Crosscurrents

Today it's all about Bay Area basketball. The WNBA's first Asian-American coach is hungry to win. Then, a muralist inspired by the dream of playing big league basketball.

It's the second episode of BOUNCE, KALW's basketball podcast that's all about The Valkyries first season in the Bay. This one's all about the team's fearless leader: Coach Natalie Nakase.

Oakland muralist Timothy B's work focuses on uplifting African-Indigenous communities, especially young people. For the NBA All-Star game this year, The Warriors commissioned him to paint a mural that takes up half a block in Downtown Oakland. KALW's Jeneé Darden met up with Timothy in front of his mural, "Hoop Dreams," to hear about his artwork and dreaming big during hard times.

With the start of Pride Month, we're re-airing a story from 2020 about local queer icon Phyllis Lyon. Her life, her community, and the support she received in her final days.

Today, we explore the human-machine ecosystem. Then, the new executive director of the Bay Area Book Festival. And, we hear why unhoused people use “street names.” 

Did you know your muscles can make sound? Or that your heart and lungs are musical instruments just waiting to be played? Well every Wednesday in the Mission District, people from artist and tech communities let go of assumptions about each other and their own bodies to create together.

The Bay Area Book Festival is back this weekend for its 11th year. Book lovers of all ages can check out readings and author talks in Downtown Berkeley. The festival has new leadership that is guiding the organization through a tough political climate and betting that books will lead us to a brighter future. 

For unhoused people, "street names" are monikers — chosen or assigned — that often take the place of the names they were assigned as children. But what are the stories behind these names, and what purpose do they serve? 

In 2022, one of the producers from Uncuffed's original San Quentin cohort, Edmond Richardson, married the love of his life, Avelina. Today, all six of the members of that first cohort have been released from prison. Edmond came home late last year, and so much has happened since that episode of the podcast aired three years ago. And you'll want to stick around until the end to hear a very special update from Edmond and Avelina.Uncuffed will be back with brand new episodes on June 19. You can catch up on anything you've missed here! 

For some, present day headlines are reminders of past terrors, causing them to seek refuge in the genres of Black Horror and Afro-Futurism. A local bookstore owner is helping people use these artforms to connect and envision brighter futures.

Today, seeking refuge in Black Horror and Afro-Futurism. Then, the directors of “Freaky Tales.” And, authors who are looking into the near future with their fiction.

“Freaky Tales” is a gritty, sci-fi, action film set mostly in Oakland. The story takes place in 1987. There's a green, glowing, electric energy that hovers in the air above Oakland and it makes people do powerful things. Anna Bolden and Ryan Fleck are the writing/directing team behind the movie. 

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 near-future, and imagine very different possibilities. 

Today, we're getting ready for San Francisco's Carnaval! Then, poetry to help us face the truth of climate change.

Continuing the legacy of their founder, Carlos Acetuno, Fogo Na Roupa has grown into a multi-generational Carnaval dance and percussion group.

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 hope, in the wake of climate change.

How three unhoused plaintiffs in Berkeley are using the Americans with Disabilities Act to fight against encampment sweeps. And, authors writing for the younger generation.

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 to stay in his RV shines a light on what's at stake for the future of lawsuits like his. Then, we hear from the reporter for a roundup of these lawsuits — and, to talk about why it might get harder for unhoused people to bring cases like these ones, even as local laws continue to change.

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. 

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 BOUNCE!And check out the whole season of "BOUNCE: The Valkyries First Season In The Bay" here!

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. 

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. 

Then, we hear from a local actor, Francis Jue, who was recently nominated for a Tony Award.You can hear more Sights + Sounds here!

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 Work Day!

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 funding. 

For "Bike To Work Day," we're bringing you one of our favorite stories, all about people who bike FOR work! 

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 decades. Then, the producers inside San Quentin get creative in their makeshift kitchens. And you can hear more from Uncuffed here!

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 Sudanese folklore.

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. Now she is out with a new children's book called "Wanjiku, Child of Mine." It's about a little girl who grows up in Kenya…

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 call and launches her own folktale podcast, telling stories from Sudanese folklore in "Folktales from Sudan"

Today, how solutions for housing and climate action are inherently connected. Then, we explore a garbage dump transformed into a park… and a home.

 East Bay State Assemblymember Buffy Wicks has been pushing the California legislature to take more decisive action on our housing shortage. She says any solution will need to take into consideration an array of interconnected issues. Ethan Elkind, co-host of KALW's “State of The Bay,” recently spoke with Wicks. And today, we're bringing you an excerpt of that conversation. 

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 out to the bulb with some former inhabitants to hear their story of a community that made the bulb a home. 

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.

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 dark art of weaponized storytelling in a new episode of Book It.

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.

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 more and more relevant every day.

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 students from a women's prison. And you can hear more episodes of Uncuffed here!

Today, local Chinese businesses are struggling to survive with Trump tariffs. Then, co-parenting can be surprising. And, we welcome the Valkyries with the return of BOUNCE!

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, I spoke with the President of the city's Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Donald Luu.

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 The Stoop Podcast- hosted by me and Leila Day. In it, we meet a family that shows us how co-parenting can evolve. You can listen to the full episode of The Stoop here!

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 about his new novel.