Crosscurrents

It’s been 30 years since the 1991 Oakland firestorm. Today, we look back at one of the most destructive and deadliest fires in California history. Then, we hear about some of the health risks that come with post-fire clean-up and rain.

Shelter-in-place orders gave some unhoused Oakland residents time to stabilize their lives, but for others, it became stagnant. Today, we hear what happens when a transitional solution overstays its welcome. Then, a San Francisco author reads from her collection of short stories.

Today, poet Javier Zamora recounts crossing through the Sonoran desert and the difficulty of settling in a new land. Then, Oakland rapper and NYU student Jwalt discussed his personal growth on his latest work. And, Oakland poet Joel Landmine reads from his new book.

Today, in a story from The Spiritual Edge we'll meet two Catholic nuns who, after decades of work with immigrant detainees, aren’t slowing down. They attend rallies and prayer vigils, meet with immigrants in detention centers and when they see an opportunity, press for legislation that will bring more humanity to a system where it can be lacking.

A state grant is helping San Francisco achieve its ambitious goals on homelessness. Then, how one church uses the music of John Coltrane at the center of their services. And, a former San Francisco poet laureate reads from her new book.

Today, in a story from The Spiritual Edge, we'll meet Al and Andi Tauber, married singer-songwriters who direct music for a congregation of urban Mennonites in Chicago. For the Taubers, this means taking their ministry - and their music - to the streets.

When towns face the destruction of wildfires, many outsiders rush in to help. Today, we hear how some residents are questioning whether these newcomers have their best interests in mind. Then, we speak with investigative reporter Aaron Glantz about a new study that reveals just how dangerously smoky our air quality is. And, San Francisco author Stephanie Wildman reads from her new book, "Privilege...

Today, we learn how seasonal firefighters are getting sick, and even dying, during training. Then, we talk about how the ACLU is suing an East Bay school district for discrimination. And, a San Francisco author reads from their new book about ancient cities and their decline.

It's throwback Thursday, so today we're going back to the early days of Crosscurrents to bring you a classic from our Audiophiles: conversations with the most creative minds working with sound. In this episode, the creators of NPR’s RadioLab, Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, ponder the magic of radio storytelling.

Today, in a story from the Spiritual Edge, we meet Rosalina Tuyuc. The Guatemalan civil war took her father, husband, and more relatives — her Maya indigenous spirituality helped her heal herself and other widows.

Today, we’re looking back at season one of “The Intersection,” exploring cities one street corner at a time. In this episode, we go to Golden Gate and Leavenworth.

Today we’re featuring stories from podcasts that got their start right here in the Bay Area in partnership with KALW. First, it’s The Stoop featuring voices from across the black diaspora. Then, in Snap Judgment one man makes a gut decision that takes him on a mystical adventure. And, from 99% Invisible, we go to some of San Francisco’s private public spaces. Plus, a note from our news director, B...

Today, we’re putting a lot of beeps and other sounds on the air, as we honor the medium that has given our lives so much: radio. We're going to ride the radio waves halfway around the world, to visit a defiant radio station in one of the most repressive countries for journalists. And we’re going to a place where the radio technology of the ages came back to life. Today we won’t need a dial, just a...

Former President Trump labeled COVID-19 the "China Virus" and "Kung Flu." Since then, violence targeting Asian Americans has surged.

Today we answer the question, what if your doctor prescribed you a walk in the park instead of a pill? Doctors in San Mateo County are part of a program that's getting patients back to health, by getting them back to nature. Then, we will hear from a real-life Rosie the Riveter. And then, we will listen to a local author read from his new adult adventure book.

Today, we talk about the guerilla art installations that went up across the Bay Area last spring. We will learn more about the Dear America project and why a group of Bay Area artists staged guerilla installations on buildings across the city. Then, a documentary about Congresswoman Barbara Lee gives viewers insight into her personal life and rise to Capitol Hill. And, we listen as San Francisco a...

Today, we hear from a hairdresser in North Carolina as she contemplates the end of life. Now her mission is to get other people to think about it. Then, on the eve of Yom Kippur, we’ll learn about the importance of a book called the Zohar.

Many of the Bay Area’s public high schools reopened last month after almost a year and a half of remote learning. Today, we learn how a lost year of lockdown has derailed teen mental health. And, we hear from Gray Davis, the only California governor to be successfully recalled. Plus, a San Francisco musical tradition is back.

Today, we hear how California has laws meant to protect workers from heat, but people are still falling victim to hot days. We look at the numbers to find out just how big the state's heat problem really is. Then, we take a look inside the lives of those whose Bay Area homes sit on wheels.

For the last 50 years, people with developmental disabilities have had the right to live the same kind of lives as people without disabilities. But when the pandemic hit, this support system fell apart, leaving many families desperate for help. And it exposed a caregiving crisis that is only expected to get worse.

Today, we hear how bias against people with disabilities exists in hospitals and across California's pandemic response and meet advocates on the front lines of this issue. Then, we learn about a group of disabled doctors and medical students at Stanford who are working to help more doctors understand disability.

Today, we learn about a program in San Mateo that keeps people out of nursing homes and off the streets and how California's Medi-Cal program is trying to follow their lead. Then, in a story from our archives about the thing we are all bound to encounter, we hear table-side conversations at a Death Cafe.

Today on Crosscurrents, we hear about what happens when you integrate housing, and public healthcare. We speak with Dr. Josh Bamberger about how the pandemic provided an unlikely opportunity to combine the two. Then, we meet an Oakland artist who created a residency for Black artists. And, we listen a San Francisco author read from her children’s book.

Today, a nurse practitioner takes us inside one of San Francisco's shelter-in-place hotels, and we hear from one of the hotel's guests about how regular medical care has made a difference in their life. It's the first in a three-part series about aging, healthcare, and homelessness. Then, we hear how billions of state dollars are coming into public schools and get a breakdown of where it's going....

Today we ask, how much learning did K-12 students lose because of COVID-19 and is that what matters most? We discuss balancing academic catch up against students' emotional well-being with Janelle Scott. Then, we hear about the stakes of unpaid college internships for low-income, first-generation students. And finally, we listen to a reading from a new children’s noir set on the San Francisco wate...