Crosscurrents

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. 

Uncuffed producer Derrell "Sadiq" Davis shares the story about an incarcerated father who worries his newborn son will follow in his family’s footsteps. Can he break the cycle?

Comedian Luenell has been keeping audiences laughing for decades. She’s originally from Oakland but now lives in Las Vegas, where she has a residency at Jimmy Kimmel’s Comedy Club on the strip. You can see Luenell on screen with Tracy Morgan in the Paramount+ sitcom “Crutch.” 

Host of KALW’s Sights and Sounds, Jenee Darden caught up with Luenell to talk about her latest projects. Here’s a part of that conversation

Today, we're distilling whiskey on Vallejo’s Mare Island. Then, a West Oakland artist recalls using her music and spirituality to heal from a severe car accident.

Californians have made whiskey since the Gold Rush when they served miners and then loggers. Craft bourbon has been taking off in the last couple decades -- with as many as 150 distilleries in the state. 

For her series California Foodways, KALW’s Lisa Morehouse visited a distillery’s new home in the North Bay that’s producing whiskey at a location where people used to make something really different: massive objects that changed the course of world events. 

West Oakland artist Nia Cephas came up with a word that encompasses her cultures, spirituality, and connection with people: Cosmicpolitan. That’s also the name of her debut album. 

Nia’s music reflects both her African American and Afro-Brazilian roots. Her songs range from being a testament of survival to an invitation to just feel free. 

KALW’s Sights and Sounds Show host, Jenee Darden, spoke with Nia about the life experiences that inspired “Cosmicpolitan.” Here’s an excerpt of that interview.

Today, a new story from Uncuffed about finding out your dad isn't who he says he is. Then, an Oakland cello player challenges us to break away from negative ideas about darkness. And, a musician encourages us ALL to keep on singing.

What happens when you find out your dad isn't who he says he is? A new story about family from Uncuffed and San Quentin producer Jorge Lopez.

When you hear the words “dark” and “darkness” what comes to mind?  Many of us may associate the words with mostly negative connotations. In the Black Diaspora, and among other communities of color, there’s an ongoing conversation about why that is… and how to change it. 

Mia Pixley is a Black cellist, singer, and psychologist based in Oakland. Her new album, “Love. Dark. Bloom”  is a blend of classical, jazz, folk and the blues. Jenee Darden, the host of KALW’s The Sights and Sounds Show, spoke with Mia about how her album explores the beauty of darkness. Hear the...

Recently, Oakland-raised musician, composer, and bandleader, Kev Choice, performied live at KALW's Studio Events space in downtown San Francisco. It was part of a preview for the upcoming show "In the Name of Love: A Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr." from Living Jazz. 

Living Jazz is an educational organization that provides musical retreats in nature and workshops in elementary schools. KALW is a media sponsor.  Kev Choice is Music Director for the King Tribute. He and singer/songwriter B. Deveaux joined KALW's Executive Producer, Ben Trefny, to talk about the upcoming event, which is happening at...

Today we’re bringing you an episode of Uncuffed from 2024 that really resonated with our Newsroom staff. It’s about a lesser known, but important aspect of life in prison: grieving.

When most Bay Area residents go to San Francisco International Airport, it’s so they can leave. But some unhoused locals are heading to SFO to stay. Reporter Erin Bump brings us the story of folks seeking shelter at the airport, and the people there who are trying to help.

Today: The story of unhoused people who live at the airport and the people who help them.

Today, we introduce you to the most recent Uncuffed class at Solano State Prison and get to know them through the songs they love. But first, we meet a boxer and the people who tried to help her redirect her emotions.

A story from the Uncuffed producers at the California Institution for Women about the people who helped a woman redirect her emotions.

Uncuffed's 2025 class at Solano State Prison just finished their training with the program. Get to know them through special songs that have shaped their lives.

Today, as an iconic San Francisco gay nightclub prepares to close... we hear from the owner of OASIS, some of the club’s biggest fans, and San Francisco’s Grandmother of Drag.

OASIS is an iconic San Francisco nightclub. The Drag show and cabaret venue opened on New Years Day, 2015. In a bittersweet bookend, they’ll host their grand finale party on New Years Eve, later this month. 

The host of KALW’s Sights and Sounds show, Jenee Darden, recently went down to the club in San Francisco’s SOMA District to meet with OASIS owner, D'Arcy Drollinger. Here’s an excerpt from their conversation.

When San Francisco’s OASIS drag club on 11th and Folsom announced it was closing its doors forever this January 1st, the news was met with a chorus of broken hearts and a lot of tears. 

OASIS has a LOT of fans. People that have found a little piece of sanctuary within the loudness of their parties and performances.

Here, members of the OASIS community share their favorite memories, what the space means to them, and what they think about the future without this home away from home.

Today, the lasting advocacy legacies of San Francisco’s Chinatown. Then, for perpetrators of domestic violence it can be hard to ask for help. And, motivation from Mom's love. Plus, a poem.

The Trump Administration has made life very challenging for immigrants across the United States. And that’s really been felt here in the Bay Area, where roughly a third of residents are immigrants. 

Many of the rights immigrants to the U.S. have are actually rooted right here in San Francisco’s Chinatown. The community there came together more than a century ago, to fight against government efforts to remove Chinese people from the country.

KALW recently held a live event focused on the history of one of the most prominent businesses for Chinese immigrants: laund...

Last week, KALW attended the 2025 San Francisco Press Club awards… and left with five wins! This next story was reported back in February, and took home an award for ‘Best Reporting’. When it first aired, organizers in California had been working for months to spread the word about this helpline/ a helpline for perpetrators of domestic and intimate partner violence. 

You heard that right. A helpline for perpetrators, not victims. It’s an unusual approach to a serious problem: Rates of domestic violence in the U.S. are high, and they got even worse during the pandemic. The helpl...

Darrell “Sadiq" Davis had a rocky relationship with school when he was younger. He kept trying to follow through with it, but things kept getting in his way - whether it was being bullied, or not being able to resist the call of the streets. But, what kept him going, no matter how hard things got, was knowing that getting a degree would make his mom proud. 

We’ll stay on the theme of mothers and their impact on us for our next segment- a poem about life lessons, from the universe… and mom. Here’s Eva Chen reading from her poem "A Lesson From My Mother About the Origins of Life." 

We are broadcasting live for KALW's December membership campaign. Today, we revisit the Valkyries first season and talk about some of our favorite music of the year. 

Today, we’re doing things a little differently... For KALW's December Membership Campaign we're bringing you a special LIVE episode of Crosscurrents! And we're joined by our reporter, Wren Farrell.

Today, we visit a special space where conservatives and liberals connected. The Anderson Valley Grange Hall. Then, how a collection of posters in San Francisco’s Mission district captures over four decades of community organizing.

Grange halls have been around for more than 150 years — the Grange began as a fraternal organization for farmers. Many rural towns still rely on Grange halls as community centers. In the Anderson Valley, many people credit this place for bringing together groups of people that were once really divided.

Located a block away from the 24th street BART station, the Mission Grafica print studio and archive has empowered public art in the Bay Area since 1982.

KALW is now hosting a gallery of some of their prints at our space in downtown San Francisco at 220 Montgommery, it is called ‘Mission Grafica: The Public’s Voice.’

The posters on display offer a living timeline of how artists have aligned beauty with justice in the face of power and change.

What happens in kids' brains… when they’re improvising? Today, we learn how brains work in childhood, and how that's linked to creativity. Then, a woman in prison discovers her inner beauty. And, a new series captures San Francisco at the height of the AIDS epidemic. We hear a conversation with the host of “When We All Get To Heaven.” 

A lot of adults feel they’ve lost touch with the ability to get messy… and also just mess up. Scientists call that childlike, everyday experimentation, “prosaic creativity.” And it's more accessible—even as adults—than many tend to think.

Now, it’s a new story from Uncuffed, our podcast that empowers people in prison to tell their own stories. This one comes to us from the California Institution for Women. 

This is a piece that was scheduled to air a few weeks ago, but it was only after our show was broadcast that we realized we had aired the wrong story. So today we bring this piece from Uncuffed producer Haena Worthing.

When she was first incarcerated, in the county jail, she realized she would no longer have access to most of what she cal...

All month, KALW’s Queer Power Hour will be airing a special series called ‘When We All Get To Heaven.’ With archival tape it tells the story of one of the first gay-positive churches, the Metropolitan Community Church of San Francisco during the height of the AIDS crisis in the 80s and 90s.

The series brings to life a community facing personal, social, and political trials, including the deaths of hundreds of its members. It's hosted by Lynne Gerber. Here's Lynne speaking with Crosscurrents host, Hana Baba.

A round-up of what's happening in transportation news around the Bay Area for a segment called “Getting Around the Bay.”

Sometimes your chosen family isn’t your biological family. And sometimes we choose houses of worship other than our own because they feel safer for us. Today, we meet a woman who’s leading her church to be a refuge — not just for Christians, but for all people.

Today, an update on Bay Area bike paths and walkways. We bring you the latest on ‘Getting around the Bay’ from our transit reporter. Then, an adopted son needs to decide which family to call home. And, how an Oakland pastor turns the tables on homophobia in the Church.

When Uncuffed producer Fonuamana Fuahala unexpectedly meets his biological family, he's confronted with one of the most difficult decisions of his life.

Today, we’re in the Sierra Peaks to hear how snowmelt may contribute tiny bits of plastic to Bay Area drinking water. Then, the backstory behind a seasonal San Francisco show.

The Bay Area gets much of it's drinking water from the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Back in 2023, we saw record snow fall in the Sierras. And that was followed by record snow melt. And with that melt came… microplastics. 

At the time, reporter Joshua Sirotiak went up to the mountains to find out what researchers are looking for in our drinking water.

While the Bay Area doesn’t see much snow, one place you CAN find some right now is.. Southeast San Francisco! An annual tradition is taking place these days in a transformed arena off Geneva Street. In a space once reserved for livestock and cowboys, the streets of Victorian England come alive. It’s the Great Dickens Christmas Fair at the Cow Palace!

Every week, locals are showing up outside San Francisco’s immigration courthouse to protest. Today, how some neighbors have come together to try and stop deportations. Then, we’ll hear from people who provided vital care during the AIDS epidemic in San Francisco.

It seems like every day we see another headline about an ICE mass deportation. While legal advocates are doing everything in their power to support immigrants, some locals have taken matters into their hands. One group in San Francisco is providing support for people attending immigration court.

December is HIV/AIDS Awareness Month. So we’re going to go back in time to 1988. It was the height of the AIDS crisis. Marcy Fraser and Michelle Francis worked together in hospice care in San Francisco. In this StoryCorps episode from 2015, they look back on the moment their friendship was cemented for life. 

Then, Karen Van Dine was a prayer counselor in a healing circle at a gay ministry in the Castro. Her personal and professional relationships were steeped in the love and loss that came out of the tragic circumstances of the AIDS epidemic. Karen sha...

Today, a new episode of Sidewalk Stories about how it's getting harder to live in a vehicle in the Bay Area. Plus, signing up for summer camp, monarch migrations, and a poem.

We’re quickly approaching the Winter Solstice. But today, we wanted to bring you a little slice of summer. Camp Mather, San Francisco’s oldest summer camp, opens its 2026 lottery registration today!

In 2024, KALW’s Molly Blair Salyer went away to camp, to capture a moment of Camp Mather’s 100th summer.

Every year, the western monarch butterfly migrates from the coast between Santa Cruz and San Diego to spend the summer along rivers in Oregon, Washington and Idaho. Then, in winter, they do the whole thing again, in reverse.

When one musician heard about the plight of the monarchs, he decided to take a radical step to help them along their journey… by taking the trip with them. This morning we bring you an excerpt from Reporter Lusen Mendel’s story, that they produced in April.

In this segment of Sidewalk Stories, we hear from people who live in RVs as Bay Area cities are increasingly cracking down on vehicle homes. 

Today we hear about how residents are preparing to pass a tougher version of the naturalization civics test. Then, a grandmother writes a children’s book with her grandson, and he has an idea for the main characters. Plus, preserving memories when family comes together.

For lawful residents yearning to become naturalized citizenships, learning U.S. history and civics is one of the barriers to passing a ten question exam and it just got harder. 

Here’s Al Robles reading an excerpt from his poem, “Cold Mountain in Chinatown,” which he performed at the Poetry Center at San Francisco State on November 10th, 1976. 

Author Stephanie Wildman’s children's books have centered around three characters Flor, Roberto and Luis who are adventurous siblings. But her latest book Story Power is different- she  co-wrote it with her nine-year-old grandson Simon Wildman Chung.

Thanksgiving week makes us feel… Different things. About history, about family, about memory...

Back in 2018 reporter Margaret Katcher brought a recorder to her holiday table. But when she turned it on, she found herself wondering about her impulse to document the moment…

Today, we’ll get an update on housing, and more, from District 3 City supervisor Danny Sauter. Then, a woman in prison wrestles with what to do, after hearing her brother has been shot. And, acclaimed Oakland author Caro de Robertis is the keeper of an oral history collection of personal stories from trans and gender nonconforming elders of color.

A a story from Uncuffed and the California Institution for Women about a woman in prison who hears that her brother has been shot and wrestles with what to do.

Caro De Robertis is an author based in Oakland, and a creative writing professor at San Francisco State. They’re mostly known for their magical works of fiction. But for their most recent project, they wanted to focus on the true stories of queer elders of color. The book is “So Many Stars: An Oral History of Trans, Nonbinary, Genderqueer, and Two-Spirit People of Color.” 

Today, an excerpt from the award winning episode of The Stoop, ‘This ain't Texas, it's Africa.’ 

The work of disability advocacy just lost one of its strongest voices. Today, we remember Alice Wong. Then, we’ll hear a story about navigating the pain and stigma of losing loved ones to suicide.

San Francisco disability justice activist, writer, and MacArthur ‘Genius’ Grant recipient, Alice Wong, died last week at the age of 51. We honor her and her lasting impact with this tribute. 

In this story, we hear from Palo Alto loss survivors as they navigate the complicated emotions around a loved one’s death and what it means for them to keep going.

A “tree army” from the 1930s helped build today’s Tilden and other East Bay regional parks. The program’s impact can still be felt today. Then, a story about how a friend can help you see, and change, yourself. It's a new story from California Institution for Women. Plus, a poem!

In this third episode of The Public Works series, reporter Sheryl Kaskowitz makes some surprising discoveries about the history of the East Bay Regional Park District. In the 1930s, the federal government’s Civilian Conservation Corps left its mark on the landscape, and their work continues in a different form today.

A story from Uncuffed producer Daphnye Luster at the California Institution for Women about how a friend can help you see yourself and change yourself.

This is Lorenz Mazon Dumuk reading his poem, “Everyday I become an Egg.” 

Today, we’re bringing you an excerpt from The Stoop episode, ‘Bury Me Whole." It recently won The Northern California chapter of Society of Professional Journalists for Long Form Storytelling. 

It's the story of one woman’s incredible loss, and her struggle deciding whether or not to donate her son’s organs. And it's a conversation about Black communities and the stigma around organ donation. 

San Francisco has to build more housing… but where will it happen? And how? A panel of experts weighs in on the ongoing debate. Then, back in March, a Russian bathhouse in San Francisco went public with a controversial policy. It's an award winning story about trans inclusion… and exclusion.

KALW recently hosted a Town Hall conversation about proposed changes to San Francisco's zoning plans. It took place at our live event space in Downtown San Francisco, and was cohosted by KALW Executive Producer Ben Trefny and SF Public Press Executive Director Lila LaHood.

The Northern California chapter of Society of Professional Journalists recently announced their 2025 award winners… KALW took home four awards! Today, we’re bringing you a story that won an award for explanatory journalism.

March was a particularly tense time for trans folks in San Francisco. Two local bathhouses — Imperial Spa in the Fillmore district, and Archimedes Banya in Hunters Point — were accused of enforcing anti-trans policies. 

After facing backlash online and potential protests, Imperial Spa quickly reversed their policy. But at Banya, it was a little more complicated. 

Today, it's the Art of Manga! Then, a woman shares the unglamorous reality of prison. Plus, we visit The Universal Funk Opera!

There’s a huge exhibit at the deYoung Museum right now, called “The Art of Manga.” With more than 600 drawings, this is the first major exhibition in North America. 

Nicole Coolidge Rousmaniere is a professor of Japanese art and culture and curated the exhibit. She spoke with KALW’s Sights and Sounds Show host Jenee Darden about the history of the art form, and how it's been used in social and political movements.

A story from Uncuffed producer Haena Worthing at the California Institution for Women about a shift in her perception of what makes something "pretty."

André E. Preston has never been defined by one art form, hobby, or passion. His interests range from music to comic books to outer space. He’s the creator of a graphic novel series and accompanying live performance called “The Universal Funk Opera.” 

The show is on at Neck of The Woods Saturday November 15, 2025!

Today, a story about leaving this world… and coming back. Then, a new film about a daughter learning to accept her gay father. And, why unhoused people use “street names.” 

An Uncuffed story from the California Institution for Women about leaving this world and coming back. 

In the new film, “Fairyland,” a poet moves across the country to San Francisco, with his young daughter in the 1970’s. In their new community, the father, Steve Abbott, lives openly as a gay man.  The film explores his relationship with his daughter, Alysia, as she tries to make sense of it all. 

“Fairyland” is based on the memoir Alysia wrote in 2013. KALW’s Sights and Sounds host Jenee Darden spoke with filmmaker Andrew Durham. Here’s an excerpt from their conversation.

Here's SF’s poet laureate Jenny Lim reading her piece “Time traveler, For Bob Kaufman and John Coltrane.”

The Northern California chapter of Society of Professional Journalists recently announced their 2025 award winners… KALW took home four awards! So next we’re bringing you an episode from Sidewalk Stories, which won a Public Service award.  

The series Sidewalk Stories, is a collaboration between Crosscurrents and the East Bay’s Street Spirit newspaper/ where we hear from unhoused people about how they survive and build a life outside. And in this piece, we hear about “street names."

The California Zephyr is an iconic trainline between the Bay Area and Colorado. Today, the railroad's surprising impact on food and civil rights in the state. All aboard for an episode of California Foodways.

Today, we celebrate the legacy and work of StoryCorps. And we play you some of our favorite conversations recorded right here, in the Bay Area.

Today, how a Bay Area town remembers Humphrey the Humpback, forty years on from his 1985 dramatic visit to the Bay Delta.

On October 10, 1985, a humpback whale dubbed “Humphrey” got lost and swam nearly 70 miles inland, inspiring one of the largest and most publicized whale rescues in U.S. history.

Today, we get lost… and find our way on San Francisco’s Crosstown trail. Then, a story about a mother in prison and a daughter who wishes for her to come home. 

Today we’re bringing you a story that recently won the Society of Professional Journalists - Nor Cal award for best feature story - small division! 

The San Francisco Crosstown Trail offers up a lot of those opportunities for charm and whimsy. It’s a 17 mile walk from Candlestick Point to Land’s End.

A story from Uncuffed and the California Institution for Women about a mother in prison and a daughter who wishes for her to come home.

"Noises Off," by English playwright Michael Frayn, debuted over 40 years ago, and is still cracking audiences up. And now, there’s a new production of the play at San Francisco Playhouse. Actor Joe Ayers plays the arrogant, but clumsy leading actor Garry Lejeune.

Today, we explore what's at stake when people mourn online. Then, Death Doula's give agency to people at the end of their lives.

When loved ones die we find ways to hold on — through photos and keepsakes. Now, things like AI memorial platforms and companion chatbots offer digitized connection with the dead. With these technologies becoming more common, what does it mean to grieve with a chatbot instead of each other?

This story is about a different kind of doula – an end of life doula. Their role is to provide emotional support to dying people and their families. In 2019 Reporter Annie Berman joined Mimi Burrows and her son, Peter, as they met with a death doula. In the process, she learned more about what it means to live – and die – well.

Bomba is more than just music. Today, we’ll hear how one of Puerto Rico’s oldest musical traditions lives on in the Bay. Then, we hear a very scary Sudanese folk tale.

Bomba. It's a word you feel: percussive, rhythmic, pulsating. The art form grew out of the Afro Indigenous cultures of Puerto Rico. But it’s much more than dance music. Bomba echoes and resonates with the violent history of slavery and resistance in Puerto Rico.

Day of the dead is coming up this weekend and it is a time when many people are thinking about dearly departed loved ones. Next we’ll get a message from the ancestors… through a poem. Here’s poet Nia Pearl with ’Bones talk out of the side of their neck.’

Hana Baba recently took part in telling a scary story from her Sudanese culture as part of an evening of “Creepy Tales” from KALW’s Sights and Sounds show.

Gender affirming care is becoming less accessible for trans youth in the Bay. Today, we’ll hear from families facing tough decisions. Then, the story of a woman in prison who was gifted a book that changed her. And, a collection of readings from Bay Area authors.

This summer, both Stanford Medical Center and Kaiser Permanente paused gender affirming surgeries for youth under 19 years old. Ever since, the families of transgender kids in the Bay have been facing some hard choices.

How a book given to an Uncuffed producer surprised her.

Now we’ll hear some readings from our series New Arrivals, a pocket-sized book tour with Bay Area authors. Today, Oakland authors Emile DeWeaver and Beverly Burch, as well as San Francisco writer Alvin Lu.

Today, a UC Berkeley historian explores 80 years of US policy in the Middle East. Then, a story on how intense loyalty destroyed a close relationship. And, one beloved music venue in San Francisco’s Mission neighborhood has a morbid history... we meet the ghosts that haunt The Chapel.

KALW news editor Sunni Khalid recently hosted a conversation with author Daniel Zoughbie- UC Berkeley historian and professor of complex systems science as part of the 2025 Litquake literary festival.

When she was young, Uncuffed producer Keyna Osorio loved her cousins Bud and Rock. But then, when she was told that Rock’s brother snitched on her brother, her idea of loyalty cost her two very meaningful relationships — relationships she could never get back again.

Today, the Chapel is a lively music venue. But many people who work there say its history as a mortuary lingers.