Crosscurrents

Khan Wong, lives in San Francisco. His novel, “ Down in the Sea of Angels ” follows a Bay Area woman who discovers she has a special, and surprising, gift.  New Arrivals is produced by Lisa Morehouse. Find many more episodes here ! 

Immigration enforcement continues to impact communities across the Bay Area. To help folks get reliable information about their rights, KALW recently hosted a live edition of our show, Your Legal Rights. Attorney Jeffrey B. Hayden is the host of Your Legal Rights. He led the community-focused event, which brought together a panel of leading immigration attorneys and scholars. The conversation incl...

Today, we visit a Santa Clara county Chinese restaurant that has become an institution. It's Chef Chu’s on the final episode of California Foodways! Then, a KALW DJ shares some of his favorite songs. Plus, a poem about a fully seasoned life.

For more than 10 years, Lisa Morehouse traveled to every county in the state, finding stories about food, agriculture, and the people that make both possible.  Now, for the 58th county, and the last story in the series–she’s taking us back to Santa Clara County where she grew up, to a restaurant called Chef Chu’s. When the restaurant opened in 1970, it was just a small family business. And the are...

Let’s add a dash of poetic flavor to your morning. Here’s Oakland Poet, Brennan DeFrisco, reading his piece, ‘How to Salt.’ You can find more Bay Area poets here .

Now, we hear a segment from On Repeat, a mini-pod for music discovery. It’s hosted by Tshego Letsoalo, KALW’s Music Editorial Director. In this episode from 2024, Tshego talks to KALW DJ Marcus Rosario about the songs he can't stop listening to.

Today, a spiritual quest led one man to deeply question the future of Artificial Intelligence. Then, honoring a long lost friend, through a name. And, producers of the Edwardian Ball talk about the festival’s legacy.

Hall, also known as Yakko, is the leader of the activist group Stop AI . KALW’s Arlen Levy spoke with him about his faith and the fight against artificial super intelligence.

Uncuffed producer Fonuamana Fuahala shares this new story about the lasting legacy of friendship, and how we honor the childhood relationships that shape our lives.

The late, great author and illustrator Edward Gorey was the creator of eerie and magical stories. Stories that revolved around goth and monster elements. And his tales inspired San Francisco’s annual Edwardian Ball.  What started off as a small party more than 25 years ago, has turned into a subculture festival drawing thousands of people from the Bay Area and Beyond.  In this interview from 2022,...

Today, we meet Richmond’s "Minister of Food:" Charles Evans at CJs BBQ and Fish. Then, a San Francisco chef who’s bringing a taste of Texas to the Bay Area.

On a corner in Richmond, California, there’s a business that has celebrated the city’s Black history and Southern roots for 30 years: CJ’s BBQ & Fish. Born and raised in Richmond, with a family that came from Arkansas to work in the shipyards, Charles Evans is at the center of it all. KALW's Senior Editor Lisa Morehouse brings us the story. 

Like a lot of people in San Francisco, Fernay McPherson’s family came here from somewhere else. Her mother and grandmother moved to the Fillmore District in the 1960s. They were part of the migration that brought African Americans from the South to cities across the U.S. When those families migrated, their recipes did too.  In this story from 2024, reporter Sarah Jesse went to Fernay’s kitchen whe...

Today, we meet a group of fans trying to save their college football team, through the power of social media. Then, we go on a road-trip to explore the borders of basketball fandom. And, the origins of a phenomenon known simply as “the Wave.”

A group of die-hard fans are out to save Cal football with the power of memes. KALW’S Jordan Karnes went to a game to find them. 

Today, finding human connection through song. Then, Star Parties give Bay Area earthlings a rare glimpse into outer space. And, one woman's most meaningful song.

Haena Worthing, an Uncuffed producer at the California Institution for Women, remembers the day her daughter was born.

Three years after a major flood, residents are still recovering… Today, a story on seeking accountability. Then, how some unhoused people stay warm in the rain. And, smooth jazz artist Brian Culbertson talks about collaborating with Sheila E on his recent album.

A 2022 New Year’s Eve flood at the Coliseum Connections housing development in Oakland left lasting effects on the residents that it displaced. Reporter E Okobi spoke with one resident who is still living in the aftermath. 

Jazz and funk musician Brian Culbertson first made waves in the smooth jazz scene when he was just a college student. Twenty-nine albums and 41 Billboard chart-topping songs later, he's still creating music on his piano and keyboard that make fans groove and chill. His latest album is "Day Trip" and it features artists such as Marcus Miller and the Bay Area's own Shelia E. And this summer, Brian i...

While most of Oakland sleeps, one place is alive with activity… and fresh produce. Today, we exploring Oakland’s Produce Market. Then, we’ll learn how to catch fish… in our own backyard.

Look in your fridge right now: maybe you have apples, lettuce, some herbs? As Californians, we have a sense of where those foods are grown. But produce, it takes a journey to get from farms to our homes. It goes through many places, and is cared for by many, many people. For her series, California Foodways, KALW’s Senior Editor Lisa Morehouse got up in the middle of the night, to meet a bunch of t...

If you head out on a Ferry from Oakland’s Jack London Square over the Bay, to San Francisco… there’s another special place where you can get fresh food: Fisherman’s Wharf.  Here, boats dock early in the morning with salmon and halibut, mackerel.. and now it’s Dungeness crab season! The catch then goes into refrigerated trucks, to eventually end up across the country or around the world.  But for o...

The Oakland school board’s student directors are making their voices heard…but what about their votes? Then, a new story from Uncuffed about breaking the prison pipeline. 

In California, students can sit on school boards — but how much power do they actually have? KALW’s education reporter Julia Haney talked to one of the young leaders on Oakland’s school board about the impact he hopes to make.