Crosscurrents
846 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 6 hours ago - ★★★★★ - 46 ratingsCrosscurrents is KALW Public Radio's award-winning news magazine, broadcasting in the Bay Area Mondays through Thursdays on 91.7 FM. We make joyful, informative stories that engage people across the economic, social, and cultural divides in our community.
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Episodes
Looming School Closures / 'Queer Classics' / New Arrivals: Chas Halpern
May 16, 2024 13:00 - 26 minutes - 36.8 MBAdvisors, parents, and students react to possible school closures in San Francisco. Baruch Porras-Hernandez is a triple-threat artist. And, an intimate story about a widow, a daughter, and a friend.
Electrifying Homes / Musician Alex Jordan / Pedicab Ride / New Arrivals: Alvin Orloff
May 15, 2024 21:53 - 26 minutes - 36.8 MBWe learn about decarbonized Bay Area homes. Musician Alex Jordan tells stories about his musical roots. And we take a pedicab ride down the Embarcadero.
Vietnamese Immigrants Care For Parents With Dementia, Amidst Stigma
May 14, 2024 13:00 - 26 minutes - 36.8 MBMany people don’t recognize dementia, and not recognizing it can lead to death. Most caregivers are unprepared to manage dementia in their own family. And, for many ethnic minorities, such as Vietnamese, there is little support.
State Of The Bay: Mark Farrell / Diaspora Stories: Chef Maurice Dissels
May 13, 2024 13:00 - 26 minutes - 36.8 MBCandidates running for mayor of San Francisco are ramping up their campaigns. So today, we hear from candidate Mark Farrell a former San Francisco District 2 supervisor. Then, a chef from Guyana honors his grandma through his restaurant.
Foul Ball / Motherhood And Adoption / Uncuffed Mixtape
May 09, 2024 13:00 - 26 minutes - 36.8 MBToday, home-grown A's pitching ace, Dave Stewart, reflects on the team’s last season in Oakland. It’s the next episode from our series Foul Ball.Then, stories of motherhood through adoption. And, Uncuffed producer Juan Moreno Haines talks about one of his favorite songs.
Dependence: a story of motherhood and addiction
May 08, 2024 13:00 - 26 minutes - 36.8 MBIn honor of Mother’s Day we bring you a different story of motherhood. From the audio documentary Dependance, a personal account of one parent’s experience with substance abuse.
BART's Legacy / Uncuffed: Dreams Deferred / August Lee Stevens
May 07, 2024 13:00 - 26 minutes - 36.8 MBIn this episode, we bring you a story from Uncuffed, about what it’s like to chase and lose a big dream. Then, an indie folk artist explores the power of vulnerability. Plus, the last stop for BART’s legacy fleet.
Burton High Stories: Stress and Wellness / Depression And Poetry / Pills And Productivity
May 06, 2024 10:00 - 26 minutes - 36.8 MBToday, stories about dealing with stress and anxiety. First up, Sight and Sounds host Jenee Darden shares how support from her mother helped her cope with depression as a kid. And, what happens when the thing that helps you cope becomes part of the problem. We hear, personal perspectives on mental health.
Without A Voice Part 2
May 02, 2024 13:00 - 26 minutes - 36.8 MBLast week, KALW’s investigative series “Without a Voice” won a Webby Award. It looks into allegations of abuse at one of the most carefully regulated group homes in the state. In the second episode, a home administrator for people with disabilities comes forward alleging resident abuse.
Without A Voice Part 1
May 01, 2024 10:00 - 26 minutes - 36.8 MBLast week, KALW’s investigative series “Without a Voice” won a Webby Award. It looks into allegations of abuse at one of the most carefully regulated group homes in the state. In this episode, Chris takes us inside a family’s struggle about their daughter’s mistreatment.
A Mother's Depature / Intersections: Dance / Aztec Dancing
April 30, 2024 13:00 - 26 minutes - 36.8 MBToday, a story about withstanding loss and learning how to forgive from our team at Uncuffed. Then, we hear how the dance floor can become a canvas for self-expression. Plus, the major role Aztec Dancers play in San Francisco’s Mission District communities.
A Mother's Departure / Intersections: Dance / Aztec Dancing
April 30, 2024 13:00 - 26 minutes - 36.8 MBToday, a story about withstanding loss and learning how to forgive from our team at Uncuffed. Then, we hear how the dance floor can become a canvas for self-expression. Plus, the major role Aztec Dancers play in San Francisco’s Mission District communities.
Cultural Competency In Law / Disco Cleanup / KALW's New Beat Reporters
April 29, 2024 10:00 - 26 minutes - 36.8 MBHow does a lawyer provide equal representation to all? Today, we meet someone practicing cultural competence in a legal system that often lacks it. Then, we join a Sunday ritual focused on clean streets and good beats. And, we meet Crosscurrent’s new beat reporters.
Dr. Ayodele "WordSlanger" Nzinga / Medicine for Nightmares / New Arrivals
April 25, 2024 13:00 - 26 minutes - 36.8 MBThe Kenneth Rainin Foundation just announced this year's fellows. Today, we meet one of them, Dr. Ayodele “WordSlanger” Nzinga. Then, we visit a bookstore that’s founded on a mission to serve the community. And, a reading from Berkeley author Adam Mansbach.
Lake Merritt's Bonsai Garden / Morcom Rose Garden / Frontline Prophet
April 24, 2024 10:00 - 26 minutes - 36.8 MBIn 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.
Uncuffed: A Prison From Another Planet
April 23, 2024 13:00 - 26 minutes - 36.8 MBIf 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 / Foul Ball
April 18, 2024 10:00 - 26 minutes - 36.8 MBPeople'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.
Esther's Orbit Room / On Repeat
April 17, 2024 10:00 - 26 minutes - 36.8 MBIn 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.
Uncuffed: Prison Jobs
April 16, 2024 13:00 - 26 minutes - 36.8 MBIn 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.
School Principals / Burton High Lunch / Remembering Trina Robbins
April 15, 2024 10:00 - 26 minutes - 36.8 MBMany 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.
Teen Vaping / Video Game Addiction / Asian American Representation
April 11, 2024 13:00 - 26 minutes - 36.8 MBToday 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.
The Spiritual Edge: A History of Islam in America
April 09, 2024 13:00 - 24 minutes - 34.1 MBTomorrow, 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?
Pleeay / Pinoy Power / Remembering Heklina
April 08, 2024 13:00 - 26 minutes - 36.8 MBIn 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.
Foul Ball / The Last Mermaid / New Arrivals
April 04, 2024 13:00 - 24 minutes - 34.1 MBIn 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.
The Far Country / Angel Island / China Camp
April 03, 2024 10:00 - 26 minutes - 36.8 MBToday, 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.
Oakland's New Chief of Police / Library Evolution / Richmond's Tool Library
April 02, 2024 13:00 - 26 minutes - 36.8 MBToday, 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.
San Pippo / Emotional Support Sea Lion / Google Brain
April 01, 2024 10:00 - 24 minutes - 34.1 MBToday, 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.
City Of Refuge / Chocolate History / DJ King Most
March 28, 2024 13:00 - 26 minutes - 36.8 MBIn 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.
Public Glass / SFUSD Superintedent Matt Wayne / New Arrivals
March 27, 2024 10:00 - 24 minutes - 34.1 MBIn 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.
Uncuffed: Stories From Re-Entry
March 26, 2024 13:00 - 26 minutes - 36.8 MBToday, 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.
The Kitchen Sisters: Lawrence Ferlinghetti
March 25, 2024 19:22 - 24 minutes - 34.1 MBYesterday 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.
SF Public Press: Prop E / Just Like A Woman / Bay Poets
March 21, 2024 13:00 - 26 minutes - 36.8 MBEarlier 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.
Artists As First Responders / Being Black In Humboldt
March 20, 2024 10:00 - 20 minutes - 28.5 MBToday, 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.
Aquatic Park / Uncuffed: Reflections From A Life On The Run
March 19, 2024 13:00 - 20 minutes - 28 MBSan 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.
Boxer Andre Ward / San Francisco's fentanyl crisis / New Arrivals
March 18, 2024 10:00 - 23 minutes - 32.5 MBIn 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.
SF Public Press: Prop F / DJ Marcus Rosario / New Arrivals
March 14, 2024 13:00 - 21 minutes - 29.3 MBSan 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.
Recalling District Attorney Pamela Price / Ra Pu Zel and the Stinky Tofu / Bay Poets
March 13, 2024 10:00 - 22 minutes - 31.4 MBA 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.
Uncuffed: Welcome Home Luis
March 12, 2024 13:00 - 26 minutes - 36.8 MBToday, 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.
Breaking Fast With Dates / Kitchen Sisters: Romance and Sex Life of the Date
March 11, 2024 10:00 - 24 minutes - 34.1 MBRamadan 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.
Afterlife Of A Corpse Flower / Big Data / Hollywood Food Stylist
March 07, 2024 14:00 - 26 minutes - 36.8 MBThe California Academy of Sciences’ corpse flower recently bloomed, but what’s next? Today, we bring you a story on corpse flowers and conservation. Then, a play makes us look at how technology affects our lives. And, we go behind the scenes with a Hollywood food stylist.
Dirty White Tesla's Make Me Sad / Women In STEM / New Arrivals
March 06, 2024 11:00 - 24 minutes - 34.1 MBA Bay Area play is taking on the issue of Black displacement. So in today's episode, we hear from the playwright of the new production "Dirty White Teslas Make Me Sad." Then, we go behind the scenes at the Marine Mammal Center. And, a reading from Novato author Joanne Greene.
Civic: Making Sense Of Voting On Judges In San Francisco
March 05, 2024 14:00 - 24 minutes - 34.1 MBToday is election day and San Francisco residents are being asked to vote on County Superior Court Judges. But do you know why? We learn how the process works, and what people should be thinking about in a special episode of "Civic" from the San Francisco Public Press.
Civic: Tying Cash Welfare To Drug Screening
March 04, 2024 11:00 - 26 minutes - 36.8 MBSan Francisco Mayor London Breed is asking voters to approve a solution that drug tests people who receive assistance to compel them into treatment.
99% Invisible: The Calendar / History Of The ADA
February 29, 2024 11:00 - 26 minutes - 36.8 MBToday, we explore why February has one extra day this year. It's a special episode all about lost days and leap years from 99% Invisible. Then, how Berkeley protesters helped bring about the the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Meet DJ Eryka / San Francisco Poets / Veteran Journalist Belva Davis
February 28, 2024 14:00 - 26 minutes - 36.8 MBThis Black history month, Black folks are witnessing a moment of reclamation of country music. Today, we meet KALW DJ Eryka Vargas, who talks about the diverse music they grew up with, including country. Then, a conversation about San Francisco’s rich history of poetry with poets Norman Zelaya, Genny Lim, and KALW’s very own Josiah Luis Alderete. And, we look back on the career of one of the Bay Area’s most significant broadcast journalists — Belva Davis.
Uncuffed: Navigating Life Outside Of Prison
February 27, 2024 14:00 - 26 minutes - 36.8 MBIn today's episode, a founding Uncuffed producer visits prison again, this time as a free man. Tommy "Shakur" Ross shares stories and advice from almost two years of freedom.
South San Francisco Mayor / Wandering Stars / The History Of Black History Month
February 26, 2024 11:00 - 26 minutes - 36.8 MBIn this episode, one of the Bay Area’s youngest politicians shares his vision for South San Francisco. We spend a day with South City’s newest mayor. Then, Oakland writer Tommy Orange talks about his new novel "Wandering Stars." And, we hear why February is dedicated to Black history.
Cruising With Lowriders / Chelu Bike Club / Port Bar Closure
February 22, 2024 14:00 - 26 minutes - 36.8 MBToday, we explore the tight-knit community of lowriders in San Jose. We hear about hydraulic lifts, custom cars, and socio-political implications. Then, we learn how one lowrider club uses bikes to challenge assumptions. And, a drag queen reflects on the closure of an Oakland queer bar.
Malcom X / Freedom In Prison
February 21, 2024 11:00 - 26 minutes - 36.8 MBMalcolm X was often called a polarizing figure. But to one Egyptian diplomat he was a friend. Today, we hear about the friendship which helped lead to the late leader’s spiritual and political transformation. Then, we’ll hear the story of one man and the powerful draw of Islam in prison.
Malcolm X / Freedom In Prison
February 21, 2024 11:00 - 26 minutes - 36.8 MBMalcolm X was often called a polarizing figure. But to one Egyptian diplomat he was a friend. Today, we hear about the friendship which helped lead to the late leader’s spiritual and political transformation. Then, we’ll hear the story of one man and the powerful draw of Islam in prison.