pleasure to have Juan Fernando Hincapie, one of Colombia's bright new things on the literary circuit. Already known for the books "Gringadas" and "Gramática pura" he has now published a new novela in English entitled "Mother Tongue."

Having read the book and laughed out loud in parts, it was great fun to discuss this Colombian tale which may touch a raw nerve here and there with his countrymen. But, you can relate, as you laugh at the descriptions, family dynamics and hardly unique class system so ever present in Bogotá. 

"Mother Tongue" is to be enjoyed on a rainy afternoon in Bogotá, when the rain only increases in its ferocity and drive and you are obliged to duck into a non-descript and filthy café in an unknown part of town. If you have done this, then you'll understand what "Mother Tongue" is all about.

Danny Concha is a filmmaker and a storyteller and he's brought his unique brand of good news to Colombia, and we are the better for it as he has travelled this country far and wide to ensure that his stories go beyond the superficial and show us some of the real Colombia. 

In Episode 223 of Colombia Calling, we speak to Danny - on the line with us from the city of Medellin - and discuss how he came to here in Colombia, what he is doing with the "Yo Creo en Colombia" foundation and how he will be starting the: "Yo Creo en Peru" branch of this positive outreach program. 

For further information about Danny's documentaries and writing, please check out his website: dannyconcha.com and of course his youtube channel too.

Only the other day, i read a statistic that claimed that four out of every ten Venezuelans still remaining in that country are trying to scrape together another money to leave. 

Those of us here seeing more and more Venezuelans arriving to Colombia every day, whether they are staying here or moving on to places further adrift such as Ecuador, Peru and Chile, believe we may be witness now to one of the greatest refugee crises outside of Syria.

So, this week on Episode 222, we have invited Venezuelan-born journalist Frank Cardona on the show to talk about the troubles being experienced by the diaspora as they try and seek a new life elsewhere beyond the chaos being wreaked by President Maduro and his followers. 

For an excellent take of how Frank is feeling, read his blog www.frankcardona.com

Some of you will know that I have been penning a novel about my experiences in Mompós and throughout my "otherworldly experiences" whilst getting the Casa Amarilla (www.casaamarillamompos.com) hotel up and running, and as the search for an editor continues, I have decided to share chapter 1 of "The Mompós Project" out there with the world...have a read and let me know what you think. Here, I have decided to give you a reading.