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
SHOW: Hiding In Plain Sight
The Berkeley Rose Garden is a beautiful place, but did you know it was built during FDR’s “New Deal” in the ‘30s? Things built through this program are still…
- Crosscurrents
Public Space: New Deal history hides among the roses
The New Deal was created more than 90 years ago to help the U.S. recover from the Great Depression. This first episode of "The Public Works" a series from…
- Crosscurrents
'The Invisible Mammal' Director Kristin Tièche
Little Brown Bats are facing a disease that is pushing them to extinction. Filmmaker Kristin Tièche followed a group of female scientists working to save brown…
- Crosscurrents
SHOW: Oldest San Francisco: Audio time travel
Today we’re going on a special tour of San Francisco. We’ll visit four unique spots that have a lot of history, and staying power. Each of these legacy…
- Crosscurrents
SHOW: Happy KALW Day!
Monday, September 1st 1941 KALW began broadcasting regularly to the Bay Area. So today we’re taking a look back — and talking about where we are going. It’s…
- Crosscurrents
SHOW: Returning to the Joy
Today, we go inside the intense world of Major League Table Tennis, with a four-time Olympian who's remembering why she loves the game. Then, the band Oakland…
- Crosscurrents
Lily Zhang and the rise of Major League Table Tennis
Major League Table Tennis is opening its third season this September 5th at the Alameda County Fairgrounds. And one decorated Bay Area athlete is helping lead…
- Crosscurrents
Sights + Sounds: Oakland Rising
Naima, August Lee Stevens, and B DeVeaux, are the young singers and songwriters who make up the trio Oakland Rising. Their music lifts people’s spirits…
- Crosscurrents
New Arrivals: Fiction
Here are some readings from our series New Arrivals, a pocket-sized book tour with Bay Area authors. Today we're featuring local fiction writers: Nina Skylar…
- Crosscurrents
SHOW: Karaoke Subcultures, and Art from Filipino Social Justice Movements
Karaoke enthusiasts are building community in niche spaces. Then, the debate around SF’s neighborhood rezoning proposal. And, the social justice legacy of Bay…
- Crosscurrents
State of the Bay: SF’s Neighborhood Zoning Debate
Earlier this year, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie unveiled his “Family Zoning” proposal. The plan would rezone certain neighborhoods to allow for increased…
- Crosscurrents
Sights + Sounds: 'MAKIBAKA: A Living Legacy' exhibit
San Francisco's Filipino community has a long history of leading and participating in social justice movements. Now, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts is…
- Crosscurrents
Pick your stage — Visiting the Bay’s karaoke subcultures
Karaoke enthusiasts in the Bay Area are curating venues where music lovers release their feelings in supportive spaces.
- Crosscurrents
Into the Heart of the Game
Today it's all about Bay Area sports announcers. First, we meet Sophia Jones, the Golden State Valkyries emerging radio star. Then, we remember an iconic…
- Crosscurrents
'King' of sports broadcasters
In the world of Bay Area sports announcers, Bill King is legendary. His heyday overlapped with Oakland’s professional teams. This story first aired in 2017…
- Crosscurrents
SHOW: Saving California's Native Bees
Maybe you’ve heard the phrase save the bees? Well turns out, which bees need saving is kind of a big deal. Today, how we can help save California’s native…
- Crosscurrents
Have we been thinking about the wrong bees?
California is home to 1,600 native bees, and yet we are more likely to hear about their non-native counterpart: the honey bee. But gardeners and researchers…
- Crosscurrents
Sights + Sounds: DJ Anthony Midas at 'Thrive at Five'
The Chase Center has been a fun spot this summer, and that’s not just because of the Valkyries. Every Thursday there's been a music-fueled party happening…
- Crosscurrents
Bay Poets: 'Follow the Corn' by poet Tatiana Luboviski-Acosta
let’s take it back some 10,000 years with a poem. Here’s Tatiana Luboviski-Acosta reading her poem “Follow the Corn.”
- Crosscurrents
SHOW: Sprouting Inspiration
Today, one museum internship emphasizes diversity in science. We’ll visit the Cal Academy "Careers in Science" program. Then, Oakland singer B. DeVeaux talks…
- Crosscurrents
Fostering the next generation of scientists at Cal Academy of Sciences
For many BIPOC students, the fields of STEM can seem out of reach. A program at one San Francisco museum aims to help young people from all backgrounds see…
- Crosscurrents
Sights + Sounds: B. DeVeaux's debut album 'Chrysalis'
Oakland singer and songwriter. B. DeVeaux is a self-described “creative force.” She has performed with major artists such as Daveed Diggs, Patrice Rushen, and…
- Crosscurrents
A 'piece of freedom'
Joe Garcia is a reporter with CalMatters, and was incarcerated at San Quentin. He just published a story on just how one mural came to be, and how he helped…
- Crosscurrents
Uncuffed: One Year Out
Today, it’s the season finale of Uncuffed. Last summer Greg Eskridge walked out of the San Quentin gates a free man and all season Uncuffed has been following…
- Crosscurrents
SHOW: Beats and Books
Today, Dennis Finnegan takes us into his music making process. Then, we get the summertime vibes from KALW DJ J Boogie. And, one new book explores grief and…
- Crosscurrents
Musician and Librarian Dennis Finnegan on his eclectic sound
Ohlone College students know Dennis Finnegan as one of their librarians. But, they might not know he’s also an award-winning musician: a multi-instrumentalist…
- Crosscurrents
On Repeat Live with J Boogie: Songs of the summer
Recently, Tshego Letsoalo, recorded a LIVE version of her series, On Repeat. It’s a mini-pod for music discovery where Tshego talks to KALW music programmers…
- Crosscurrents
Aaron Hundley's book 'Jack & Evan
For many people writing can be a healing practice. That’s one of several themes in the new novel “Jack & Evan” by Oakland author Aaron Hundley. KALW’s Jenee…
- Crosscurrents
SHOW: Rethinking Fire in Redwood Forests
Five years after the CZU fire, Big Basin State Park reimagines its forest. Then, as students go back to school, we get an update SFUSD. Plus, a love letter to…
- Crosscurrents
Five years after the CZU Fire Big Basin looks ahead to future fires
It’s been half a decade since the CZU Lightning Complex Fire devastated Big Basin State Park. The fire forced park officials to rethink the role of fire in…
- Crosscurrents
State of the Bay: SFUSD Update
Jill Tucker covers education for the San Francisco Chronicle. She came on KALW’s State of the Bay recently to talk about what this upcoming school year could…
- Crosscurrents
Bay Poets: 'Ballad of the Eldest Daughter' by poet Ellie Lopez
Growing up is tough… but some siblings are pushed to take on more, and grow up faster. Ellie Lopez captures that feeling many of us know too well, in her poem…
- Crosscurrents
SHOW: Preparing Students For A Shared Future With AI
Two and a half years after the arrival of ChatGPT, many schools have been slow to write clear guidelines for how students should, and shouldn’t, use AI. It’s…
- Crosscurrents
The Homework Machine: AI creates gray areas for students and teachers
Today, we bring you the second story from our series The Homework Machine. The arrival of ChatGPT and other AI tools has led to more cheating in schools. But…
- Crosscurrents
Bay Poets: 'Your Mind Can't Tell the Difference' by poet Larry Dorsey Jr
Adopting and adapting to new technologies is part of the human experience. For our segment Bay Poets, poet Larry Dorsey Jr. explores the blurred lines between…
- Crosscurrents
SHOW: Kids and the Homework Machine
About two years ago, teachers started suspecting their students might be using generative AI in their work. Today, we hear about the arrival of AI in…
- Crosscurrents
The Homework Machine: AI arrives in schools
When generative AI arrived in schools, it brought both excitement, and confusion.
- Crosscurrents
SHOW: The Living Legends Of The San Francisco Pioneers
Today, we're rolling it way back to meet the first professional women's basketball players in the Bay. It’s Bay Area women’s basketball history on episode…
- Crosscurrents
SHOW: Arts And Education
Dancers are trying to find their footing while funding for the arts dries up. Today, we meet a dance group on a mission to keep turning. And, the legacy of one…
- Crosscurrents
SF Dancers left to find their footing through funding cuts
In May, the National Endowment for the Arts canceled at least $1 million in grants to San Francisco nonprofits alone. But that's just the tip of the iceberg…
- Crosscurrents
State of the Bay: Oakland Back-to-School Update
School is now in session for the Oakland Unified School District. And this past year, there has been A LOT to report on at OUSD — from the early departure of…
- Crosscurrents
Sights + Sounds: "Ruth Asawa: Retrospective" exhibit
San Francisco is proud to claim the iconic Japanese-American artist Ruth Asawa as our own. She’s known primarily for her wire sculptures, as well as her…
- Crosscurrents
SHOW: Keeping The Dreams Alive
Today, we’re learning to skate through life. Then, a computer engineer with a history in radical activism. And, an iconic photographer captured the Grateful…
- Crosscurrents
Why skateboarding may be your new meditative practice
One local skateboarder is trying to give skateboarding a different reputation. The goal of his company, Skateable Cities, is to highlight the practical ways it…
- Crosscurrents
Book It: Big ideas with a legendary tech designer
Designer Lee Felsenstein is legendary. He’s one of the Electronic Frontier Foundations’ "Pioneers of the Electronic Frontier"; a Laureate of The Tech Museum in…
- Crosscurrents
Sights + Sounds: Photo book "The Grateful Dead by Jim Marshall"
The late, iconic music photographer Jim Marshall captured much of the Grateful Dead's career and life. He took over 10,000 photos of the Grateful Dead…
- Crosscurrents
SHOW: What Our Elders Can Teach Us About Caring For One Another
Today is all about learning what our elders can teach us about caring for one another. First, a unique living room in the Tenderloin helps vulnerable seniors…
- Crosscurrents
In the Tenderloin, seniors help seniors
Nearly half of San Francisco's seniors lack the money to meet their basic needs. At Saint Francis Living Room in the Tenderloin, seniors help each other.
- Crosscurrents
Neighborhood choirs as public health solutions
In 2012, a UCSF researcher teamed up with city and nonprofit officials to launch a novel experiment meant to answer one question: Can singing in a choir…
- Crosscurrents
SHOW: Coffee, Tea, And Community
In a quiet part of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, a coffee shop puts down roots. Then, how coffee is helping resettle refugees. And, we go on a boba shop…
- Crosscurrents
Brightening up a sleepy town with café con cultura
Calaca Coffee brought bold flavor and fresh energy to Crockett, turning a weekend trailer into a vibrant, full-time storefront.
- Crosscurrents
Berkeley coffee shop helps refugees by employing them
Today, we bring you an old favorite, from 2017: Many immigrants come to the Bay Area as refugees. And those who resettle here have to secure jobs quickly in…
- Crosscurrents
Exploring San Francisco's wave of fancy boba
In a story we originally aired in 2017, reporter Susanna Luo explores how a pair of San Francisco boba shops took the treat to the next level.
- Crosscurrents
SHOW: Turning Tables On Lowrider Music Culture, Youth Voters, And MDMA
One South Bay couple has turned rare record collecting into an art form. Today, we dive into the crates. Then, we meet some young adults focused on promoting…
- Crosscurrents
Flipside Lovers and South Bay cruising
San Jose is one of the epicenters of lowriding culture and history. A DJ duo from the South Bay discusses preserving the culture’s musical legacy.
- Crosscurrents
Youth Vote Rising
Bay Area teens focus on engaging their peers on local issues and getting to know their elected officials with a new podcast.
- Crosscurrents
Radio Pacific LIVE: MDMA and The Bay
Radio Pacific is a new show made in collaboration with KALW, all about contemporary California. Eli Cohen is the host of the show, and recently held a live…
- Crosscurrents
SHOW: Disrupting The Disruption
The federal government is instructing park rangers to remove parts of our history. Today, we hear how local rangers and historians are speaking out. Then, the…
- Crosscurrents
Muir Woods isn’t first national park to alter exhibit because of Trump policies
An interpretive sign at Muir Woods National Monument has recently been edited because of a Trump administration executive order banning any materials that…
- Crosscurrents
SF Mime Troupe: Behind the Scenes of Disruption
Policy directives from the current administration have led to many changes. For the Tony Award-winning San Francisco Mime Troupe, that means new material for…