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
New Arrivals: Near-future fiction
Here are some readings from our series New Arrivals, a pocket-sized book tour with Bay Area authors. Today we’re featuring stories that speculate about the…
- Crosscurrents
SHOW: Preserving Joy And Hope In Difficult Times
Today, we’re getting ready for San Francisco’s Carnaval! Then, poetry to help us face the truth of climate change.
- Crosscurrents
Music, culture, and love in the Mission
Continuing the legacy of their founder, Carlos Acetuno, Fogo Na Roupa has grown into a multi-generational Carnaval dance and percussion group.
- Crosscurrents
Poetry to help us face the truth of climate change, with joy and hope
Nationally acclaimed poet and author Mary Mackey lives in Berkeley. Her latest collection of poems takes on a challenging topic: what’s left, and where there’s…
- Crosscurrents
SHOW: The Fight Against Encampment Sweeps
How three unhoused plaintiffs in Berkeley are using the Americans with Disabilities Act to fight against encampment sweeps. And, authors writing for the…
- Crosscurrents
One man's fight against a Berkeley encampment sweep
As encampment management policies become stricter all over the Bay Area, unhoused people are using the courts to fight back. Here, the story of one man's fight…
- Crosscurrents
New Arrivals: Children's Books
Today, readings from our series New Arrivals. It’s a pocket-sized book tour with Bay Area authors, and today we’re featuring three books for younger readers.
- Crosscurrents
BOUNCE Ep.1: First In A Lifetime
The Golden State Valkyries have taken the court! And we’re going to be right there with them for their first season with the WNBA. It's a new season of…
- Crosscurrents
SHOW: The Benefits Of Embracing Uncertainty
Today, how both healthcare workers and patients navigate the unknown. Then, we hear from a local actor who was recently nominated for a Tony Award.
- Crosscurrents
Uncertainty in medicine
An excerpt from the first episode of the new season of “The Nocturnists” and meet Doctor Emily Silverman, the founder and host of the series.
- Crosscurrents
Sights + Sounds: Broadway actor Francis Jue of "Yellow Face"
Then, we hear from a local actor, Francis Jue, who was recently nominated for a Tony Award.You can hear more Sights + Sounds here!
- Crosscurrents
SHOW: Visiting National Parks After Funding Cuts And Biking For Work
Today, what recent cuts to federal lands means for visiting California’s National Parks this summer. Then, we ride along with local bike messengers for Bike To…
- Crosscurrents
How cuts to National public lands will impact visitors
Summertime is the busiest season for visiting National Parks. We find out how visitors in the Bay Area and around California will be impacted by recent cuts to…
- Crosscurrents
ARCHIVE: Bike messengers pedal through change in San Francisco
For "Bike To Work Day," we're bringing you one of our favorite stories, all about people who bike FOR work!
- Crosscurrents
Uncuffed: Home Cooking
It’s a new episode of Uncuffed, and today is all about FOOD! First, we get a seat at the table when our host goes to their first thanksgiving dinner in over 3…
- Crosscurrents
SHOW: Keeping The Stories
Today we’re gonna talk about stories. First, young readers are taken to Kenya. Then, why it’s important to own our cultural stories. And, a new podcast of…
- Crosscurrents
East Bay author takes young readers to Kenya
Ciiku N’Dungu Case is the founder of Cheza Nami, an East Bay based organization that spreads awareness of African cultures in schools through music and dance…
- Crosscurrents
Finding ways to tell our cultural stories
Veteran Oakland storyteller Diane Ferlatte tell us why it’s important to own our cultural stories in an excerpt from "The Stoop" podcast. And, Hana heeds the…
- Crosscurrents
SHOW: Blossoming At The Albany Bulb
Today, how solutions for housing and climate action are inherently connected. Then, we explore a garbage dump transformed into a park… and a home.
- Crosscurrents
State Of The Bay: Assemblymember Buffy Wicks
East Bay State Assemblymember Buffy Wicks has been pushing the California legislature to take more decisive action on our housing shortage. She says any…
- Crosscurrents
Going home again to the Albany Bulb
The Albany bulb is a beloved fixture of the East Bay shoreline. People visit for kite flying, dog walking and the culture of renegade art making. Today, we go…
- Crosscurrents
Public Space to find oneself
Preserving the community and creative spirit of The Albany Bulb can be credited to one local group that stepped in when the future of the Bulb was uncertain.
- Crosscurrents
"Stories As Weapons" And Bracing For A Surge In Homelessness
San Francisco may need to brace for a surge in homelessness. Today, how national cuts affect Bay Area housing insecurity. Then, a local author explores the…
- Crosscurrents
Funding cuts will likely lead to homelessness surge in San Francisco
Sylvie Sturm is a journalist with San Francisco Public Press covering housing policy. Here she explains how funding cuts will push more people onto the streets.
- Crosscurrents
Exploring the dark art of weaponized storytelling
Words matter. And renowned Bay Area author and journalist Annalee Newitz knows that well. Their book “Stories Are Weapons” debuted last year. But it’s becoming…
- Crosscurrents
Uncuffed: Meet The New Class From The California Institution For Women
Uncuffed is KALW’s podcast that empowers people in prison to tell their own stories. But today's episode is special because it’s the first EVER cohort of…
- Crosscurrents
SHOW: Tariffs, Co-Parenting, And The Return Of BOUNCE
Today, local Chinese businesses are struggling to survive with Trump tariffs. Then, co-parenting can be surprising. And, we welcome the Valkyries with the…
- Crosscurrents
Trump tariffs threaten the fabric of Chinatown communities
There are roughly 1000 small businesses that call San Francisco’s Chinatown home. To help us understand how the tariffs are threatening the whole neighborhood…
- Crosscurrents
The Stoop: The Many Ways We Mother
Mother’s Day is coming up on Sunday. And there are many, sometimes unexpected ways, that people step into parenting. Next, we’re bringing you an excerpt from…
- Crosscurrents
SHOW: Creating From Experience
Today, we hear about Barbara Lee’s plan for her first 100 days in office. Then, a photo exhibit by Paul McCartney. And, celebrated journalist Kevin Fagan talks…
- Crosscurrents
State of the Bay: Oakland Mayor-Elect Barbara Lee’s Plan for First 100 Days
Former Congresswoman Barbara Lee is Oakland's new mayor-elect. Our friend’s KALW’s “State of The Bay” recently spoke with Bay Area News Group reporter Shomik…
- Crosscurrents
Sights + Sounds: Paul McCartney's photo exhibit at the de Young Museum
“Eyes of the Storm” features 250 behind-the-scenes photos along with other items from Paul McCartney’s personal archive. They were all collected from the…
- Crosscurrents
The Bay Agenda: Kevin Fagan and his novel, "The Lost and The Found"
Kevin Fagan, is an award-winning journalist, with over 40 years covering homelessness and poverty. Kevin is recently retired from the San Francisco Chronicle…
- Crosscurrents
SHOW: Electric School Buses And Warriors Heritage Nights
Today, we hear about Oakland’s new electric school buses and how the Trump policies have affected clean transit. Plus, celebrating the diverse populations of…
- Crosscurrents
Teachable moments at the electric school bus stop
School buses pollute the air and can make students feel dysregulated. Switching to electric can help, but it’s a test of political will.
- Crosscurrents
Impact of Trump's first 100 days on clean transportation projects.
Since the Trump administration put a hold on funding for climate programs back in January, federal support for a wide range of climate related projects has…
- Crosscurrents
Warriors games celebrate Bay Area’s eclectic cultures with heritage nights.
For Nanki Kaur watching basketball has always been a family ritual, and she’s also always been curious to learn about the different cultural communities in the…
- Crosscurrents
SHOW: Uncuffed: Hey Mr. DJ
Today, we hear from Uncuffed producer Anthony Ivy. He started working with Uncuffed inside Solano State Prison. Now he has a job on the outside with "The…
- Crosscurrents
SCRAP And Forging Ahead After The Unthinkable Happens
Today, we revisit a story about SCRAP, and how they help teachers keep their classrooms well stocked. Then, one woman’s painful but determined recovery.
- Crosscurrents
Why are teachers paying for their own supplies?
SCRAP is a beloved San Francisco non-profit. It's a creative reuse and recycling center that collects and re-distributes tons of stuff. But now they will need…
- Crosscurrents
Book It: Finding a way forward from "Pieces You'll Never Get Back"
Samina Ali suffered a disastrous pregnancy, a lengthy coma, and a long, frustrating road to her life’s new normal. Her deeply personal memoir is "Pieces You'll…
- Crosscurrents
SHOW: Comedy For Social Change And SF's Poet Laureate
Today, comedians who use humor as a form of political resistance. Then, will the A’s ever find a permanent home to play ball? And, we hear about San…
- Crosscurrents
Laughing through the fear: Comedians find power in humor
Today, we hear from a couple of comedians who share how they use humor as both a source of laughter and a form of political resistance
- Crosscurrents
Will the vagabond A's ever find their forever home?
The team formerly known as the Oakland Athletics is playing their "home" games this season in a minor league park in Sacramento. The franchise still intends to…
- Crosscurrents
San Francisco's Poet Laureate speaks for the people
April is National Poetry Month and to celebrate in proper style Bay Poets has been exploring the Poetry Center at SF State’s amazing archives. Today we wrap up…
- Crosscurrents
SHOW: Milkweed, Monarchs, And Migration
Today, the thousand mile journey one musician took to help butterflies migrate. Then, we hear about "Frankenstein" told through ballet. And, KALW’s own open…
- Crosscurrents
A musician’s thousand mile journey to help the monarch butterfly
Climate change and industrial agriculture have decimated the western monarch butterfly’s crucial food source, threatening the species. One Santa Cruz musician…
- Crosscurrents
Sights + Sounds: San Francisco Ballet Artistic Director Tamara Rojo on 'Frankenstein'
The San Francisco Ballet’s production of “Frankenstein” opens again on Saturday. Tamara Rojo is the Artistic Director of the San Francisco Ballet, and the…
- Crosscurrents
KALW's Open mic night presents: "Gone" by Yolanda Cazessus
On the final Friday of every month, KALW hands the mic over to you, our listeners, for an open mic night at our live event space in Downtown San Francisco. The…
- Crosscurrents
SHOW: Looking For Falcons And Answers To Bird Flu
Barbara Lee is Oakland’s new mayor. Today, a conversation about the race and the immediate needs facing her office. Then, a reading from New Arrivals, our…
- Crosscurrents
Barbara Lee is Oakland's next mayor
Former Congresswoman Barbara Lee was declared the winner in last week's special election for Oakland’s next mayor. She defeated the strongest of her nine…
- Crosscurrents
New Arrivals: Luiza Flynn-Goodlett poetry collection
It’s Climate Week in San Francisco, so next up we’re bring you a reading from New Arrivals, our pocket sized book tour. Poet Luiza Flynn-Goodlett lives in…
- Crosscurrents
Berkeley’s famous falcons are missing as bird flu spreads
Peregrine falcons nesting on top of the Campanile at UC Berkeley have become local celebrities. Now, for the first time since their arrival, the birds have not…
- Crosscurrents
The jazzy musical poetry of Q.R. Hand Jr.
April is National Poetry Month, so here’s some more poetry! To celebrate in proper style Bay Poets has been exploring the Poetry Center at San Francisco…
- Crosscurrents
SHOW: Innovation In Green-Tech
Today, we hear about San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie’s first 100 Days in office from local reporters. Then, we’ll visit a research and design firm that’s…
- Crosscurrents
SF's Otherlab spawns start-ups with green-tech to fight climate change
San Francisco's Mission district is home to Otherlab. Engineers there are working on projects from floating wind turbines to solar powered scooters. And one of…
- Crosscurrents
SHOW: Legacies Of Migration
Angel Island provides a compelling setting for a modern Ballet. Then, we discover a museum without walls. And, an East Palo Alto poet on her Louisiana Creole…
- Crosscurrents
Oakland Ballet draws from the poetry of Angel Island detainees in new show
The Oakland Ballet’s newest performance, the “Angel Island Project," hopes to depict the experiences of Chinese immigrants who were victim to discriminatory…
- Crosscurrents
California Migration Museum shares history without walls
The California Migration Museum doesn't exist in any one space. Instead, they recently launched a catalog of immersive experiences that are entirely digital…
- Crosscurrents
Uncuffed: Telling The Truth
Have you ever lied to someone because you thought the truth would be too painful for them to hear? Today, it’s a new episode of Uncuffed - the podcast that…