Crosscurrents

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 Rising brings uplifting music to the Kennedy Center. And, some readings from Bay Area authors.

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 the charge for the sport to be taken seriously. 

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, through their positive lyrics and beautiful voices. And they remind us of one of Oakland's precious treasures: its culture. 

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, Ellen Barker, and Brittany Newell.

Karaoke enthusiasts are building community in niche spaces. Then, the debate around SF's neighborhood rezoning proposal. And, the social justice legacy of Bay Area Filipinos.

Earlier this year, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie unveiled his “Family Zoning” proposal. The plan would rezone certain neighborhoods to allow for increased density - including more commercial properties and additional housing. KALW's State of the Bay recently dug into the plan with Lori Brooke, who is the co-founder of Neighborhoods United SF. A group that opposes the plan. And Laura Foote, Founder and Executive Director of YIMBY Action, who supports it. 

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 honoring this history in the exhibit "MAKIBAKA: A Living Legacy." Trisha Lagaso Goldberg is the exhibit's co-curator. 

Karaoke enthusiasts in the Bay Area are curating venues where music lovers release their feelings in supportive spaces.

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 sports announcer. 

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. The Raiders were still playing football, the Warriors were still playing basketball, and the A's were still playing baseball in Oakland. Here's KALW's Executive Producer, Ben Trefny, with this old favorite.

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 bees. Then, a Bay Area DJ brings his love for R&B to the Chase Center. And, a reading from our Bay Poets series.

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 alike are trying to get the word out about native bees.

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 outside of the arena. It's called “Thrive at Five.” Bay Area DJ Anthony Midas has been spinning records there all summer. He spoke with KALW's Jenee Darden about the weekly event and his love for R&B music. 

let's take it back some 10,000 years with a poem. Here's Tatiana Luboviski-Acosta reading her poem “Follow the Corn.”

Today, one museum internship emphasizes diversity in science. We'll visit the Cal Academy "Careers in Science" program. Then, Oakland singer B. DeVeaux talks about their debut neo-soul album, "Chrysalis." And, how art brought a slice of brightness to the incarcerated men at San Quentin.

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 themselves as potential scientists.

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 Kehlani. And she just dropped her debut, neo-soul album “Chrysalis.” The host of KALW's Sights and Sounds, Jenee Darden. She recently spoke to B. DeVeaux and asked how she began her journey to become a musician.

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 make it happen.He says it all started with his friend, Kai Bannon.

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 his journey.

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 Black men healing from trauma.

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, composer, songwriter, and collaborator.

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 about the songs they can't stop listening to. In this excerpt, she talks to KALW DJ J Boogie about his summer songs. 

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 Darden spoke with Aaron about Black men healing from trauma. 

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 the Eldest Daughters.

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 managing the ancient redwood forest.

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 look like for SFUSD. In this excerpt of that conversation host Grace Won asks Tucker about staff reductions at the district.  

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, ‘Ballad of the Eldest Daughter.' Here she is reading it LIVE on the streets of San Francisco's Mission District as part of the Flor Y Canto Literary Festival back in June. 

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 the next story from The Homework Machine series. Plus, a poem about adopting and adapting to new technologies.

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, it's not always easy to define what cheating is… or to know what to do about it.

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 living life and capturing its moments through technology, Here he is reading his poem, "Your Mind Can't Tell the Difference.” 

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 education. And for some teachers, it's not all that scary.

When generative AI arrived in schools, it brought both excitement, and confusion.

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 seven of BOUNCE!

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 of the Bay Area's most iconic artists. The art of Ruth Asawa.

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 for many artists. San Francisco dance leaders are saying they're more strained now than ever and they're left trying to find their footing.

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 superintendent Kyla Johnson Trammell, to the district's exit from a 22 year receivership. Reporter Ashley McBride covers education equity for Oaklandside. She's been following these stories, and she co-reported a two-part investigative series looking at lead in the water at Oakland Schools. Grace Won, co-host of KALW's “State of the Bay,” recently spoke with McBride, and we're bringing you an excerpt from that conversation.

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 advocacy for arts education. Now, 300 pieces of her work are currently on display at SFMOMA. Janet Bishop is one of the curators of the retrospective. 

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 Dead.

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 can help you get around, as well as the mental health benefits.

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 San Jose; and a Fellow of the Computer History Museum. His new autobiography is "Me and My Big Ideas: Counterculture, Social Media, and the Future."

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. Hundreds of those photos are featured in the book “The Grateful Dead by Jim Marshall.” It covers their formative years from 1966 to 1977. Photographer Amelia Davis is the co-author of the book. She was Jim Marshall's personal assistant who preserved his work. Lifelong Deadhead and writer Dan Sullivan  contributed an essay to the book.

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 meet their daily needs. Then, how community choirs are providing more than just a fun time.