Crosscurrents

Today, we explore Toni Morrison’s work, politics, and experiences. Then, how to navigate the tricky but necessary conversations about money. And, a behind-the-scenes look inside a San Francisco food bank.

Reading a Toni Morrison novel is an experience. Her words challenge readers intellectually and emotionally. Morrison died in 2019. Today her body of work is a national treasure and she is a writer students encounter and critically examine as part of their journey in understanding American identity. Harvard English Professor Namwali Serpell breaks down much of the late author’s work in her book, “O...

You know that etiquette rule that says when you have company, it’s impolite to talk about politics, religion- and money? Well to Sheila Schroeder, money is something we SHOULD be talking about. She is the Bay Area author of It’s Time to Talk: A Woman’s Guide to Navigating Money Conversations. Recently, KALW invited Shroeder to our live event space at 220 Montgomery. The evening was designed to bri...

Every year, about 48 million people in the U.S. struggle to find enough to eat. Organizations on the frontline of Bay Area food insecurity are working harder than ever. One of them, the San Francisco and Marin Food Banks now serve 36,000 households a week. So how does it all happen? In this piece, produced by Rebecca Birungi in 2013, we go inside the main distribution center in Potrero Hill, to se...

The Bay Area has a long history of women who were ahead of their time. Today, the history of the bohemian women of San Francisco. Then, we take a look inside the California Condor Recovery Program in Oakland. And, a journalist at San Quentin shares a song that gives him motivation.

The Bay Area has a long history of women who were ahead of their time. Today, the history of the bohemian women of San Francisco.

Bostyon Johnson at San Quentin on "Standing Outside The Fire," by Garth Books. It's the Uncuffed My Mixtape, where we listen to our producers' favorite songs.

Then, we take a look inside the California Condor Recovery Program in Oakland.

Poetry as memory, poetry as history that's what OG San Jose Pinay Poet Arlene Biala brings us today with her poem.

There’s a new teacher in San Francisco classrooms. And she’s an AI bot… but not everyone is on board. Today, we hear how this reading tool is working. Then, we explore the nation's first law to encourage and protect whistleblowers working with AI. And, from Uncuffed one tragic accident triggered a decades long struggle with addiction.

There’s a new instructor measuring how well San Francisco’s first and second graders can read. Her name is Amira and she’s an AI bot. Teachers today are grappling with if and how to use AI in the classroom. When educators in the city went on strike last month, one of their demands was AI safety guards. But AI is already playing an important role in the classroom. KALW’s Education reporter, Julia H...

With Artificial intelligence increasingly becoming a part of our lives, comes the need to regulate it. California was the first state to draft laws regulating the internet and now it’s attempting to do the same with AI. SB 53 is the State’s Transparency in Frontier Artificial Intelligence Act. It’s a first-of-its-kind AI safety law and it was passed last year. A number of AI companies lobbied agai...

Uncuffed producer Jorge Lopez on how one tragic accident can trigger a decades long struggle with addiction. A new story from Uncuffed about trauma, drugs, and the choice to change.

Finding housing in California is notoriously difficult. For unhoused people, the process can feel nearly impossible. Today, two women in Richmond take us into the challenges of their search for permanent housing.

Why is it so hard for people to move from homeless encampments to housing? California spends a lot of money trying to get people off the street — $27 billion since 2019. The state’s Encampment Resolution Fund in particular has invested over $700 million into moving people from encampments, to shelter, to permanent housing. There are still thousands of people living on the streets across the state,...

Today, we're kicking off Women’s History month. First, a local arts company is gathering women from across the Bay Area for an evening of resilience and performance. Then, we’ll hear the real history behind A LEGENDARY San Franciscan. Plus, poems from the next generation. 

Women’s History Month has begun and International Women’s Day is this Sunday. Women around the world will be celebrated and celebrating. The UN theme this year is “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls” Here in the Bay Area, there is no shortage of events marking the day. One is the annual "What Do the Women Say? " An extravaganza of women’s performance held every year for the past 30 y...

Today, a San Leandro council member has pleaded guilty to charges of corruption. Could there be more indictments ahead? Then, artists and activists are working to reopen the Mission Cultural Center after its sudden shutdown. Plus, the favorite songs of a KALW music programmer.

Last month, former San Leandro Councilman Bryan Azevedo pleaded guilty in a federal court to two counts of corruption in connection with accepting a bribe from local businessmen. Azevedo has agreed to cooperate with prosecutors in an ongoing federal corruption probe that has already led to indictments against former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, her partner, Andre Jones, and Andy and David Duong, the...

On Repeat, is KALW's mini-pod for music discovery. It’s hosted by Tshego Letsoalo, KALW’s Music Editorial Director. In the show Tshego talks with KALW music programmers about the songs they can’t stop listening to. And in this episode from 2024, Tshego talks with Devon Strolovitch, host of KALW’s Fog City Blues.

For nearly 50 years, Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts has been a community anchor in San Francisco’s Mission district. In January, the center shut down indefinitely because of financial troubles.  Activists and community members have been rallying to reopen it. The city owns the 37,000-square-foot building that’s now under the control of the San Francisco Arts Commission. Paul S. Flores is...

Today, a young jazz singer from East Oakland is drawing fans of all ages. Then, an UnCuffed producer recalls a proud childhood moment that stays with him. And, an explosion of flowers! We’re digging into “super blooms”

The Oakland vocalist's music is a blend of hip hop, R&B, soul and jazz. Like good, old-soul jazz that reminds Host Jeneé Darden of the kind of jazz she used to hear out of her Texan granddaddy's truck.

Over the years you may have heard of the term “Super Bloom” from social media posts of people with vibrant fields of flowers behind them. But where did this term come from? Is it scientific? Or is it just a social media phenomenon? In 2019 KALW’s Marissa Ortega-Welch explored a few theories about the origins of this “super bloom” mania… and its impact.

Uncuffed producer Jorge Lopez recounts a memorable race where he got motivation from someone special in the stands.