Crosscurrents

For Pride month KALW has been airing stories that explore and celebrate the Bay Area’s queer culture. But today, we’re going back a few decades to a more difficult time when AIDS was destroying the community. We hear the story of one baker who became an unexpected caregiver during this time, and brought relief to those who were suffering.

In today's episode, we explore the healing art of storytelling. First, we take a trip to the theater to learn about how Oakland day laborers are taking their stories to the stage, as a way to find freedom and belonging. Then, we hear a new piece from Uncuffed. It's a story about two life long lovers, and how even prison couldn’t keep them apart.

Last week KALW took home three awards from the Public Media Journalists Association. Today we’re re-airing one of those stories — a winner in the Student Narrative Podcast category. It's the story on the “Clean Girl Movement.” We unpack its problems, and get the dirty truth. And, a reading from local author Ginny Kubitz Moyer.

Today, we meet the Oakland parents who fought to keep their neighborhood school from closing last year — the story behind the Parker Community School. Then, we hear how a letter-writing campaign saved a beloved science fiction series. And, we’ll listen to a reading from Oakland author Rita Chang-Eppig.

Today, we hear about how San Francisco’s Drag Queens are taking their show to a different kind of stage — local libraries. We take you behind the scenes of Drag Story Hour. Then, we speak with an illustrator who is reimagining queer icons as superheroes. And, we learn about what it takes to clean up after Pride weekend.

Today, we explore the story behind a sound that serves as a national symbol for LGBTQ+ resistance. Dive into the history of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus. Then, we’ll visit a space in Oakland where queer people of color are getting radically fit. And, professional wrestler Bambina talks about queer representation inside the ring.

The Uncuffed Playlist is the newest prison training program from KALW. It is the first music radio show in the state to be hosted by incarcerated people and available to the public. Participants in this program make an hour-long playlist of their favorite songs and tell stories about how those songs have shaped their lives. Listen to shows from the Uncuffed Playlist on Spotify..

Today, we hear from Black women whose children were killed — often because of failures in our law-enforcement system. We bring you powerful conversations from the Kehinde Wiley exhibit "An Archaeology of Silence" — currently at the de Young museum. Then, we learn about a new Bayview farmer’s market featuring Black owned businesses.

Today, we are taking you Masumoto’s Family Farm is well known — their produce stocks the shelves of popular Bay Area grocers, like San Francisco’s Bi Rite Market and Berkeley Bowl. Less known is the family history of the third generation farmer David Mas Masumoto. And, we hear a reading from Woodland author Reyna Grande.

Today, we hear how the nation’s first cannabis equity program has failed some East Bay businesses, and we learn how the City of Oakland might be able to help. Then, we explore how much it costs to launch a cannabis venture in the Bay Area, anyway. Plus, listen to local music from the Oakland band Van Goat.

Today, we take a trip to East Bay's Codornices Creek. We learn about the different reasons why people are drawn to it and what it takes to restore and maintain an urban waterway. Then, we learn why the Golden Gate chapter of the Audubon Society is dropping the Audubon name. And, we’ll listen to a reading from San Francisco author Lynne Twist.

Today's show is about finding ourselves and our people. First, we speak with a trans-aerialist who explains how his art allows him to connect to his body. It's a conversation about movement, freedom and creativity. Then, we take a class that gets queer bodies moving. And, we hear from a queer country singer.

In Oakland, there's one group that's helping young people of color tell diverse stories. Today, we hear how some teens are getting hands-on experience making movies. Then, we learn how rap can get kids hooked on school. And, we get an update on San Francisco’s reparations task force. Plus we hear readings from local writers.

For some eight years now, 34 Black women from the Bay Area have gathered monthly around a big dining room table in Oakland. Together, they use art to address issues plaguing their community. Today, we bring you part two of their story, House Full of Black Women, from our friends at the Kitchen sisters. Plus, we have readings from local poets.

For some eight years now, 34 Black women from the Bay Area — artists, scholars, midwives, nurses, an architect, an ice cream maker, a theater director, musicians, educators, a choreographer, donut maker, sex trafficking abolitionists and survivors have gathered monthly around a big dining room table in Oakland, California. They use theater, dance and ritual to address issues plaguing their communi...

In this episode, we are going to visit a place that hosts community forums and debates on everything from political candidates to the city's trash can design. Come with us as we head over to San Francisco's Mission district to visit Manny's, a space for civic gathering in this special episode from our friends — the Kitchen Sisters.

This episode is all about sound and music from around the Bay. First, we'll hear from the conductor and music director of the Berkeley Symphony and learn about how he found his calling. Then, we’re going across the Bay to a half century old San Francisco establishment that is experimenting with the way people experience sound.

The KALW family is full of award winning journalists and we are proud to announce that this year our very own editor Lisa Morehouse has been nominated for the James Beard Broadcast Media award for food reporting. To mark the special occasion, we are bringing you a show with two of the stories which earned her the nomination.

Just one year after getting out of prison, an Uncuffed producer reflects on his freedom. Since getting out, he’s started teaching audio storytelling to other folks who were previously incarcerated. Today, we’ll hear some stories that came out of this class. Plus, we hear from three local writers about making a difference.

Today, we talk to a Richmond-based pop-punk artist about their creative process how they make energetic sound. Then, we learn the story behind the UC Berkeley students who are fighting for an anthropology library on campus. And, we meet a veteran who cares for other vets at the end of their lives in a piece from Storycorps.

In today's episode, we unravel the story behind a puzzling and peculiar sound. The Hum is a mysterious low pitch noise that is only heard by 2% of people worldwide. It's annoyed residents in San Francisco's Sunset District. So, in this story, we get to the bottom of this strange global phenomenon.

Today, we hear how dancing can be an act of remembrance. We sit down and have a conversation with San Francisco Carnaval Queen Mayela Carrasco. Then, we’ll go to Oakland and meet a dancer who doesn’t hear the music he dances to — he feels it. And, we listen to the story of a man who survived a prison riot by dancing.

Today, we hear how music can be a way to navigate identity, war and peace. What it means to be making music on the hyphen line with artist Meklit. Then, how a 13th century instrument from West Africa brings peace to 21st century hearts in the Bay Area. And, why it matters to sing for your homeland — even when it’s being devastated by war.

In this episode, we visit Richmond and hear about its rich music legacy. And we'll meet some dedicated locals who are remembering those golden years. And, they're also determined to keep the Blues in town and its history alive. Then, we meet a local rhythm and blues legend — Sugar Pie DeSanto — and learn how she got her start in the Fillmore District.

Today, we remember a Bay Area legend with an avalanche of lifetime achievement awards. Chris Strachwitz was a music archivist and a song catcher, dedicated to recording the traditional, regional, down home music of America. He died this month at the age of 91. To honor his memory today, we bring you a story from our friends at the Kitchen Sisters.