Shows / Crosscurrents
Crosscurrents
Crosscurrents 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.
Episodes
- Crosscurrents
Public Nature: The planted seeds of the East Bay Regional Park District
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…
- Crosscurrents
Uncuffed: The friend who helped her on the road to rehabilitation
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.
- Crosscurrents
Bay Poets: 'everyday I become egg' by poet Lorenz Mazon Dumuk
This is Lorenz Mazon Dumuk reading his poem, “Everyday I become an Egg.”
- Crosscurrents
The Stoop: Bury me whole
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…
- Crosscurrents
SHOW: The Future of San Francisco Housing
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…
- Crosscurrents
The Bay Agenda: The Future of San Francisco Housing
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…
- Crosscurrents
Bathing while trans: Behind the changing policies at Archimedes Banya
The Northern California chapter of Society of Professional Journalists recently announced their 2025 award winners… KALW took home four awards! Today, we’re…
- Crosscurrents
SHOW: Pretty Things, Universal Funk, and All Things Manga
Today, it's the Art of Manga! Then, a woman shares the unglamorous reality of prison. Plus, we visit The Universal Funk Opera!
- Crosscurrents
Sights + Sounds: 'The Art of Manga' exhibit
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…
- Crosscurrents
Uncuffed: What the absence of 'pretty things' in prison taught her about beauty
A story from Uncuffed producer Haena Worthing at the California Institution for Women about a shift in her perception of what makes something "pretty."
- Crosscurrents
How a Bay Area artist brought a funk band of aliens to life
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…
- Crosscurrents
SHOW: Coming Back to Ourselves
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…
- Crosscurrents
Uncuffed: She stayed. That’s why I’m alive
An Uncuffed story from the California Institution for Women about leaving this world and coming back.
- Crosscurrents
Sights + Sounds: 'Fairyland' film
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…
- Crosscurrents
Bay Poets: 'Time Traveler, for Bob Kaufman and John Coltrane' by San Francisco Poet Laureate Genny Lim
Here's SF’s poet laureate Jenny Lim reading her piece “Time traveler, For Bob Kaufman and John Coltrane.”
- Crosscurrents
Sidewalk Stories: What's in a street name?
The Northern California chapter of Society of Professional Journalists recently announced their 2025 award winners… KALW took home four awards! So next we’re…
- Crosscurrents
California Foodways: The Railroad's Surprising Impact on Food and Civil Rights in California
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…
- Crosscurrents
SHOW: In Celebration of StoryCorps
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.
- Crosscurrents
SHOW: Humphrey the Humpback Whale and the Bay Delta Town that Still Loves Him
Today, how a Bay Area town remembers Humphrey the Humpback, forty years on from his 1985 dramatic visit to the Bay Delta.
- Crosscurrents
Remembering Humphrey the Humpback, 40 years later
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…
- Crosscurrents
SHOW: Revisiting San Francisco's Crosstown Trail
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.
- Crosscurrents
Taking the long way: San Francisco's Crosstown Trail
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…
- Crosscurrents
Uncuffed: Mothering from prison isn't easy
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.
- Crosscurrents
Sights + Sounds: 'Noises Off' play
"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…
- Crosscurrents
SHOW: Grief and Dying in the Modern Age
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.
- Crosscurrents
The business of never letting go
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…
- Crosscurrents
End-of-life doulas and the art of dying well
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…
- Crosscurrents
SHOW: Bomba in the Bay, and a Scary Story from Sudanese Folklore
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…
- Crosscurrents
Bomba — music, history, identity, and resistance rolled into one
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…
- Crosscurrents
Bay Poets: 'Bones talk out the side of their neck' by poet Nia Pearl
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…
- Crosscurrents
Sights and Sounds After Dark: Creepy Tales — Widea’s Goat
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.
- Crosscurrents
SHOW: Families Facing Hard Choices
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…
- Crosscurrents
Hard choices for trans youth and families after pause to gender affirming care
This summer, both Stanford Medical Center and Kaiser Permanente paused gender affirming surgeries for youth under 19 years old. Ever since, the families of…
- Crosscurrents
Uncuffed: The book that changed her life
How a book given to an Uncuffed producer surprised her.
- Crosscurrents
New Arrivals Collection
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…
- Crosscurrents
SHOW: Going Back in Time to Understand the Future
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…
- Crosscurrents
LITQUAKE - 'Kicking the Hornet's Nest: U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East'
KALW news editor Sunni Khalid recently hosted a conversation with author Daniel Zoughbie- UC Berkeley historian and professor of complex systems science as…
- Crosscurrents
Uncuffed: How loyalty to one person harmed her relationships with others
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…
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From mortuary to music venue: Is The Chapel haunted?
Today, the Chapel is a lively music venue. But many people who work there say its history as a mortuary lingers.
- Crosscurrents
Bay Poets: 'It is I, the Immigrant' by Elizabeth Jiminez
This is Chicana poet Elizabeth Jiminez Montelongo, reading her poem “It is I, the immigrant.”
- Crosscurrents
Day of the Dead Marigolds, and a Transportation Update
Today, we meet a florist who grows the marigolds used for "Dia de Los Muertos” And, an update on Bay Area roadways and Freeways. Plus, some poetry to help us…
- Crosscurrents
Getting Around the Bay Q&A: Driving, commuting, parking
A look at what’s happening in transportation news around the Bay Area, where this week we'll talking about driving, commuting, and parking.
- Crosscurrents
Florist Mauricio Vivas grows marigolds to celebrate Día de Los Muertos
Florist Mauricio Vivas grows marigolds for these reverent altars, and sells them at his store “Tony Rossi & Sons Florist” in Oakland’s Fruitvale neighborhood…
- Crosscurrents
Bay Poets: Lourdes Figueroa reads their untitled poem
Here's Chicanx poet Lourdes Figueroa reading an excerpt from their untitled poem.
- Crosscurrents
Federal agents are heading to the Bay Area today
To understand what an escalation of federal agents means for San Francisco, and especially Latine immigrants in the Bay Area, we spoke with El Tecolote…
- Crosscurrents
SHOW: Lifting the Fog and Showing Love
A local reporter talks about how Latine immigrant communities are preparing for an influx of Federal agents. Then, we go to a show that’s all about celebrating…
- Crosscurrents
SHOW: 'Restrained and Sedated' series with Joel Umanzor
Jose Luis Lopez was a construction worker in Richmond who had an encounter with the police in 2020. Today we hear an investigation into his story and other…
- Crosscurrents
Investigating police involved deaths in Richmond
Joel Umanzor is a reporter for Richmondside. His five part series, “Restrained and Sedated,” investigates the deaths of two men who died after encounters with…
- Crosscurrents
Uncuffed: Breaking free from the men in her life
A woman who is now incarcerated recalls how she rebelled against the men in her life, but that landed her in the streets.
- Crosscurrents
A visit to the haunted USS Hornet in Alameda
A visit to the USS Hornet in Alameda is like taking a trip back in time. The ship served in both World War II and Vietnam, and it famously recovered the Apollo…
- Crosscurrents
SHOW: Preservation Big... and Tiny
Today, we’ll hear how endangered butterflies saved San Bruno Mountain from development. Then, we’ll visit a place that collects creepy crawlies and puts them…
- Crosscurrents
The search for endangered butterflies
Just over fifty years ago, developers hoped to build on San Bruno Mountain until a movement was launched to protect the land and its endangered butterflies.
- Crosscurrents
New Arrivals: San Francisco Authors
Now we’ll hear some readings from our series New Arrivals, a pocket-sized book tour with Bay Area authors. And today’s writers are all from San Francisco.
- Crosscurrents
SHOW: Earthquakes and the Bay
Today, we're looking into earthquake preparedness around in the Bay Area. First, we meet San Francisco’s Neighborhood Emergency Response Team. Then, will the…
- Crosscurrents
SF's Neighborhood Emergency Response Team needs more members
The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake caused a lot of destruction. It also stirred up a lot of change. And helped create new things, like NERT, the Neighborhood…
- Crosscurrents
SHOW: Protecting Local Journalism, and Refugee Stories
A new documentary explores how hedge funds are destroying local newspapers. Today, we hear how journalists are fighting back. Then, the life of Afghan…
- Crosscurrents
Sights + Sounds: 'Stripped for Parts: American Journalism on the Brink'
Hedge funds have also led to the collapse of local newspapers as they acquire publications across the country. The new PBS Documentary "Stripped for Parts…
- Crosscurrents
Bay Agenda: Afghan refugee stories
KALW and the Society of Professional Journalists of Northern California recently hosted a night centering the lived experiences of the Afghan refugee…
- Crosscurrents
Uncuffed: Choosing adventure to get some structure
Uncuffed producer Daphnye Luster remembers her experience in an outdoor program meant to be an alternative to juvenile prison.
- Crosscurrents
SHOW: Nurture and Nature
Today, we’ll hear how to transition your home off polluting appliances. Then, a new Uncuffed story about fathering from prison. And, readings all about Bay…