Podcasts about KALW

OASIS is an iconic San Francisco nightclub. The Drag show and cabaret venue opened on New Years Day, 2015. In a bittersweet bookend, they'll host their grand finale party on New Years Eve, later this month. The host of KALW's Sights and Sounds show, Jenee Darden, recently went down to the club in San Francisco's SOMA District to meet with OASIS owner, D'Arcy Drollinger. Here's an excerpt from their conversation.

Last week, KALW attended the 2025 San Francisco Press Club awards… and left with five wins! This next story was reported back in February, and took home an award for ‘Best Reporting'. When it first aired, organizers in California had been working for months to spread the word about this helpline/ a helpline for perpetrators of domestic and intimate partner violence. You heard that right. A helpline for perpetrators, not victims. It's an unusual approach to a serious problem: Rates of domestic violence in the U.S. are high, and they got even worse during the pandemic. The helpline – A Call for Change – promises anonymity to its callers. And their goal is to provide a non-carceral approach to preventing domestic and intimate partner violence. 

The Trump Administration has made life very challenging for immigrants across the United States. And that's really been felt here in the Bay Area, where roughly a third of residents are immigrants. Many of the rights immigrants to the U.S. have are actually rooted right here in San Francisco's Chinatown. The community there came together more than a century ago, to fight against government efforts to remove Chinese people from the country.KALW recently held a live event focused on the history of one of the most prominent businesses for Chinese immigrants: laundries. It was called "The Anti-Immigrant Spin Cycle: Challenging A White-Washed History."  The evening was hosted by KALW's Executive Producer, Ben Trefny. And included David Lei, a board member with the Chinese Historical Society of America, Here's part of their conversation, starting with David explaining the court case of Yick Wo v. Hopkins, and how it shaped the rights for immigrants in America today.

We are broadcasting live for KALW's December membership campaign. Today, we revisit the Valkyries first season and talk about some of our favorite music of the year. 

Located a block away from the 24th street BART station, the Mission Grafica print studio and archive has empowered public art in the Bay Area since 1982.KALW is now hosting a gallery of some of their prints at our space in downtown San Francisco at 220 Montgommery, it is called ‘Mission Grafica: The Public's Voice.'The posters on display offer a living timeline of how artists have aligned beauty with justice in the face of power and change.

All month, KALW's Queer Power Hour will be airing a special series called ‘When We All Get To Heaven.' With archival tape it tells the story of one of the first gay-positive churches, the Metropolitan Community Church of San Francisco during the height of the AIDS crisis in the 80s and 90s.The series brings to life a community facing personal, social, and political trials, including the deaths of hundreds of its members. It's hosted by Lynne Gerber. Here's Lynne speaking with Crosscurrents host, Hana Baba.

We're quickly approaching the Winter Solstice. But today, we wanted to bring you a little slice of summer. Camp Mather, San Francisco's oldest summer camp, opens its 2026 lottery registration today!In 2024, KALW's Molly Blair Salyer went away to camp, to capture a moment of Camp Mather's 100th summer.

The Northern California chapter of Society of Professional Journalists recently announced their 2025 award winners… KALW took home four awards! Today, we're bringing you a story that won an award for explanatory journalism.March was a particularly tense time for trans folks in San Francisco. Two local bathhouses — Imperial Spa in the Fillmore district, and Archimedes Banya in Hunters Point — were accused of enforcing anti-trans policies. After facing backlash online and potential protests, Imperial Spa quickly reversed their policy. But at Banya, it was a little more complicated. 

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 Francisco, and was cohosted by KALW Executive Producer Ben Trefny and SF Public Press Executive Director Lila LaHood.

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 America. Nicole Coolidge Rousmaniere is a professor of Japanese art and culture and curated the exhibit. She spoke with KALW's Sights and Sounds Show host Jenee Darden about the history of the art form, and how it's been used in social and political movements.

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, Steve Abbott, lives openly as a gay man.  The film explores his relationship with his daughter, Alysia, as she tries to make sense of it all. “Fairyland” is based on the memoir Alysia wrote in 2013. KALW's Sights and Sounds host Jenee Darden spoke with filmmaker Andrew Durham. Here's an excerpt from their conversation.

The Northern California chapter of Society of Professional Journalists recently announced their 2025 award winners… KALW took home four awards! So next we're bringing you an episode from Sidewalk Stories, which won a Public Service award.  The series Sidewalk Stories, is a collaboration between Crosscurrents and the East Bay's Street Spirit newspaper/ where we hear from unhoused people about how they survive and build a life outside. And in this piece, we hear about “street names."

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.

KALW news editor Sunni Khalid recently hosted a conversation with author Daniel Zoughbie- UC Berkeley historian and professor of complex systems science as part of the 2025 Litquake literary festival.

This special episode of Art is Awesome was recorded live at KALW Public Radio in San Francisco, featuring host Emily Wilson and a dynamic panel: artists Tricia Rainwater and Jennifer Wofford, and curator Candace Huey. The conversation explores the power of art in challenging times, the importance of community, and the unique creative spirit of the Bay Area.Highlights include:Opening chat with Emily and KALW Executive Producer Ben Trefny.Reflections on each guest's artistic journey and current projects, including Tricia's solo exhibition at SF Camerawork and Jenifer's new mural project.Insights into the role of art in healing, activism, and building community, with stories about resilience, resourcefulness, and the impact of representation.Discussion of recent Bay Area art events and exhibitions, such as Superflex and Everyday War, and their significance in today's social climate.Audience Q&A covering mentorship, censorship, and advice for emerging artists.Tune in for an inspiring, honest, and heartfelt look at what art can do—and why it matters now more than ever.More from this Episode:KALW Public Radio - Bay MadeTricia Rainwater - TriciaRainwaterArt.com - "The Tellings We Keep" at SF CameraworkJenifer Wofford - Wofflehouse.com - "MAKIBAKA: A Living Legacy" - @Woffsilog on InstagramCandace Huey - EdgeOnTheSquare.org - @EdgeOnTheSquare on Instagram--About Podcast Host Emily Wilson:Emily a writer in San Francisco, with work in outlets including Hyperallergic, Artforum, 48 Hills, the Daily Beast, California Magazine, Latino USA, and Women's Media Center. She often writes about the arts. For years, she taught adults getting their high school diplomas at City College of San Francisco.Follow Emily on Instagram: @PureEWilFollow Art Is Awesome on Instagram: @ArtIsAwesome_Podcast--CREDITS:Art Is Awesome is Hosted, Created & Executive Produced by Emily Wilson. Theme Music "Loopster" Courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 LicenseThe Podcast is Co-Produced, Developed & Edited by Charlene Goto of @GoToProductions. For more info, visit Go-ToProductions.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Florist Mauricio Vivas grows marigolds for these reverent altars, and sells them at his store “Tony Rossi & Sons Florist” in Oakland's Fruitvale neighborhood. KALW's Jenee Darden recently spoke to Mauricio in 2024 about the significance of marigolds for Dia de los Muertos traditions.

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 Emergency Response Team. NERT started as a way to prepare for natural disasters, but it's got some problems that are man-made. Back in 2023, KALW's Wren Farrell went out to see what role NERT might play in the city's next big emergency. 

KALW and the Society of Professional Journalists of Northern California recently hosted a night centering the lived experiences of the Afghan refugee community. It was at our live event space in Downtown San Francisco, as part of our series ‘The Bay Agenda.'

The gas appliances in our homes are part of the problem. They've been shown to worsen asthma and cause other health problems. Plus, they contribute to climate change. Recently our climate reporter, Mary Catherine O'Connor, hosted a panel of experts at KALW's live event space in Downtown San Francisco. 

LadyRyan is one of the Valkyrie's official game DJs whose job it is to keep the arena JUMPING. And she's also a KALW music programmer - you can hear her every Wednesday from 10pm-midnight on our air, curating music sets. Lady Ryan is well-versed in all genres and capable of playing to fit any vibe, She's a co-founding member of the queer monthly Oakland day party, Soulovely. And she has been holding space for QT-BIPOC communities for years

KALW's news editor Sunni Khalid spoke recently to Mark Demsky, a reporter for KFBK in Sacramento, about the A's inaugural season in their temporary home.

Berkeley's Transit Books is an independent, nonprofit publisher celebrating 10 years of publishing works by international authors. And some of their books have led to major awards, including a Nobel Prize. Adam and Ashley Nelson Levy are the founders of Transit Books. They spoke with KALW's Jenee Darden.

Tshego Letsoalo is KALW's Music Editorial Director. Her series, On Repeat is a mini-pod for music discovery. In this episode, we hear from KALW's Tuesday night DJ Patrick King Most. 

Today, we from A group of immigrant women who are turning to cultural knowledge to research mental health practices. Then, an excerpt from KALW's townhall on the future of public media. And, a reading from an Oakland author.

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 institutions were featured in Alec Scott's 2023 book, “Oldest San Francisco.” And they were reported last fall by KALW's Audio Academy.

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 KALW's birthday and you're all invited!

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. 

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.

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. 

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.

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. 

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. 

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.  

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.

KALW's seven-part series examines the growing threat of sea level rise along California's coast.

Every spring semester, UC Berkeley Assistant Professor Shereen Marisol Meraji teaches a class on race and journalism. In the course, she and her students explore how colonialism and the legacy of its systems — including forced displacement of Native tribes, slavery and Jim Crow — continue to affect us as a society, and how journalists can meaningfully report on race in America today.“It has led to persistent racial disparities in wealth, in education, housing, healthcare, in policing and incarceration,” said Meraji, who leads the audio program at Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism. “I firmly believe that you can't meaningfully report on any of those issues, here in the United States, without an understanding of how race operates.”When President Trump signed a surge of executive orders in January 2025, many that directly intersect with race, Meraji suggested that her students interview experts at Berkeley to help make sense of these new anti-DEI policies, immigration enforcement changes and regulatory rollbacks. Those interviews, which aired on KALW, became The Stakes Explained, a multimedia series where Berkeley professors, frontline journalists and community members unpack President Trump's executive orders and actions to see what's at stake for U.S. democracy.In this Berkeley Talks episode, we're sharing an hourlong special about The Stakes Explained that aired on KALX in July. In it, we hear several interviews with Berkeley scholars featured in the series, including law professor Sarah Song and Travis Bristol, an associate professor in the School of Education. They and other experts break down some of Trump's executive orders, from those targeting diversity, equity and inclusion in education to others that are reshaping the immigration system and immigration enforcement. Learn more about The Stakes Explained and watch videos of the interviews on UC Berkeley Journalism's website.Listen to the episode and read the transcript on UC Berkeley News (news.berkeley.edu/podcasts).Music by HoliznaCC0.Photo by Alicia Chiang/UC Berkeley Journalism. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 recording at our event space in San Francisco about the history, research and therapeutic uses of MDMA, commonly known as “ecstasy” or “molly.”

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 their plays. KALW recently hosted one of their long time creatives, Michael Gene Sullivan, for a preview of their current show: DISRUPTION – A New Musical Farce.

The majority of South Bay transit riders, whether on train, bus, or light-rail, have experienced or witnessed some kind of harassment. KALW and Mosaic Journalism student reporter Padma Balaji took a trip around the South Bay to find out more.

Satanism's modern renaissance took place right here, in Bay Area, in the 1960s, when Anton LaVey established the Church of Satan in a small, all black Victorian house in the Richmond District. Even though LaVey and the house are no longer around — Satanists still walk the streets of San Francisco and the greater Bay Area. KALW's Hanisha Harjani takes us to Berkeley to talk to the Satanists that live among us.

On Repeat is a mini-pod for music discovery. In this segment, we'll hear from Tarik Ansari, one of KALW's on-air announcers. Tarik gets us in the mood for summer with some sunny tracks.

Earlier this week KALW's Marissa Ortega Welch hosted a special live edition of her podcast, How Wild, about the state of California public lands. She spoke with Jon Jarvis, the former director of the National Park Service.

The GOP's public media cuts will cause KALW to lose $400K a year for the next two years. The cuts will hit community and tribal stations the hardest. What are solutions?

Today we take you to the US-Mexico border where the Tijuana river is overflowing with sewage. Then, we pop into the launch party for KALW's new podcast-in-development, Note From the Edge with Jeff Chang.

On Repeat is a mini-pod for music discovery. In this segment, we hear from JoAnn Mar, the host of KALW's “Folk Music & Beyond.” Here, JoAnn shares music from artists who didn't get the recognition they deserved during their heyday. 

Send us a textWe're celebrating Bitch Talk turning 12 years old with a new neighborhood series where we go on location and highlight our favorite places! We love any excuse to share what we love about our city, and the obvious place to start is the neighborhood where Erin and Ange first became friends: The Inner Richmond!The 540 Club is the scene of this Basic Bitch where you'll hear about our recent hangouts with W. Kamau Bell (and a surprise cameo by a member of the 1992 "Dream Team" Olympics basketball team), Ange's trip to Portland for the recording of Frankie Quinones' new comedy special (coming to Hulu in October!), and a tale of 2 doctor visits: USA vs. Mexico. And then of course we end things with our new favorite segment, This Bitch. For links to Inner Richmond businesses we mention in this episode:540 ClubGreen Apple BooksFleetwoodMandalayNew May Wah SupermarketJungle DogChloe Jackman PhotographyClement Street Farmers MarketSupport the showThanks for listening and for your support! We couldn't have won Best of the Bay Best Podcast in 2022 , 2023 , and 2024 without you! -- Fight fascism. Shop small. Use cash. -- Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage! Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.com Follow us on Instagram & Facebook Listen every Tuesday at 9 - 10 am on BFF.FM

Congress just voted to strip away all Federal funding for public media. That means a $400,000 hit to our annual budget which directly funds our local journalism and cultural programming. Now's the time to Stand With KALW. Please support your local station to keep the programming you rely on alive. Go to KALW.org and click donate right now. Support the media you deserve, and don't let anybody take it away from you.

All but four House and Senate Republicans voted to cut $1.1B from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Once the law goes into effect, KALW will lose $400,000 a year.

All but two Senate Republicans voted to cut $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds NPR and PBS. KALW will immediately lose $400,000.

Madison McFerrin. Adrian Quesada of Black Pumas. Durand Jones & The Indications. KALW's Wonway Posibul joins NPR Music's Stephen Thompson to share their favorite new releases of the week.Intro:• Bruce Springsteen, 'Tracks II: The Lost Albums' (Read our guide to the box set on npr.org)• Lorde, 'Virgin' (Read our review on npr.org)The Starting 5:• Laura Stevenson, 'Late Great'• Adrian Quesada, 'Boleros Psicodélicos II'• Madison McFerrin, 'Scorpio'• Durand Jones & The Indications, 'Flowers'• Herbert & Momoko, 'Clay'The Lightning Round:• Frankie Cosmos, 'Different Talking'• Dana and Alden, 'Speedo'• Brighde Chaimbeul, 'Sunwise'• Mocky, 'Music Will Explain (Choir Music Vol. 1)'• Tim Barnes, 'Lost Words / Noumena'Check out our Long List of new albums out June 27 and sample more than 50 of them via our New Music Friday playlist on npr.org.CreditsHost: Stephen ThompsonGuest: Wonway Posibul, KALWProducer: Simon RentnerEditor: Otis HartExecutive Producer: Suraya MohamedLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy