Crosscurrents

In this episode, we head to Oakland to meet some very old and very short trees and the dedicated volunteers who care for them. Then, we stop and smell the roses at the Morcom Garden. Plus, a traveling art exhibit on James Baldwin makes a stop in Oakland.

If you talk about prison reform in California these days, you might hear about reducing overcrowding, dismantling the death penalty and changing sentencing law. You also might hear Norwegian prisons. Today, we bring you the Uncuffed episode from Norway which just won a Silver award under the category of social issues for the 2024 New York Festival Radio Awards.

People's Park closed in January so that UC Berkeley could build a student dorm. In this episode we find out if this the end of the park or just another chapter in its story. Then, how the departure of Oakland's last major league baseball team has prompted a lot of finger pointing. It’s the next episode from Foul Ball.

In this episode, we hear how one music venue in West Oakland holds the neighborhood's history and its future. We take a stroll down 7th street, and visit Esther’s Orbit Room. Then, we talk about the global rise of African dance music with Tshego Lets-oalo of KALW’s music show On Repeat.

In California prisons, people have to work. They get jobs in the kitchen, cleaning up on the yard or stacking milk crates in a factory. And the implication are of that work is complicated. In today's episode, we hear about real jobs and prison pay in a new episode from Uncuffed.

Many San Francisco principals are working hard to set the right tone for their schools. Today, we learn the work of a Principal. Then, we keep it close to home and visit the Burton High School cafeteria. And, we remember a San Francisco comic legend.

Today we feature stories from SFUSD students. We hear why vaping is exploding in popularity among teens. Then we learn, how videogames are left one high schooler feeling disconnected from his friends. And, why media representation matters to young people.

Tomorrow, Muslim’s around the world will be celebrating Eid ul Fitr, marking the end of Ramadan. Eid is observed with prayers, friend and family visits, big social gatherings, food fairs and festivals. So — when did Islam first show up in the US?

In this episode, we meet a four-person multimedia band that’s doing dance differently. A conversation with the band Pleeay about their genre of “gutter pop.” Then, an exhibit in San Francisco celebrates six decades of Filipino artists, culture and history. And, we honor the San Francisco icon, Heklina.

In this episode, we follow the Oakland A’s last season in the Bay Area. We bring you the first episode of our new series, "Foul Ball." Then, a Pacifica comic book artist imagines a mermaid living in a post-apocalyptic Bay Area. And, we hear a reading from a San Francisco author about calming down.

Today, we learn about a play that portrays the historical hardship and heart of Bay Area Chinese immigrants. Then, we’ll learn the secret that unlocked a new life for the historic immigration station at Angel Island. And, we visit China Camp state park where the past and the present live side by side.

Today, we learn about the new chief of the Oakland Police Department. We sit down for a conversation with criminal justice reporter Ali Winston. Then, we hear about the transformation of libraries away from just books. And, how borrowing tools helps build community.

Today, we bring you a very special episode of Crosscurrents. First, we hear how the coastal town of San Pippo sees climate change as a glass half full. Then, we bring you practical advice on combating airline anxiety. And, we have conversation with the very first user of the new Google Brain.

In this episode, we hear how an Oakland pastor turns the tables on homophobia in the Church. We hear the good word at the City of Refuge. Then, we learn about the Bay Area’s long history of chocolate connoisseurs. And, we get to know one of KALW’s DJs, Patrick King Most.

In today's episode, we hear how one studio is working to make glass blowing more approachable. Then, an update from Superintendent Matt Wayne on San Francisco’s Unified School District. And, El Cerrito author Maya Ealey reads from her new book.

Today, we hear from the first ever Uncuffed audio storytelling class for recently returned residents. A dozen formerly incarcerated individuals learned how to interview each other and created their own stories and their own friendships.

Yesterday was Lawrence Ferlinghetti Day in San Francisco. Ferlinghetti is considered the spiritual godfather of the Beat movement. Today, we’re bringing you a documentary about the former San Francisco poet laureate that was produced by Jim McKee of Earwax Productions in partnership with the Kitchen Sisters.

Earlier this month, San Francisco voters passed changes to Police Department policies and procedures by passing Prop E. Today, we learn how it works and what comes next. Then, we hear about an annual concert celebrating women who make music. And, a reading from the next generation of poets.

Today, we go to a 14-hour marathon event of learning, performance, and solidarity. We learn what it means to make art that meets the moment. Then, we hear what it’s like to be Black in Humboldt county. In this episode we bring you stories from the KALW Audio Academy's past and present cohort.

San Francisco's Aquatic Park is an urban park, a recreational escape and a historical record. Today, we hear how competing interests are shaping the park's future. Then, one man reflects on how he avoided incarceration by fleeing the state and building a new life across the country.

In this episode, a personal conversation with Bay Area boxing legend Andre Ward. We step outside the ring and hear about his struggles and victories in the personal fights of his life. Then, an update on how San Francisco is handling a surge in drug overdoses. And a reading from local author Lisa Hamilton.

San Francisco voters just passed the mayor’s controversial drug screening policy known as Prop F. Today, we get into how it will work, what we know and what we don’t. Then, we speak with KALW DJ Marcus Rosario about music discovery and creating sets in an era of artificial intelligence. Plus a reading from San Rafael author Maxine Rose Schur.

A coalition to recall Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price has passed an important milestone. Today, we learn what happens next and how we got here with Oaklandside’s News Editor Darwin BondGraham. Then, a children’s book author reimagines “Rapunzel” with a twist. Plus a reading from Bay Area Poet Naomi Helena Quinonez.

Today, we follow a beloved Uncuffed producer as he walks out of Solano State Prison. And we hear from the people he left behind as they get used to a reality without him. We learn about his challenges and hopes for a new life on the outside from this episode of Uncuffed.

Ramadan is here and Bay Area Muslims have begun their daytime fast from food, drink. For Muslims, the fast is a private act of worship with deep meaning. And when the sun goes down, it’s time to eat. And there’s one fruit that reigns supreme in this month- the date- that dark, soft and sweet Middle-Eastern fruit of the date palm.