Podcasts about KALW

“Andre is an Idiot” is a documentary film about André Ricciardi, a San Francisco man who's dying from colon cancer. It's also a comedy. After he was diagnosed with stage-four colon cancer, Andre asked his friend and director Tony Benna to document his wild end-of-life journey. “Andre is an Idiot” is Tony's first feature film, and it's also a Sundance-award winning film. KALW's Jenee Darden spoke with Tony Benna for “The Sights + Sounds Show.” Here's an excerpt from their conversation.

California Assembly Member Matt Haney represents the 17th district that encompasses much of the eastern side of San Francisco. He serves as Chair of the Committee on Housing and Community Development, the Legislative Renters' Caucus, and the Committee on Downtown Recovery.Recently, Assemblymember Haney joined KALW Executive Producer Ben Trefny at our live event space in Downtown San Francisco, for a wide-ranging discussion about the future. The event was part of KALW's ongoing Bay Agenda series, that connects residents directly with the leaders and changemakers shaping the Bay Area's future.In this excerpt from their conversation we hear Haney respond to a lightning round of Ben's questions — from housing and small business recovery to public safety, neighborhood identity, and the role of civic media in shaping local change.

You know that etiquette rule that says when you have company, it's impolite to talk about politics, religion- and money? Well to Sheila Schroeder, money is something we SHOULD be talking about. She is the Bay Area author of It's Time to Talk: A Woman's Guide to Navigating Money Conversations.Recently, KALW invited Shroeder to our live event space at 220 Montgomery. The evening was designed to bring finance down to earth, with practical advice and lived wisdom. KALW's Executive Producer Ben Trefny spoke with Schroeder and asked her about her decades of experience in finance. 

Reading a Toni Morrison novel is an experience. Her words challenge readers intellectually and emotionally. Morrison died in 2019. Today her body of work is a national treasure and she is a writer students encounter and critically examine as part of their journey in understanding American identity.Harvard English Professor Namwali Serpell breaks down much of the late author's work in her book, “On Morrison.” It also explores Morrison's politics, thoughts on race, her experiences with the media. She spoke to Jenee Darden, host of KALW's sights and Sounds Show, about her book and why she avoided meeting Toni Morrison in person. Here's an excerpt from their conversation

There's a new instructor measuring how well San Francisco's first and second graders can read. Her name is Amira and she's an AI bot.Teachers today are grappling with if and how to use AI in the classroom. When educators in the city went on strike last month, one of their demands was AI safety guards. But AI is already playing an important role in the classroom. KALW's Education reporter, Julia Haney, wanted to understand how Amira works, so she went to see the program in action.

Why is it so hard for people to move from homeless encampments to housing? California spends a lot of money trying to get people off the street — $27 billion since 2019. The state's Encampment Resolution Fund in particular has invested over $700 million into moving people from encampments, to shelter, to permanent housing. There are still thousands of people living on the streets across the state, and in the Bay Area, it can feel like there's little progress to show for it.KALW's homelessness reporter Alastair Boone takes us to Richmond, California to learn more about what it really takes to find permanent housing.

Women's History Month has begun and International Women's Day is this Sunday. Women around the world will be celebrated and celebrating. The UN theme this year is “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls”Here in the Bay Area, there is no shortage of events marking the day. One is the annual "What Do the Women Say?" An extravaganza of women's performance held every year for the past 30 years by Golden Thread Productions that features Middle Eastern and North African artists.They're marking their 30th year with a show that has music, song, poetry and plays- and dedicating it to the women of Iran. To learn more about the event, Hana Baba, host of KALW's Crosscurrents, talked to their brand new artistic director Nabra Nelson, who is a playwright herself.

For nearly 50 years, Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts has been a community anchor in San Francisco's Mission district. In January, the center shut down indefinitely because of financial troubles. Activists and community members have been rallying to reopen it. The city owns the 37,000-square-foot building that's now under the control of the San Francisco Arts Commission. Paul S. Flores is a poet and educator. He serves on a programming committee to help save the center. Jenee Darden is the host of KALW's Sights and Sounds Show. She spoke with Paul to get an update and clarity on what's happening with the center. 

On Repeat, is KALW's mini-pod for music discovery. It's hosted by Tshego Letsoalo, KALW's Music Editorial Director. In the show Tshego talks with KALW music programmers about the songs they can't stop listening to. And in this episode from 2024, Tshego talks with Devon Strolovitch, host of KALW's Fog City Blues.

Last month, former San Leandro Councilman Bryan Azevedo pleaded guilty in a federal court to two counts of corruption in connection with accepting a bribe from local businessmen.Azevedo has agreed to cooperate with prosecutors in an ongoing federal corruption probe that has already led to indictments against former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, her partner, Andre Jones, and Andy and David Duong, the owners of California Waste Solutions -- Oakland's largest recycling contractor. Their trials are scheduled for the fall.But Azevedo's plea has raised speculation about the nature of the ongoing probe and also raised the possibility that other current or former local elected officials are being investigated for possible wrongdoing.Nathan Gartrell is an award-winning reporter for the East Bay Times, who covers state and federal courts in Northern California. He spoke with KALW news editor Sunni Khalid. 

Today, a San Leandro council member has pleaded guilty to charges of corruption. Could there be more indictments ahead? Then, artists and activists are working to reopen the Mission Cultural Center after its sudden shutdown. Plus, the favorite songs of a KALW music programmer.

Over the years you may have heard of the term “Super Bloom” from social media posts of people with vibrant fields of flowers behind them. But where did this term come from? Is it scientific? Or is it just a social media phenomenon? In 2019 KALW's Marissa Ortega-Welch explored a few theories about the origins of this “super bloom” mania… and its impact.

KALW's BOUNCE host Erin Lim speaks to Crosscurrents host Hana Baba about WNBA ongoing contract negotiations between the players and the league owners. 

This fall, SFUSD announced it would close a small alternative high school, called The Academy. KALW's Education reporter, Julia Haney, wanted to find out why there was such a big reaction to the closing of this small school. And in the process, she uncovered a different story. One about how the district's decision to close this school is making room for another school's expansion and resurfacing a decades-old tension.

Oakland poet James Cagney talks about his latest book "Ghetto Koans: A Personal Archive," with KALW's Jeneé Darden at Books Inc. Alameda. In these poems, James let's readers see life in the inner city through his poetic lens. Then, we re-air an interview where James discusses Black manhood and loneliness.

Marriage and family therapist Sinead Smyth discusses the characteristics that research shows are often present in healthier romantic relationships. And Bay Area residents around Oakland's Lake Merritt share their thoughts on romance. KALW's health reporter Alaa Mostafa has the story. 

On today's show poet Kevin Dublin talks about love and his upcoming performance at KALW's "Sights + Sounds After Dark." Then, we hear about what's coming up at the Black Choreographers Festival. And a Valentine's Day block party in the Mission.

The Asian American jazz movement has roots in 1970s San Francisco. It was a dynamic time. The term “Asian American” was first being used, as people were building political coalitions among and across racial lines. Art reflected all of that.Many Asian American artists and activists found inspiration in Black musicians who used jazz as a tool for social change. Today, the work continues. The next generation of local Asian American jazz musicians are asking what it means to make music that honors history, and speaks to the moment. KALW's Cara Nguyen has the story. 

Now, a segment from On Repeat, a mini-pod for music discovery. It's hosted by Tshego Letsoalo, KALW's Music Editorial Director. In it Tshego talks with KALW music programmers about the songs they can't stop listening to. In this episode from 2024, Tshego talks with Peter Thompson, host of KALW's Blue Grass Signal.Check out Blue Grass Signal, with Peter, Saturday's at 4pm on KALW. 

As Bay Area families enjoy the Tiny Chef exhibit, many are also thinking about some serious daily family life matters - like childcare. As part of his new affordability push, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie announced a new plan for free and subsidized childcare. KALW's State of the Bay host Ethan Elkind recently dug into the plan with Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez, a Politics reporter at The San Francisco Standard. 

A six-and-a-half inch, green, animated creature has captured the hearts of children and adults. He's known as the Tiny Chef.  He's also beloved for the way he talks. It's an unknown language, but it teaches kids to have patience and compassion for those with speech impediments. Nickelodeon recently canceled “The Tiny Chef Show.” But, he's not gone.... Actually he's right here in San Francisco at the California Academy of Sciences! He has an exhibit and film in the planetarium about how we can save our planet in small acts. It's called “Tiny Chef, Big Impact,” Jenee Darden is the host of KALW's Sights and Sounds show. She spoke with Tiny Chef co-creator Rachel Larsen, and Matt Hutchinson who voices the Tiny Chef. Here's an excerpt of that interview.

If you have ever walked into Lark in the Morning you might have heard the Sound of Danboo... The store is a combination museum for rare, international instruments, a repair shop, and a brick and mortar retail store. It also serves as a hub for lessons in everything from banjo to the sitar to the hurdygurdy.After working in tech, the current owner bought Lark in the Morning, and continues the legacy of a beloved world music instrument store. KALW's Rachel Longan has this profile.

Oakland's Police Department has been under federal oversight since 2003. The city is arguing that most of the reforms have been accomplished and the OPD was ready to complete the rest -- without federal oversight. But many, including civil rights attorneys and some community leaders, are skeptical.Roselyn Romero is a criminal justice reporter with Oaklandside. KALW's news editor Sunni Khalid spoke to Romero, about the recent hearing and the road ahead for Oakland and the OPD.

The indie film "Still Life" takes viewers back to teen life in 1999: corded phones, reading profiles of Claire Danes in Seventeen magazine and Y2K hysteria. For Dafne, the main 15-year-old character, this is around the time of her life when her mother dies from leukemia. "Still Life" was shot in the Bay Area, and was inspired by screenwriter and director Lauren Shapiro's experiences growing up here. Jenee Darden is the host of KALW's Sights and Sounds show. She spoke to Shapiro about the film, and how she let her heart bleed into her art. 

Violinist Alexi Kenney is curating the San Francisco Symphony event called “SoundBox: Dream Awake.” It's not your typical classical concert. It actually takes place backstage at Davies Symphony Hall. Jenee Darden is the host of KALW's Sights and Sounds show. She sat down with Alexi to talk about "SoundBox" and his music. Here's an excerpt from that interview.“SoundBox: Dream Awake” is at Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco, this Friday and Saturday. Find links, and hear the full interview and more from Sights and Sounds here.

The day after Christmas, stage performers, cabaretists, and dancers got some really good news. The beloved San Francisco nightclub Oasis was slated to close on January 1, 2026. But it was rescued by a major donation from a Bay Area philanthropic group.This was welcome news to everyone in the Oasis family, especially Tito Soto, the club's event producer and a headline performer.KALW's Stafford Hemmer brings us the story of a man who brought Oasis to life every Saturday night for the last six years. And who continues to invest much of his life into the club.

Justin Ebrahemi is KALW's Communication Manager… and he's also a poet! Here he shares a piece about dancing with modern Persian identity called "Brief Islands." 

The Bay Area is home to one of the most concentrated Filipino communities in the nation. Their history in the Bay Area goes back more than 100 years, but many of the neighborhoods they established, like San Francisco's “Manila Town” have since been torn down and replaced - the result of urban renewal and property development in the late 1970's.But their legacy and cultural impact lives on today. The South of Market neighborhood of San Francisco was formally recognized as a historically Filipino district back in 2016. It's home to many Filipino businesses. And a new shop is now bringing a long time Filipino tradition to the neighborhood. KALW reporter Viviana Vivas meets one of the artists there, who is using ink and needles to make a mark on people's bodies, and in the neighborhood.

Now, we hear a segment from On Repeat, a mini-pod for music discovery. It's hosted by Tshego Letsoalo, KALW's Music Editorial Director. In this episode from 2024, Tshego talks to KALW's Dori Stein, the host of Tangents. 

Today, Destiny Mohammad talks about her new album and why she calls herself a sound sculptress. And, KALW's Dore Stein shares some favorite songs by Middle Eastern artists.

Immigration enforcement continues to impact communities across the Bay Area. To help folks get reliable information about their rights, KALW recently hosted a live edition of our show, Your Legal Rights. Attorney Jeffrey B. Hayden is the host of Your Legal Rights. He led the community-focused event, which brought together a panel of leading immigration attorneys and scholars. The conversation included Law Professor Bill Hing, along with Attorneys Stanley Radtke and Carla Gomez.You can hear the whole conversation here.

For the last eight years, 19-year-old Kate Quach has been volunteering at a senior center in San Francisco. In that time, Kate has made a lot of friends among the elderly residents living there. And she's captured their stories in two self-published poetry collections. KALW's Anna Casalme brings us the story.

Today, we're holding on to the past with a San Francisco teenager who's capturing the stories of the elders in her community. Then, a local author reads from their novel, about a woman with psychic abilities. And, we hear an excerpt from a live recording of KALW's Your Legal Rights.

Now, we hear a segment from On Repeat, a mini-pod for music discovery. It's hosted by Tshego Letsoalo, KALW's Music Editorial Director. In this episode from 2024, Tshego talks to KALW DJ Marcus Rosario about the songs he can't stop listening to.

On Saturday, January 31, KALW's Power the Future event will provide a free afternoon of inspiration, skill-building, and networking for Bay Area youth ages 14-22.

Hall, also known as Yakko, is the leader of the activist group Stop AI. KALW's Arlen Levy spoke with him about his faith and the fight against artificial super intelligence.

The late, great author and illustrator Edward Gorey was the creator of eerie and magical stories. Stories that revolved around goth and monster elements. And his tales inspired San Francisco's annual Edwardian Ball. What started off as a small party more than 25 years ago, has turned into a subculture festival drawing thousands of people from the Bay Area and Beyond. In this interview from 2022, KALW's Jenee Darden spoke with Edwardian Ball producers Justin Katz and Mike Gaines on the event's roots and its evolution.

On a corner in Richmond, California, there's a business that has celebrated the city's Black history and Southern roots for 30 years: CJ's BBQ & Fish. Born and raised in Richmond, with a family that came from Arkansas to work in the shipyards, Charles Evans is at the center of it all. KALW's Senior Editor Lisa Morehouse brings us the story. 

Jeff Hayden and David Bigeleisen host immigration oriented broadcast with Professor Bill Hing, Carla Gomez, and Stanley Radtke, recorded before a live studio audience at KALW at 220 Montgomery St.

If you head out on a Ferry from Oakland's Jack London Square over the Bay, to San Francisco… there's another special place where you can get fresh food: Fisherman's Wharf. Here, boats dock early in the morning with salmon and halibut, mackerel.. and now it's Dungeness crab season! The catch then goes into refrigerated trucks, to eventually end up across the country or around the world. But for one Fisherman, catching and enjoying this bounty is best served… right here at home. Kirk Lombard is a sea forager. And he shows people why and how we should catch seafood ourselves, on the docks and mudflats around the Bay. In 2014 KALW's Angela Johnston went down to the wharf, to learn more.

Look in your fridge right now: maybe you have apples, lettuce, some herbs? As Californians, we have a sense of where those foods are grown. But produce, it takes a journey to get from farms to our homes. It goes through many places, and is cared for by many, many people.For her series, California Foodways, KALW's Senior Editor Lisa Morehouse got up in the middle of the night, to meet a bunch of those people who keep the Oakland Produce Market humming.

Comedian Luenell has been keeping audiences laughing for decades. She's originally from Oakland but now lives in Las Vegas, where she has a residency at Jimmy Kimmel's Comedy Club on the strip. You can see Luenell on screen with Tracy Morgan in the Paramount+ sitcom “Crutch.” Host of KALW's Sights and Sounds, Jenee Darden caught up with Luenell to talk about her latest projects. Here's a part of that conversation

In California, students can sit on school boards — but how much power do they actually have?KALW's education reporter Julia Haney talked to one of the young leaders on Oakland's school board about the impact he hopes to make. 

West Oakland artist Nia Cephas came up with a word that encompasses her cultures, spirituality, and connection with people: Cosmicpolitan. That's also the name of her debut album. Nia's music reflects both her African American and Afro-Brazilian roots. Her songs range from being a testament of survival to an invitation to just feel free. KALW's Sights and Sounds Show host, Jenee Darden, spoke with Nia about the life experiences that inspired “Cosmicpolitan.” Here's an excerpt of that interview.

Californians have made whiskey since the Gold Rush when they served miners and then loggers. Craft bourbon has been taking off in the last couple decades -- with as many as 150 distilleries in the state. For her series California Foodways, KALW's Lisa Morehouse visited a distillery's new home in the North Bay that's producing whiskey at a location where people used to make something really different: massive objects that changed the course of world events. 

Recently, Oakland-raised musician, composer, and bandleader, Kev Choice, performied live at KALW's Studio Events space in downtown San Francisco. It was part of a preview for the upcoming show "In the Name of Love: A Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr." from Living Jazz. Living Jazz is an educational organization that provides musical retreats in nature and workshops in elementary schools. KALW is a media sponsor.  Kev Choice is Music Director for the King Tribute. He and singer/songwriter B. Deveaux joined KALW's Executive Producer, Ben Trefny, to talk about the upcoming event, which is happening at Oakland's Paramount Theater in Oakland on Saturday, January 17th. Here's an excerpt from their conversation.

When you hear the words “dark” and “darkness” what comes to mind?  Many of us may associate the words with mostly negative connotations. In the Black Diaspora, and among other communities of color, there's an ongoing conversation about why that is… and how to change it. Mia Pixley is a Black cellist, singer, and psychologist based in Oakland. Her new album, “Love. Dark. Bloom”  is a blend of classical, jazz, folk and the blues. Jenee Darden, the host of KALW's The Sights and Sounds Show, spoke with Mia about how her album explores the beauty of darkness. Hear the full interview here.

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.