Podcasts about kpfa

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    Latest podcast episodes about kpfa

    KPFA - Against the Grain
    The Mass Revolts of the 2010s

    KPFA - Against the Grain

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 30, 2025


    In the decade of the 2010s, more people took to the streets than in any other time in history. And yet those horizontal protests, often spread through social media, were frequently co-opted by the right — and the decade ended with the rise of authoritarianism. Journalist Vincent Bevins spoke to activists around the world about the lessons they drew from the failed mass revolts, and discusses how democratic movements regained power in Brazil from the despotic Jair Bolsonaro. (Encore presentation.) Vincent Bevins, If We Burn: The Mass Protest Decade and the Missing Revolution Public Affairs, 2023 Vincent Bevins, “This Land Is Our Land: How Brazil's Landless Workers' Movement Emerged from Right-wing Rule Stronger Than Ever” The Nation, April 8, 2025 The post The Mass Revolts of the 2010s appeared first on KPFA.

    KPFA - Against the Grain
    The Right on Campus

    KPFA - Against the Grain

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 29, 2025 59:59


    At the height of leftwing activism in the Sixties, conservatives funded tax-deducible rightwing groups on campuses to counter Black Power, demands for ethnic studies, and the New Left. As historian Lauren Shepherd illustrates, such groups like Young Americans for Freedom groomed future Republican leaders and influential conservatives, like Karl Rove and Newt Gingrich. There they learned to spin unpopular politics as popular. (Encore presentation.) Lauren Lassabe Shepherd, Resistance from the Right: Conservatives and the Campus Wars in Modern America University of North Carolina Press, 2023 American Campus Podcast The post The Right on Campus appeared first on KPFA.

    KPFA - The KPFA Evening News (Saturday)
    The KPFA Evening News (Saturday) – December 27, 2025

    KPFA - The KPFA Evening News (Saturday)

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 27, 2025 29:58


    Weekend Edition of the KPFA Evening News, which is a collaboration of KPFA and KFCF in Fresno. The post The KPFA Evening News (Saturday) – December 27, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

    KPFA - Puzzling Evidence
    Puzzling Evidence – December 26, 2025

    KPFA - Puzzling Evidence

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 26, 2025 92:44


    Deranged “edits” segue into a cascade of echoing glossolaliac madness, the voicing of lyric ruminations from the free-falling brains of disintegrating personalities. The post Puzzling Evidence – December 26, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

    deranged kpfa puzzling evidence
    KPFA - Over the Edge
    Over the Edge – December 26, 2025

    KPFA - Over the Edge

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 26, 2025 179:21


    Themed mixes are made live and spontaneously on the air, consisting of found sound of many kinds and from many sources, old and new, put together on the run as the continuous audio collage continues. The post Over the Edge – December 26, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

    KPFA - Project Censored
    The State of the Free Press: A Look Back at 50 Years of Project Censored

    KPFA - Project Censored

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 26, 2025 59:59


    Today on this special episode of the Project Censored show, we look back at 50 years of the Project with a roundtable conversation about the forthcoming State of the Free Press 2026. Joined by associate director Shealeigh Voitl and editor-at-large Andy Lee Roth, Mickey Huff and Eleanor Goldfield dig into some of that 50 year history, the echoes of systemic problems within our media and also therefore within our society. They discuss and dissect what critical media literacy really is, solutions and citizen journalism, journalistic ethics and what a press of and for by the people really means, and why we need it now more than ever.   The News That Didn't Make the News. Each week, co-hosts Mickey Huff and Eleanor Goldfield conduct in depth interviews with their guests and offer hard hitting commentary on the key political, social, and economic issues of the day with an emphasis on critical media literacy. The post The State of the Free Press: A Look Back at 50 Years of Project Censored appeared first on KPFA.

    KPFA - Flashpoints
    Flashpoints – December 26, 2025

    KPFA - Flashpoints

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 26, 2025 59:58


    An award winning front-line investigative news magazine, that focuses on human, civil and workers right, issues of war and peace, Global Warming, racism and poverty, and other issues. Hosted by Dennis J. Bernstein. The post Flashpoints – December 26, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

    KPFA - UpFront
    Robert Reich on Robert Reich: Former labor secretary talks new memoir

    KPFA - UpFront

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 26, 2025 59:59


    00:08 Robert Reich, political economist who worked in the administrations of three presidents (most prominently as Secretary of Labor for Bill Clinton) now emeritus Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy at UC Berkeley. His latest book is Coming Up Short: a memoir of my America. This is a rebroadcast of our original interview in summer of 2025. The post Robert Reich on Robert Reich: Former labor secretary talks new memoir appeared first on KPFA.

    KPFA - The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays
    The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays – December 26, 2025

    KPFA - The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 26, 2025 59:58


    Comprehensive coverage of the day's news with a focus on war and peace; social, environmental and economic justice. The post The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays – December 26, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

    KPFA - Democracy Now
    Democracy Now! – December 26, 2025

    KPFA - Democracy Now

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 26, 2025 59:58


    Democracy Now! is a daily independent award-winning news program hosted by journalists Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez. The post Democracy Now! – December 26, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

    KPFA - A Rude Awakening
    Save the Shoreline & the Animals

    KPFA - A Rude Awakening

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 26, 2025 59:58


    On today's show, we'll get an update on the attempt to restart offshore drilling on the coast of Santa Barbara from Talia Nimmer staff attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity.  We'll switch gears hear about a new ordinance passed by the Napa County Board of Supervisors to deter illegal cockfighting.  I'll speak to Wayne Pacelle, the president of Animal Wellness Action and The Center for a Humane Economy. Animal Rights Activist Zoe Rosenberg Case: https:  //people.com/animal-rights-activist-prison-chicken-rescue-case-11864429 The post Save the Shoreline & the Animals appeared first on KPFA.

    KPFA - Terra Verde
    The Fire-Resilient Future (Part I)

    KPFA - Terra Verde

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 26, 2025 29:58


    Young people will inherit a world in which fire is far more prevalent than it has been for generations before. Yet when it comes to fire management and policy, the most impacted stakeholders — including young people and Indigenous communities — have historically been excluded, with little representation to this day. In the face of increasingly frequent and intense wildfires, a broad coalition of young Indigenous fire practitioners, wildland firefighters, and researchers have come together to reshape the culture of decision-making surrounding fire. Guided by a vision for a future with “good fire,” their work centers Indigenous knowledge and young people in frontline and marginalized communities in order to shift policy; restore Indigenous land stewardship; and heal relationships between fire, land, and people. This week on Terra Verde, Ryan Reed, Ayuthea LaPier, and Kyle Trefny — co-founders of the FireGeneration Collaborative — join host Fiona McLeod to discuss how empowering Indigenous leadership and diverse young generations is critical for a fire resilient future.  This is Part One of a two-part conversation. Tune in to Terra Verde again next week for Part Two. The post The Fire-Resilient Future (Part I) appeared first on KPFA.

    KPFA - The Visionary Activist Show
    The Visionary Activist Show – December 25, 2025

    KPFA - The Visionary Activist Show

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 25, 2025 59:59


    The wedding of spiritual magic and compassionate social activism with host Caroline Casey. The post The Visionary Activist Show – December 25, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

    KPFA - Behind the News
    Year-end roundup: some of the best of BtN 2025

    KPFA - Behind the News

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 25, 2025 59:58


    Highlights of 2025: Emile Torres on the posthumanists • Quinn Slobodian on eugenics and neoliberalism • Femi Taiwo on DEI and the war on it • Kristin Du Mez on white Christian nationalism • Anatol Lieven on the Trumpian worldview • Laleh Khalili on the relationship between the Pentagon and US capitalism • and Susannah Glickman on similar The post Year-end roundup: some of the best of BtN 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

    KPFA - Flashpoints
    Flashpoints – December 25, 2025

    KPFA - Flashpoints

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 25, 2025 59:59


    An award winning front-line investigative news magazine, that focuses on human, civil and workers right, issues of war and peace, Global Warming, racism and poverty, and other issues. Hosted by Dennis J. Bernstein. The post Flashpoints – December 25, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

    KPFA - UpFront
    Cultural Historian Jeff Chang on the Life of Bruce Lee

    KPFA - UpFront

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 25, 2025 59:58


    00:08 From Bruce Lee's San Francisco origins during the segregationist era of the Chinese Exclusion Act and family's immigration story, to his role in the lives and minds of young Asian Americans, a new book traces Lee's story. We talk with Jeff Chang, cultural historian, about Water Mirror Echo: Bruce Lee and the Making of Asian America. “He was a marker of culture, a sign, a signifier that put us in the pop culture conversation,” Chang says. “Folks want to whitewash his story… as if to separate him from other immigrants. No. Bruce was part of a class of people that was completely shunned and looked down upon… He's dealing with racism every day. Part of the story here is to recover that, so people really understand what that means.” Jeff Chang won the American Book Award for Can't Stop Won't Stop, his history of the early years of hip hop. The post Cultural Historian Jeff Chang on the Life of Bruce Lee appeared first on KPFA.

    KPFA - The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays
    The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays – December 25, 2025

    KPFA - The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 25, 2025 59:58


    Comprehensive coverage of the day's news with a focus on war and peace; social, environmental and economic justice. The post The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays – December 25, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

    KPFA - Democracy Now
    Democracy Now! – December 25, 2025

    KPFA - Democracy Now

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 25, 2025 56:41


    Democracy Now! is a daily independent award-winning news program hosted by journalists Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez. The post Democracy Now! – December 25, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

    KPFA - APEX Express
    APEX Express – 12.25.25 -A Conversation with Lavender Phoenix: The Next Chapter

    KPFA - APEX Express

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 25, 2025 59:58


    A weekly magazine-style radio show featuring the voices and stories of Asians and Pacific Islanders from all corners of our community. The show is produced by a collective of media makers, deejays, and activists. A weekly magazine-style radio show featuring the voices and stories of Asians and Pacific Islanders from all corners of our community. The show is produced by a collective of media makers, deejays, and activists. APEX Express and Lavender Phoenix are both members of AACRE, Asian Americans for Civil Rights and Equality. AACRE focuses on long-term movement building, capacity infrastructure, and leadership support for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders committed to social justice.   To learn more about Lavender Phoenix, please visit their website. You can also listen to a previous APEX Express episode honoring Lavender Phoenix's name change.    Miata Tan: ​[00:00:00] Hello and welcome. You are tuning in to APEX Express, a weekly radio show uplifting the voices and stories of Asian Americans. I am your host, Miata Tan. And before we get started, I wanted to let you know that this show was recorded on December 16th, 2025. Things may have changed by the time you hear this. I also wanted to take a moment to acknowledge [00:01:00] some recent gun violence tragedies, not only in the US but globally. As you might be able to tell from my accent, I'm Australian.  Over the weekend, 15 people were killed in Sydney, on Bondi Beach in a mass shooting. The likes not seen in 30 years. . Australia's gun control laws are different to the US in a number of ways that I won't get into right now, but this massacre is one of the few we've seen since the nineties. In the US we've also seen the shooting at Brown University where two of their students were killed by a still active shooter. It's strange. Guns and weapons are horrific. Tools used to take the life of people every day globally. An everyday occurrence now brings a degree of complacency. Although you personally might not have been [00:02:00] impacted by these recent shootings, the wars going on abroad, or government attacks on immigrant communities, and ICE deportation cases taking place here in America, the impact of horrific acts of violence have ripple effects that spread across this country and world. Careless violence motivated by hate for another be that racially charged conflicting ideologies. It's all awful. And I, and I guess I wanted to acknowledge that here at the top of this episode. Profound hatred and judgment toward others is not only incredibly sad, it's self-defeating. And I don't mean to sound all preachy and I understand it's December 25th and perhaps you're sick of the sound of my voice and you're about to change the station. In all honesty, I, I would've by [00:03:00] now. It's easy to tune out suffering. It's easy to tune out violence, but if you're still listening. Today, as many of us are gathering for the holiday ,season, whether or not you believe in a higher power or acknowledge that big guy in a red suit that brings kids presents, I invite you to sit with some of these thoughts. To acknowledge and reflect on the violence that exists around us, the hatred and dehumanization. We as humans are capable of feeling toward one another. Let's just sit here for a moment with that uncomfortability. Now. Think, what can I do today to make another's life [00:04:00] just that tiny bit brighter? Okay. Now to reintroduce myself and this show, my name is Miata Tan and this is APEX Express. A show that honors Asian American communities far and wide, uplifting the voices of artists, activists, organizers, and more. We have two incredible guests today from Lavender Phoenix, a Bay Area based organization supporting queer and trans Asian and Pacific Islander youth. I really enjoyed my conversation with these two, and I'm sure you will as well. And a quick note throughout both of these conversations, you'll hear us referring to the organization as both Lavender Phoenix and it's very cute nickname Lav Nix. Without further ado, here's [00:05:00] my conversation with Yuan Wang, the outgoing director at Lavender Phoenix.   Miata Tan: Yuan, thank you so much for joining us today. Would you be able to share a little bit about yourself with our listeners to get started?  Yuan Wang: Yeah. I'm so excited to be here. , My name is Yuan. My pronouns are she, and they, and I'm actually the outgoing executive director of Lavender Phoenix. You're catching me on my second to last week in this role after about four years as the executive director, and more years on our staff team as an organizer and also as a part of our youth summer organizer program. So this is a really exciting and special time and I'm really excited to reflect about it with you.  Miata Tan: Yay. I'm so excited. I'd love for you to give us an overview of Lavender Phoenix and the work that y'all do, what communities you support,  Yuan Wang: Lavender Phoenix was founded about 21 years ago, and we are based in the Bay [00:06:00] Area. We're a grassroots organization that builds the power of transgender non-binary and queer Asian and Pacific Islander communities right here in the Bay. Right now our work focuses on three major Areas. The first is around fighting for true community safety. There are so, so many ways that queer, trans, and more broadly, uh, working class communities in the San Francisco Bay Area. Are needing ways to keep ourselves and each other safe, that don't rely on things like policing, that don't rely on things like incarceration that are actually taking people out of our communities and making us less safe. The second big pillar of our work is around healing justice. We know that a lot of folks in our community. Struggle with violence, struggle with trauma, struggle with isolation, and that a lot of the systems that exist aren't actually really designed for queer and trans API people, to thrive and feel connected. And [00:07:00] so, we've been leading programs and campaigns around healing justice. And the last thing is we're trying to build a really principled, high integrity leaderful movement. So we do a ton of base building work, which just means that, everyday queer and trans API people in our community can come to Lavender Phoenix, who want to be involved in organizing and political work. And we train folks to become organizers. Miata Tan: And you yourself came into Lavender Phoenix through one of those programs, is that right?  Yuan Wang: Yeah. Um, that is so true. I came into Lavender Phoenix about seven or eight years ago through the Summer organizer program, which is kind of our flagship youth organizing fellowship. And I was super lucky to be a part of that.  Miata Tan: How has that felt coming into Lavender Phoenix? Like as a participant of one of those programs? Yeah. And now, uh, over the past few years, being able to [00:08:00] lead the organization?  Yuan Wang: Yeah. It feels like the most incredible gift. I share this a lot, but you know, when I had come into Lavender Phoenix through the summer organizer program, I had already had some experience, doing organizing work, you know, doing door knocking, working on campaigns. but I really wanted to be in a space where I felt like I could be all of myself, and that included being trans, you know, that included. Being in a really vulnerable part of my gender transition journey and wanting to feel like I was around people all the time who maybe were in a similar journey or could understand that in a really intimate way. I really found that at Lavender Phoenix. It was pretty unbelievable, to be honest. I remember, uh, the first day that I walked in. There were members and volunteers leading a two hour long political education that was just about the histories of trans and non-binary people in different Asian and Pacific Islander communities. So just being in a room [00:09:00] full of people who shared my identities and where, where we were prioritizing these histories was really, really exciting. I think for the years it's just been so amazing to see Lavender Phoenix grow. The time when I joined, we had a totally different name. It was API equality, Northern California, or we called ourselves a pink and we were really focused on projects like the Dragon Fruit Project, which was a, a series of more than a hundred oral histories that we did with elders and other members members of our community. Things like the Trans Justice Initiative, which were our first efforts at really building a community that was trans centered and that was, was building trans leaders. And now those things are so deeply integrated into our work that they've allowed us to be focused on some more, I think what we call like issue based work, and that that is that community safety, healing justice work. That I mentioned earlier. So, it's just been amazing to witness multiple generations of the organization that has shaped [00:10:00] me so much as a person.  Miata Tan: That's really nice. Seven, eight years that, that whole  Yuan Wang: Yeah, I joined in 2018 in June, so you can maybe do, I think that's about seven and a half years. Yeah. I'm bad at math though.  Miata Tan: Me too. So you've been executive director since late 2021 then? This, these few years since then we've seen a lot of shifts and changes in our I guess global political culture and the way conversations around racial solidarity issues mm-hmm. as you've navigated being executive director, what, what has changed in your approach maybe from 2021 till this year? 2025?  Yuan Wang: Wow, that's such an interesting question. You're so right to say that. I think for anyone who's listening, I, I imagine this resonates that the last four years have [00:11:00] been. Really a period of extraordinary violence and brutality and grief in our world. And that's definitely true for a lot of folks in Lavender Phoenix. You mentioned that we've been living through, you know, continued pandemic that our government is providing so little support and recognition for. We've seen multiple uprisings, uh, in the movement for black lives to defend, you know, and, and bring dignity to the lives of people who were killed and are police. And obviously we're still facing this immense genocide in Gaza and Palestine bombings that continue. So I think if there's, if there's anything that I could say to your question about how my approach has changed. I would say that we as a whole, as an organization have had to continue to grow stronger and stronger in balancing our long-term vision. Intensifying urgent needs of right now and [00:12:00] balancing doing the work that it takes to defend our people and try to change institutions with the incredible and at times overwhelming grief of living in this moment. Yeah, you know, in this past year, um. Have been members of our community and, and our larger community who have passed away. Uh, I'm sure there are some listeners who know, Alice Wong, Patty by architects of the disability justice movement that Lavender Phoenix has learned so much from who have passed away. And we've had to balance, you know. Like one week there's threats that the National Guard and that ICE will be deployed and even higher numbers to San Francisco and, and across the Bay Area. And oh my gosh, so many of us are sitting with an incredible personal grief that we're trying to hold too. So, I think that's been one of the biggest challenges of the last few years is, is finding that balance. Yeah. I can say that some of the things that I feel proudest of are, [00:13:00] you know, just as an example, in our healing justice work, over the past four years, our members have been architecting a, a trans, API peer counseling program. And, through that program they've been able to provide, first of all, train up. So many trans API, people as skilled, as attentive, as loving peer counselors who are then able to provide that. Free, uh, accessible peer mental health support to other people who need it. So I think that's just one example. Something that gives me a lot of hope is seeing the way that our members are still finding ways to defend and love and support each other even in a time of really immense grief.  Miata Tan: That's really beautiful and it's important that you are listening to your community members at this time. How do you, this is kind of specific, but how do you all gather together? Yeah, Yuan Wang: yeah. You know, I feel really lucky 'cause I think for the last 10 years we, Lavender Phoenix as a whole, even before I was a part of it, has been [00:14:00] building towards a model of really collective governance. Um, and, and I don't wanna make it sound like it. You know, it's perfect. It's very challenging. It's very hard. But I think like our comrades at Movement generation often say, if we're not prepared to govern, then we're not prepared to win. And we try to take that, that practice really seriously here. So, you know, I think that, that getting together. That making decisions with each other, that making sure that members and staff are both included. That happens at like a really high strategic level. You know, the three pillars of our theory of change that I mentioned earlier, those were all set through a year of strategy retreats between our staff, but also a. 10 to 15 of our most experienced and most involved members who are at that decision making. The same comes for our name, uh, Lavender Phoenix. You know, it was, it was really our core committee, our, our member leaders who helped decide on that name. And then we invited some of our elders to speak about what it meant for them, for us to choose Lavender Phoenix, because it was an homage to the work [00:15:00] so many of our elders did in the eighties and nineties. It also looks like the day-to-day, because a lot of our work happens through specific committees, whether it's our community safety committee or healing justice committee. Um, and those are all committees where there's one staff person, but it's really a room of 5, 10, 15 members who are leading community safety trainings. The peer counseling program, training new members through our rise up onboarding, um, and setting new goals, new strategic targets every single year. So, it's always in progress. We're in fact right now working on some challenges and getting better at it, but we're really trying to practice what governing and self-determination together looks like right in our own organization. Miata Tan: And a lot of these people are volunteers too.  Yuan Wang: yeah, so when I joined the organization there were two staff, two mighty staff people at the time. We've grown to nine full-time staff people, but most of our organization is volunteers. [00:16:00] Yeah. And we call those folks members, you know, committed volunteers who are participants in one of our committees or projects. Um, and I believe right now there's about 80 members in Lavender Phoenix.  Miata Tan: Wow. It's wonderful to hear so much growth has happened in, um, this period that you've been with Lavender Phoenix. The idea of empowering youth, I think is core to a lot of Lavender Phoenix's work. What has that looked like specifically in the last few years, especially this year? Yuan Wang: Yeah, the  Miata Tan: challenges.  Yuan Wang: That's a great question. I think, um, you know, one of those ways is, is really specifically targeted towards young people, right? It's the summer organizer program, which I went through many years ago, and our previous executive director was also an alumnus of the summer organizer program, but that's, you know, an eight to 10 week fellowship. It's paid, it's designed specifically for young trans and queer API people who are working class, who grew up in the [00:17:00] Bay to organize with us and, and really. Hopefully be empowered with tools that they'll use for the next decade or for the rest of their life. But I'll also say, you know, you mentioned that Lavender Phoenix has grown so much in the last few years, and that is such a credit to folks who were here 10 years ago, even 15 years ago, you know, because, the intergenerational parts of our work started years before I was involved. You know, I mentioned earlier the Dragon Fruit Project where we were able to connect so, so many elders in our community with a lot of younger folks in our community who were craving relationships and conversations and like, what happened in the eighties? What happened in the nineties, what did it feel like? Why are you still organizing? Why does this matter to you? And we're actually able to have those conversations with folks in, in our community who. Have lived and fought and organized for decades already. So I think that was like one early way we started to establish that like intergenerational in our work.[00:18:00]  And a lot of those folks have stayed on as volunteers, as supporters, some as members, and as donors or advisors. So I feel really lucky that we're still benefiting in terms of building the leadership of young people, but also intergenerational reality overall because of work that folks did 10 years ago. Miata Tan: That's really important. Having those, those ties that go back. Queer history is so rich, especially in the, in the Bay Area. And there's a lot to honor.  With the intersection between queer and immigrant histories here, I wonder if you have anything that comes to mind. Yuan Wang: I think that queer and immigrant histories intersect in the lives of so many of our, our members and, and the people who are inspiration too. You know, I'm not sure that. I think a lot of listeners may not know that Lavender Phoenix is as a name. It's an homage to Lavender, Godzilla, [00:19:00] and Phoenix Rising, which were two of the first publications. They were newsletters launched back in the eighties by groups of. Uh, trans and queer API, folks who are now elders and who were looking around, you know, learning from the Black Power movement, learning from solidarity movements in the Bay Area, and saying we really need to create spaces where. Trans and queer Asian Pacific Islanders can talk about our journeys of migration, our family's journeys as refugees, our experiences with war, and then also about love and joy and finding friendship and putting out advertisements so that people could get together for potlucks. So yeah, I think, um, there's so much about the intersection of immigrant and queer and trans journeys that have been. Just even at the root of how we name ourselves and how we think of ourselves as an or as an organization today.  Miata Tan: I think today, more than ever all of these [00:20:00] communities feel a little more than a little under threat,  Yuan Wang: we could say so much about that. I think one thing that we're really paying attention to is, uh, we're seeing in different communities across the country, the ways in which the right wing is. Uh, kind of wielding the idea of trans people, uh,  the perceived threat that trans people pose. As a wedge issue to try to build more more power, more influence, more connections in immigrant communities and in the process like really invisiblizing or really amplifying the harm that immigrant, trans and queer. People experience every single day. So I think something that we're thinking about on the horizon, you know, whether it's, uh, partnering with organizations in California or in the Bay Area or across the country who are doing that really critical base building work, power building work in immigrant communities is trying to ask, you know. How do we actually proactively as [00:21:00] progressives, as people on the left, how do we proactively have conversations with immigrant communities about trans and queer issues, about the, uh, incredibly overlapping needs that trans and queer people in all people who are marginalized right now have in these political conditions? Um, how can we be proactive about those combinations and making those connections so that, we can kind of inoculate folks against the way that the right wing is targeting trans people, is fear mongering about trans people and trying to make inroads in immigrant communities. Yeah. That's one thing on our radar for the future. Miata Tan: That's so important. Kind of, breaking down those, those stereotypes Yuan Wang: totally breaking down stereotypes, breaking down misinformation. And yeah, it reminds me of a few years ago Lavender Phoenix held a few conversations with a partner organization of ours where there were some younger folks from our organization who are talking to some older immigrant members of that organization and we're just [00:22:00] connecting about, the sacred importance of, parenting trans and queer kids right now of, you know, and, and just having conversations that actually humanize all of us rather than buying into narratives and stories that that dehumanize and, and that flatten us. Yeah. Um, so that we can defend ourselves from the way that the right wing is trying to hurt immigrant communities and trans and queer communities. Miata Tan: the youth that you work directly with each week. Is there anything as you reflect back on your, your time with Laxs that really stand out, things that folks have said or led conversations in?  Yuan Wang: Oh my gosh. Yeah. I mean, I, I could, I could celebrate things that I've witnessed every single year. You know, we the young people in the summer organizer program experience so, so much in, in many ways it's kind of like the faucets, like all the way on, you know, like there's, [00:23:00] they're learning so much about skills and values and projects and, you know, just as some examples this last summer, we had a team of summer organizers who helped lead an event that was about COVID safety and disability justice, where people actually got together to build DIY air filters that could hopefully, you know, make them feel safer in their own homes. And, um, in previous years we've had summer organizers work on the peer counseling program. There's so much that folks have done. I think what I actually hear year after year is oftentimes the thing that sticks out the most, it isn't necessarily just the project, it isn't necessarily like the hard skill training. It's people saying every single week during our team check-ins, someone shared an affirmation with me. I felt more seen. It's people saying, you know, I didn't expect that we were gonna do a three hour training. That was just about why it's so important [00:24:00] to ask for help and why that can be so, so difficult for, um, for queer and trans young folks. It's folks saying, you know, even speaking for myself actually. I remember being a summer organizer and one of, uh, my close friends now one of our elders, Vince spoke on a panel for us and, talked about what it was like to be young during the height of the hiv aids crisis, you know, when the government was neglecting to care for folks and so many members of our community were dying without care, were, were passing away without support. And all of the lessons that Vince took from that time holds now, decades later that still make him feel more hopeful, more committed, more full as a person. Um, that meant so much to me to hear when I was 21 and, still feeling really scared and really lonely, about the future. So I think it's those, I, I wouldn't even call them like softer skills, but the [00:25:00] incredible st. Sturdiness and resilience that building long-term relationships creates that seeing people who show you a potential path, if it's been hard to imagine the future. And that building the skills that make relationships more resilient. I feel like it's those things that always stand out the most to a lot of our young people. And then to me, I see them grow in it and be challenged by those things every single year. I feel really good. 'cause I know that at the end of the summer organizer program, there's a group of young, queer and trans API rising leaders who are gonna bring that level of rigorous kindness, attentive attentiveness to emotions, um, of vulnerability that creates more honesty and interdependence. They're gonna be taking that to an another organization, to another environment, to another year in our movement. That makes me feel really happy and hopeful.  Miata Tan: Yes. Community.  Yuan Wang: Yeah.  Miata Tan: . [00:26:00] Looking towards that bright future that you, you shared just now Tina Shelf is coming on as the executive director. What are your hopes for 2026 Yuan Wang: yeah. You know, I'm, I'm so excited that we're welcoming Tina and we're really lucky because Tina joined us in August of this year. So we've had a good, like five months to overlap with each other and to really, um, for all of us, not just me, but our staff, our members, to really welcome and support Tina in onboarding to the role. I feel incredibly excited for Lavender Phoenix's future. I think that in this next year, on one hand, our Care Knock Cops campaign, which has been a huge focus of the organization where uh, we've been rallying other organizations and people across San Francisco to fight to direct funding from policing to. To protect funding that's being threatened every year for housing, for healthcare, for human services that people really [00:27:00] need. I think we're gonna see that campaign grow and there are so many members and staff who are rigorously working on that every single day. And on the other hand, I think that this is a time for Lavender Phoenix to really sturdy itself. We are in we're approaching, the next stage of an authoritarian era that we've been getting ready for many years and is in other ways as so many folks are saying new and unprecedented. So I think, um, a lot of our work in this next year is actually making sure that our members' relationships to each other are stronger, making sure that, responsibility, is shared in, in, in greater ways that encourage more and more leadership and growth throughout our membership so that we are more resilient and less res reliant on smaller and smaller groups of people. I think you're gonna see our program and campaign work continue to be impactful. And I'm really hopeful that when we talk again, maybe in two years, three years, five years, we're gonna be [00:28:00] looking at an organization that's even more resilient and even more connected internally.  Miata Tan: It's really important that y'all are thinking so long term, I guess, and have been preparing for this moment in many ways. On a personal note, as you are coming to an end as executive director, what's what's next for you? I'd love to know.  Yuan Wang: Yeah, that's such a sweet question. I'm going to, I'm gonna rest for a little bit. Yeah. I haven't taken a sustained break from organizing since I was 18 or so. So it's been a while and I'm really looking forward to some rest and reflection. I think from there. I'm gonna figure out, what makes sense for me in terms of being involved with movement and I'm, I'm certain that one of those things will be staying involved. Lavender Phoenix as a member. Really excited to keep supporting our campaign work. Really excited to keep supporting the organization as a whole just from a role that I've never had as a volunteer member. So, I'm just psyched for that and I can't [00:29:00] wait to be a part of Lavender Phoenix's future in this different way.  Miata Tan: Have fun. You'll be like on the other side almost. Yeah,  Yuan Wang: totally. Totally. And, and getting to see and support our incredible staff team just in a different way.  Miata Tan: One final question As you are sort of moving into this next stage, and this idea of community and base building being so incredibly important to your work and time with Lavender Phoenix, is there anything you'd like to say, I guess for someone who might be considering. Joining in some way or Yeah. Where they could get involved, but they're not, not quite sure. Yuan Wang: Yeah, absolutely. Um, I think that if you are a queer and trans, API person who is looking for community, um, looking to channel what you care about into action, looking to be with other people who care about you Lavender Phoenix is here. [00:30:00] And I think that there is no more critical time. Than the one we're in to get activated and to try to organize. ‘Cause our world really needs us right now. The world needs all of us and it also really needs the wisdom, the experience, and the love of queer and trans people. So, I will be rejoining our membership at some point and I'd really like to meet you and I hope that we get to, to grow in this work and to, um, to fight for our freedom together. Miata Tan: Thank you so much. We, this was a really lovely conversation.  Yuan Wang: Yeah, thank you so much And also welcome Tina. Good luck. [00:31:00] [00:32:00] [00:33:00]  Miata Tan: That was the Love by Jason Chu, featuring Fuzzy. If you're just joining us, you are tuned into APEX Express on 94.1 KPFA, 89.3 KPFB in Berkeley, 88.1 KFCF in Fresno and [00:34:00] online@kpfa.org. I am your host, Miata Tan, and today we are joined by the Lavender Phoenix team at a transitional point in the organization's story. Our next guest is Tina Shauf-Bajar, the incoming director of this local organization, supporting queer and trans Asian and Pacific Islander Youth. As a reminder throughout this conversation, you'll hear us referring to the org as both Lavender, Phoenix and Lani.     Miata Tan: Hi Tina. Tina Shauf-Bajar: Hi Miata.  Miata Tan: How you going today? Tina Shauf-Bajar: I'm doing well, thank you. How are you? Miata Tan: Yeah, not so bad. Just excited to speak with you. tell me more about yourself what's bringing you into Lavender Phoenix. Tina Shauf-Bajar: Sure, sure. Well I am the incoming executive director of Lavender Phoenix. Prior to this, I was working at the California Domestic Workers Coalition [00:35:00] and had also worked at the Filipino Community Center and, um, have done some grassroots organizing, building, working class power, um, over the last 20 years, of my time in the Bay Area. And I've been alongside Lavender Phoenix as an organization that I've admired for a long time. Um, and now at the beginning of this year, I was I had the opportunity to apply for this executive director position and talked with un, um, had a series of conversations with UN about, um, what this role looks like and I got really excited about being a part of this organization. Miata Tan: That's super cool. So you, you, you weren't quite in the space with Lavender Phoenix, but moving alongside them through your work, like what were what were the organizations that you were part of when you were, were working in tandem, I guess. Tina Shauf-Bajar: Well the organization that I feel like is most, most closely, relates with Lavender. Phoenix is, [00:36:00] um, Gabriela, which is a Filipino organization. It's a Filipino organization that's a part of a national democratic movement of the Philippines. And we advance national democracy in the Philippines. And, liberation for our people and our homeland. Sovereignty for our homeland. And Gabriela here in the US does organizing with other multi-sectoral organizations, including like migrant organizations, like Ante and youth organizations like Naan and we organize in diaspora. And the reason for that is because many of our families actually leave the Philippines due to, um, corrupt government governance, um, also like foreign domination and exploitation and plunder of our resources. And so many of us actually have to leave our countries to, to survive. And so we're still very connected. Gabriela is still very connected to, [00:37:00] um, the movement in the Philippines. And yeah, so we're advancing liberation for our people and have been alongside Lavender Phoenix for many years. And here we are. Miata Tan: That's beautiful. I love hearing about, all of these partnerships and, and colLavoration works that happen in the San Francisco Bay Area and, and beyond as well. it sounds like you're speaking from a personal place when you talk about, um, a lot of these immigrant communities. Could you speak more to your family background and what brings you into this? Tina Shauf-Bajar: The, the fight for immigrant justice? So I was born in the Philippines and um, I spent my childhood and adolescent since the, in the South Bay of LA and then came here to the Bay Area in the year 2000. Flashing back to when my parents immigrated here, my dad's family first came to the US um, by way of the Bay Area in the late sixties and [00:38:00] early seventies. My dad actually was a few years after he had arrived, was uh, drafted into the military so that they can send him to Vietnam, but instead of going to Vietnam, he took the test to go into the Air Force and traveled everywhere in the Air Force and ended up in the Philippines and met my, met my mom there. And so. That became like they got married and they had me, I was born in the Philippines. I have a younger sibling. And, um, and I think, um, growing up in, in a working class immigrant neighborhood black and brown neighborhood, um, it was always important to me to like find solidarity between. Between communities. I actually grew up in a neighborhood that didn't have a lot of Filipinos in it, but I, I felt that solidarity knowing that we were an immigrant family, immigrant, working class family. And when I was in [00:39:00] college, when I went to college up in, in Berkeley, um, that was the time when the war on Iraq was waged by the US. I got really I got really curious and interested in understanding why war happens and during that time I, I feel like I, I studied a lot in like ethnic studies classes, Asian American studies classes and also, got involved in like off campus organizing and um, during that time it was with the Filipinos for Global Justice Not War Coalition. I would mobilize in the streets, in the anti-war movement during that time. Um, and from there I met a lot of the folks in the national democratic movement of the Philippines and eventually joined an organization which is now known as Gabriela. And so. That was my first political home that allowed me to understand my family's experience as [00:40:00] immigrants and why it's important to, to advance our rights and defend our, defend our people. And also with what's happening now with the escalated violence on our communities it. It's our duty to help people understand that immigrants are not criminals and our people work really hard to, to provide for our families and that it's our human right to be able to work and live in dignity, uh, just like anyone else. Miata Tan: You are speaking to something really powerful there. The different communities that you've been involved with, within the Filipino diaspora, but who are some other immigrant folks that you feel like have really helped shape your political awakening and, and coming into this space, and also how that leads into your work with Lav Nix today?  Tina Shauf-Bajar: When I was working at the Filipino [00:41:00] community center that gave me a, gave me a chance to learn to work with other organizations that were also advancing, like workers' rights and immigrant rights. Many centers in San Francisco that, um, work with immigrant workers who. Wouldn't typically like fall into the category of union unionized workers. They were like workers who are work in the domestic work industry who are caregivers, house cleaners and also we worked with organizations that also have organized restaurant workers, hotel workers. In like non-union, in a non-union setting. And so to me I in integrating in community like that, it helped me really understand that there were many workers who were experiencing exploitation at really high levels. And that reregulate like regulation of, um, Lavor laws and things like that, it's like really. [00:42:00] Unregulated industries that really set up immigrant workers in, in really poor working conditions. Sometimes abusive conditions and also experiencing wage theft. And for me, that really moved me and in my work with Gabriela and the community and the Filipino Community Center, we were able to work with, um. Teachers who actually were trafficked from the Philippines. These teachers actually, they did everything right to try to get to the, the US to get teaching jobs. And then they ended up really paying exorbitant amount of, of money to like just get processed and make it to the us. To only find themselves in no teaching jobs and then also working domestic work jobs just to like survive. And so during that time, it really like raised my consciousness to understand that there was something bigger that wa that was happening. The, [00:43:00] the export of our people and exploitation of our people was happening, not just at a small scale, but I learned over time that. Thousands of Filipinos actually leave the Philippines every day just to find work and send money back to their families. And to me that just was like throughout my time being an activist and organizer it was important to me to like continue to, to like advance poor, working class power. And that I see that as a through line between many communities. And I know that like with my work in Lav Nix that the folks who experience it the most and who are most impacted by right-wing attacks and authoritarianism are people who are at the fringes. And born working class trans and queer people. Within our [00:44:00] sector. So yeah. Being rooted in this, in this principle of advancing foreign working class power is really core to my to my values in any work that I do. Miata Tan: What are some other key issue Areas you see that are facing this community and especially queer folks within Asian American communities today? Tina Shauf-Bajar: The administration that we're under right now works really hard to drive wedges between. All of us and, um, sewing division is one of the t tactics to continue to hoard power. And with Lavender Phoenix being a trans and queer API organization that's building power, it's important for us to understand that solidarity is a thing that that's gonna strengthen us. That that trans and queer folks are used as wedges in, in [00:45:00] conservative thinking. I'm not saying that like it's just conservatives, but there's conservative thinking in many of our cultures to think that trans and queer folks are not, are not human, and that we deserve less and we don't deserve to be recognized as. As fully human and deserve to live dignified lives in our full selves. I also know that locally in San Francisco, the API community is used as a wedge to be pitted against other communities. Let's say the black commun the black community. And, um, it's important for us as an organization to recognize that that we, we can position ourselves to like wield more solidarity and be in solidarity with, with communities that are experiencing the impacts of a system that continues to exploit our people and [00:46:00] continues to view our people as not fully deserving. Not fully human and that our people deserve to be detained, abducted, and deported. That our people deserve to not be taken care of and resourced and not have our basic needs like housing and food and healthcare and it impacts all of us. And so, I see our responsibility as Lavender Phoenix, and, and in the other organizing spaces that I'm a part of that it, it is our responsibility to expose that we are not each other's enemies. Hmm. And that we are stronger in fighting for our needs and our dignity together. Miata Tan: Community. [00:47:00] Community and strength. I'm thinking about what you said in terms of this, the API solidarity alongside queer folks, alongside black and brown folks. Do you have a, perhaps like a nice memory of that, that coming together? Tina Shauf-Bajar: So one of the most consistent, things that I would go to, that's, that Lavender Phoenix would, would lead year after year in the last 10 years is Trans March. And my partner and I always make sure that we mobilize out there and be with Laxs. And it's important to us to be out there. in more recent trans marches. Just with a lot of the escalation of violence in Gaza and ongoing genocide and also just the escalated attacks on on immigrants and increased right and increased ice raids. [00:48:00] And and also the, we can't forget the police, the Police killings of black people. And I feel like at Trans March with Lavender Phoenix, it's also a way for us to come together and you know, put those messages out there and show that we are standing with all these different communities that are fighting, repression, And it's always so joyful at Trans March too. We're like chanting and we're holding up our signs. We're also out there with or you know, people, individuals, and organizations that might not be politically aligned with us, but that's also a chance for us to be in community and, and show demonstrate this solidarity between communities. Miata Tan: It's so beautiful to see. It's, it's just like what a colorful event in so many ways. Uh, as you now step into the director role at Lav [00:49:00] Nix, Lavender Phoenix, what are you most excited about? What is 2026 gonna look like for you? Tina Shauf-Bajar: I am most excited about integrating into this organization fully as the executive director and I feel so grateful that this organization is trusting me to lead alongside them. I've had the chance to have conversations with lots of conversations since, since my time onboarding in August through our meetings and also like strategy sessions where I've been able to connect with staff and members and understand what they care about, how they're thinking about. Our our strategy, how we can make our strategy sharper and more coordinated, um, so that we can show up in, in a more unified way, um, not just as an organization, but, but as a part of a larger movement ecosystem that we're a part of [00:50:00] and that we're in solidarity with other organizations in. So I am looking forward to like really embodying that.  it takes a lot of trust for an organization to be like, look, you, you weren't one of our members. You weren't a part of our staff prior to this, but we are trusting you because we've been in community and relationship with you and we have seen you. And so I just feel really grateful for that. Miata Tan: For an organization like Lav Nix, which with such a rich history in, in the Bay Area is there anything from. That history that you are now taking into 2026 with you? Tina Shauf-Bajar: Yeah, I mean, I think in seeing how Lavender Phoenix has transformed over the last 10 years is really not being afraid to transform. Not being afraid to step even more fully into [00:51:00] our power. The organization is really well positioned to yeah, well positioned to build power in, in a larger community. And so I, I feel like I've seen that transformation and I get to also, I get to also continue that legacy after UN and also the previous leaders before that and previous members and staff, um, we stand on the, on their shoulders. I stand on their shoulders. it's so beautiful, like such a nice image. Everyone together, yeah, no, totally. I mean, just in the last few weeks, I, I've connected with the three executive directors before me. And so when I say. I stand on their shoulders and like I'm a part of this lineage I still have access to. And then I've also been able to connect with, you know with a movement elder just last week where I was like, wow, you know, I get [00:52:00] to be a part of this because I'm now the executive director of this organization. Like, I also get to inherit. Those connections and I get to inherit the work that has been done up to this point. And I feel really grateful and fortunate to be inheriting that and now being asked to take care of it so. and I know I'm not alone. I think that's what people keep saying. It's like, you're not, you know, you're not alone. Right. I'm like, yeah. I keep telling myself that. It's true. It's true, it's true. Miata Tan: Latinx has a strong core team and a whole range of volunteers that also aid in, in, in your work, and I'm sure everyone will, everyone will be there to make sure that you don't like the, the, the shoulders are stable that you're standing on. Tina Shauf-Bajar: Totally, totally. I mean, even the conversations that I've been a part of, I'm like, I'm the newest one here. Like, I wanna hear from you, [00:53:00] like, what, how are you thinking about this? There is so much desire to see change and be a part of it. And also so much brilliance like and experience to being a part of this organization. So yeah, absolutely. I'm not alone. Miata Tan: One final question as with youth really being at the center of, of Lav Nix's work. Is there something about that that you're excited just, just to get into next year and, and thinking about those, those young people today that are you know, maybe not quite sure what's going on, the world looks a little scary. Like what, what can, what are you excited about in terms of helping those, those folks? Tina Shauf-Bajar: Well, for a long time I, I worked with youth years ago before I before I found myself in like workers justice and workers' rights building working class power. I also worked with working class [00:54:00] youth at one point, and I, I was one of those youth like 20 years ago. And so, I know what my energy was like during that time. I also know how I also remember how idealistic I was and I remember how bright-eyed it was. And like really just there wasn't openness to learn and understand how I could also be an agent of change and that I didn't have to do that alone. That I could be a part of something bigger than myself. And so so yeah, I think that like wielding the power of the youth in our communities and the different sectors is I think in a lot of ways they're the ones leaving us, they know, they know what issues speak to, to them. This is also the world they're inheriting. they have the energy to be able to like and lived experience to be able to like, see through change in their lifetime. And you know, I'm, [00:55:00] I'm older than them. I'm older than a lot of them, but, I also can remember, like I, I can look back to that time and I know, I know that I had the energy to be able to like, you know, organize and build movement and, and really see myself as, as a, as someone who could be a part of that. My first week here in, in August I actually was able to, to meet the, the, um, summer organizer, the summer organizers from our program. And I was, it just warms my heart because I remember being that young and I remember, remember being that like determined to like figure out like, what is my place in, in organizing spaces. So they were the ones who really like, radically welcomed me at first. You know, like I came into the office and like we were co-working and they were the ones who radically welcomed me and like showed me how they show up in, in, um, [00:56:00] Lav Nix Spaces. I learned from them how to fundraise, like how Lavender Phoenix does it, how we fundraise. And um, one of them fundraised me and I was like, I was like, how can I say no? Like they yeah. That we need that type of energy to keep it fresh. Miata Tan: something about that that, um. It is exciting to think about when thinking about the future. Thank you so much for joining us, Tina. This was such a beautiful conversation. I'm so excited for all of your work. Tina Shauf-Bajar: Thank you so much.  Miata Tan: That was Tina Shauf-Bajar, the incoming executive director at Lavender Phoenix. You can learn more about the organization and their fantastic work at LavenderPhoenix.org. We thank all of you listeners out there, and in the words of Keiko Fukuda, a Japanese American judoka and Bay Area legend, “be strong, be [00:57:00] gentle, be beautiful”. A little reminder for these trying times. For show notes, please check our website at kpfa.org/program/APEX-express. APEX Express is a collective of activists that includes Ayame Keane-Lee, Anuj Vaidya, Cheryl Truong, Jalena Keane-Lee, Miko Lee, Miata Tan, Preeti Mangala Shekar and Swati Rayasam. Tonight's show was produced by me, Miata Tan. Get some rest y'all. Good night. The post APEX Express – 12.25.25 -A Conversation with Lavender Phoenix: The Next Chapter appeared first on KPFA.

    KPFA - Bookwaves/Artwaves
    Bookwaves/Artwaves – December 25, 2025: Joe Lansdale, Prolific Genre Writer, 2025

    KPFA - Bookwaves/Artwaves

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 25, 2025 59:58


    Bookwaves/Artwaves is produced and hosted by Richard Wolinsky. Links to assorted local theater & book venues   Joe Lansdale:Author of the “Hap & Leonard” series of novels, and other genre works Post Views: 24 Joe R. Lansdale, in conversation with Richard Wolinsky f, recorded November 12, 2025, discussing his latest Hap & Leonard book, “Hatchet Girls,” his recent collections, and his life as a writer. Joe R. Lansdale writes a broad spectrum of fiction, from his successful Hap and Leonard series of noir mysteries, to fantasy and horror short fiction, to western novels and short stories, as well as a variety of genre mash-ups. His latest Hap and Leonard mystery, Hatchet Girls, according to Wikipedia, is the 27th in that series. There are forty books in the series, plus over forty short story collections, including the most recent to date, In the Mad Mountains, stories inspired by H.P. Lovecraft. There are five books in his Drive-In series, three in his Ned the Seal series, plus various chapbooks. He's also written for television and film, including episodes of Love, Death and Robots, and a Hap and Leonard TV three-season series, which ran originally on AMC+ and later on Netflix, starting in 2016. Complete Interview     Book Interview/Events and Theatre Links Note: Shows may unexpectedly close early or be postponed due to actors' positive COVID tests. Check the venue for closures, ticket refunds, and mask requirements before arrival. Dates are in-theater performances unless otherwise noted. Some venues operate Tuesday – Sunday; others for shorter periods each week. All times Pacific Time. Closing dates are sometimes extended. Book Stores Bay Area Book Festival  See website for highlights from the 110th Annual Bay Area Book Festival, May 31 – June 1, 2025. Book Passage.  Monthly Calendar. Mix of on-line and in-store events. Books Inc.  Mix of on-line and in-store events. The Booksmith.  Monthly Event Calendar. BookShop West Portal. Monthly Event Calendar. Center for Literary Arts, San Jose. See website for Book Club guests in upcoming months. Green Apple Books. Events calendar. Kepler's Books  On-line Refresh the Page program listings. Live Theater Companies Actors Ensemble of Berkeley.  See website for readings and events. Actor's Reading Collective (ARC).  See website for upcoming productions. African American Art & Culture Complex. See website for calendar. American Conservatory Theatre A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams, Jan. 21 – Feb. 1, 2026, Toni Rembe (Geary). Paranormal Activity, Feb. 19 – March 15, Toni Rembe. Awesome Theatre Company. See website for information. Berkeley Playhouse. Once, February 20 – March 22.  Berkeley Rep. An Evening with David Sedaris, .Jan. 3 – 11, Roda Theatre. Berkeley Shakespeare Company See website for upcoming productions. Brava Theatre Center: See calendar for events listings. BroadwaySF: Moulin Rouge! The Musical, December 16-28, Orpheum. See website for complete listings for the Orpheum, Golden Gate and Curran Theaters. Broadway San Jose:  A Beautiful Noise, December 30 – January 4. See website for other events. Center REP: Lost in Yonkers by Neil Simon, March 29 – April 19. Central Stage. See website for upcoming productions, 5221 Central Avenue, Richmond Central Works After Happy by Patricia Milton, Feb. 28 – March 29. Cinnabar Theatre. My Fair Lady, January 23 – February 8, 2026. Club Fugazi. Dear San Francisco ongoing. Check website for Music Mondays listings. Contra Costa Civic Theatre A Chorus Line, June 6 – 21 See website for other events and concerts. Golden Thread  See website for upcoming productions. Hillbarn Theatre: Rogers & Hammerstein's Cinderella, December 4 – 28. What the Constitution Means to Me by Heidi Schreck, January 22 – February 8. Lorraine Hansberry Theatre. Soulful Christmas, December 27-28, Magic Theatre. Los Altos Stage Company. A Christmas Carol, November  28 – December 21.. Lower Bottom Playaz  See website for upcoming productions. Magic Theatre. Lorraine Hansberry Theatre presents Soulful Christmas, December 27-28. Marin Shakespeare Company: See website for events and productions. Marin Theatre: The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov Jan . 29 – Feb. 22, 2026. Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts Upcoming Events Page. New Conservatory Theatre Center (NCTC)  Ruthless,  Dec. 5 – January 11, 2026. New Performance Traditions.  See website for upcoming schedule Oakland Theater Project. See website for upcoming 2026 season. Odd Salon: Upcoming events in San Francisco & New York, and streaming. Palace of Fine Arts Theater.  See website for event listings. Pear Theater. My Fair Lady, Feb 20 – March 8. See website for staged readings and other events. Playful People Productions. Next production: The Play That Goes Wrong. Presidio Theatre. Peter Pan Panto, Nov. 29 – Dec. 28. See website for complete schedule of events and performances. Ray of Light: Mean Girls. May 2026. Ross Valley Players: See website for New Works Sunday night readings and other events. San Francisco Playhouse. Into the Woods. November 30 – January 17, 2026. SFBATCO.  See website for upcoming streaming and in- theater shows. San Jose Stage Company: See website for events and upcoming season Shotgun Players.  Sunday in the Park with George, November 15 – December 30. South Bay Musical Theatre:  Little Women, The Broadway Musical, January 24 – February 14, 2026. SPARC: See website for upcoming events. Stagebridge: See website for events and productions. Storytime every 4th Saturday. The Breath Project. Streaming archive. The Marsh: Calendar listings for Berkeley, San Francisco and Marshstream. Theatre Lunatico  See website for upcoming productions.. Theatre Rhino  Streaming: Essential Services Project, conceived and performed by John Fisher, all weekly performances now available on demand. TheatreWorks Silicon Valley Georgiana & Kitty, Christmas at Pemberley by Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon, Dec. 3 – 28, Lucie Stern Theatre, Palo Alto. Word for Word.  See website for upcoming productions. Misc. Listings: BAMPFA: On View calendar for Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive. Berkeley Symphony: See website for listings. Chamber Music San Francisco: Calendar, 2025 Season. Dance Mission Theatre. On stage events calendar. Fort Mason Center. Events calendar. Oregon Shakespeare Festival: Calendar listings and upcoming shows. San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus. See schedule for upcoming SFGMC performances. San Francisco Opera. Calendar listings. San Francisco Symphony. Calendar listings. Filmed Live Musicals: Searchable database of all filmed live musicals, podcast, blog. If you'd like to add your bookstore or theater venue to this list, please write Richard@kpfa.org   . The post Bookwaves/Artwaves – December 25, 2025: Joe Lansdale, Prolific Genre Writer, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

    The Puzzling Evidence Show - Remixed!
    THE BART WILL STRIKE SHOW!! - A Puzzling Evidence Show Podcast - S10E8

    The Puzzling Evidence Show - Remixed!

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 25, 2025 118:55


    The Radio Valencia Show opens the Show with mixed results, and the Philo, the Hal and the Puzz reflect on Li'l Goddy, Flaming Jupiter, Bolt Shearing, and swingin' new longevity techniques. The One Wheeled God-Mobile slowly re-enters and spits in the Show's pants awkwardly hanging on a Ty Cobb point in a urinal cake.The Puzzling Evidence Radio Show on KPFA. It's one of the only things you can do if you're awake at 3:00 am.Starring Master Mixotologist, Puzzling Evidence; Chief Blabbertographer, Dr. Philo Drummond; Resident Know-It-All, Dr. Howlland OwllPlayed by Doug Wellman, Steve Wilcox and Hal RobinsOriginally Broadcast Live and In Person at 3:00 am at KPFDA studios in Berkeley, CA. - August 9nd, 2013 -

    The Puzzling Evidence Show - Remixed!
    THE PHILM PHEST PLAN-A-THON SHOW!! - A Puzzling Evidence Show Podcast - S10E7

    The Puzzling Evidence Show - Remixed!

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 25, 2025 119:07


    After another Mind-peeling, life-altering Puzzling Evidence intro mix, Puzz, Hal and Philo lay it all on the line this time with some serious talk about real issues, like when (Labor Day-ish?) and where (Usal Beach at the Lost Coast) this decade's ridiculously difficult to attend SubGenius Philm Phest. Sven hurt our ears but by then the show is like Jojo and things start to get back to where they once belonged.The Puzzling Evidence Show on KPFA is one of the only things you can do if you're awake at 3:00 am.Starring Master Mixotologist, Puzzling Evidence; Chief Blabbertographer, Dr. Philo Drummond; Resident Know-It-All, Dr. Howlland OwllPlayed by Doug Wellman, Steve Wilcox and Hal RobinsOriginally Broadcast Live and In Person at 3:00 am at KPFDA studios in Berkeley, CA. - August 2nd, 2013 -

    KPFA - Against the Grain
    Cats and Marxism

    KPFA - Against the Grain

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 24, 2025 59:58


    Should Marxism be rooted in inter-species liberation? Or is it already, unbeknownst to most of us? Leigh Claire La Berge has delved into what she considers an unrecognized trove of evidence for Marxism's deep engagement with the feline as a way of making sense of class society — and what would be necessary to leap beyond it. She argues that the history of inter-species solidarity between radicals and cats (among other animals) is only now starting to be recuperated. (Encore presentation.) Leigh Claire La Berge, Marx for Cats: A Radical Bestiary Duke University Press, 2023 The post Cats and Marxism appeared first on KPFA.

    cats marx encore marxism kpfa leigh claire la berge
    KPFA - Flashpoints
    Flashpoints – December 24, 2025

    KPFA - Flashpoints

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 24, 2025 59:59


    An award winning front-line investigative news magazine, that focuses on human, civil and workers right, issues of war and peace, Global Warming, racism and poverty, and other issues. Hosted by Dennis J. Bernstein. The post Flashpoints – December 24, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

    KPFA - UpFront
    No Straight Road Takes You There: Extended Interview with Rebecca Solnit

    KPFA - UpFront

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 24, 2025 59:59


    0:08 – A rebroadcast of our powerful October 2025 interview with Rebecca Solnit, author of two dozen books, and a profound storyteller of grassroots movements and the climate and environmental crisis on this planet. Most recently, she published No Straight Road Takes You There: Essays for Uneven Terrain. The post No Straight Road Takes You There: Extended Interview with Rebecca Solnit appeared first on KPFA.

    KPFA - The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays
    The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays – December 24, 2025

    KPFA - The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 24, 2025 59:58


    Comprehensive coverage of the day's news with a focus on war and peace; social, environmental and economic justice. The post The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays – December 24, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

    KPFA - Democracy Now
    Democracy Now! – December 24, 2025

    KPFA - Democracy Now

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 24, 2025 59:58


    Democracy Now! is a daily independent award-winning news program hosted by journalists Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez. The post Democracy Now! – December 24, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

    KPFA - Education Today
    Education Today – December 24, 2025

    KPFA - Education Today

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 24, 2025 29:58


    Education Today is a radio show hosted by Kitty Kelly Epstein and Jaron Epstein that airs every week at 2:30. The post Education Today – December 24, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

    KPFA - Bay Native Circle
    Bay Native Circle – December 24, 2025

    KPFA - Bay Native Circle

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 24, 2025 59:58


    The Bay Native Circle weekly program presents special guests and explores today's Native issues, peoples, cultures, music & events with rotating hosts Morning Star Gali, Tony Gonzales, Eddie Madril and Janeen Antoine. The post Bay Native Circle – December 24, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

    KPFA - Against the Grain
    Good Patients, Bad Addicts

    KPFA - Against the Grain

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 23, 2025 59:58


    When we think of potentially dangerous and addictive drugs, most of us think about illegal substances like heroine or cocaine. And yet widely-prescribed drugs like Xanax, Ritalin, Adderall, and Vicodin are also addictive, but legal in the United States. Historian David Herzberg discusses the artificial distinction that has been created between addictive drugs and medicines — with the key difference being the class and race of the consumers who use them and the partial protections that one group receives and the other does not. (Encore presentation.) David Herzberg, White Market Drugs: Big Pharma and the Hidden History of Addiction in America University of Chicago Press, 2020 The post Good Patients, Bad Addicts appeared first on KPFA.

    KPFA - Flashpoints
    Flashpoints – December 23, 2025

    KPFA - Flashpoints

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 23, 2025 59:58


    An award winning front-line investigative news magazine, that focuses on human, civil and workers right, issues of war and peace, Global Warming, racism and poverty, and other issues. Hosted by Dennis J. Bernstein. The post Flashpoints – December 23, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

    KPFA - UpFront
    Betty Reid Soskin, in her own voice

    KPFA - UpFront

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 23, 2025 59:58


    00:08 – Betty Reid Soskin has been a homefront warriors worker, a singer-songwriter and a performer, co-founder of the legendary Reid's Records in South Berkeley, a writer and legislative aid and, until she turned 100, the oldest working National Park Service ranger. She died last weekend at the age of 104. This interview is from 2018, when she came to KPFA's studios to discuss her book, Sign My Name to Freedom: A Memoir of a Pioneering Life The post Betty Reid Soskin, in her own voice appeared first on KPFA.

    KPFA - The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays
    UN Security Council holds urgent meeting on US-Venezuela tensions; Report calls US global supplier in exotic pet trade – December 23, 2025

    KPFA - The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 23, 2025 59:58


    Comprehensive coverage of the day's news with a focus on war and peace; social, environmental and economic justice. UN Security Council holds urgent meeting on US-Venezuela tensions, UN says dialog is only path to peace; National Weather Service issues storm warnings for Pacific coast over holidays; SF lights back on after blackout left thousands in dark, leaving questions about accountability and aging power grid; Report calls US global supplier in exotic pet trade, threatening endangered animals; Activist Greta Thunberg arrested in London under UK's “Terrorism Act” for carrying sign reading “I support the Palestine Action Prisoners, I Oppose Genocide”; Venezuela approves measure criminalizing “piracy, blockades”, including seizure of oil tankers; US quietly striking agreements to deploy troops in Latin America, Caribbean, critics blast “gunboat diplomacy” The post UN Security Council holds urgent meeting on US-Venezuela tensions; Report calls US global supplier in exotic pet trade – December 23, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

    KPFA - Democracy Now
    Democracy Now! – December 23, 2025

    KPFA - Democracy Now

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 23, 2025 59:58


    On today's show: Headlines CBS Censorship: Bari Weiss Pulls “60 Minutes” Exposé on Torture of Migrants U.S. Sent to El Salvador “Out for Blood”: Writer Jasper Nathaniel on Surviving Israeli Settler Attack on W. Bank Olive Farmers Democracy Now! is a daily independent award-winning news program hosted by journalists Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez. The post Democracy Now! – December 23, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

    KPFA - Against the Grain
    Lessons from the U.S. Labor Party

    KPFA - Against the Grain

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 22, 2025 59:58


    “The bosses have two parties,” they said. “We need one of our own.” In 1996, representatives and activists from hundreds of local and international unions came together to launch a workers' party — long missing from U.S. politics. Labor Party participant and economist Howard Botwinick discusses the organization's challenges and promise, and the lessons from its rise and fall — including how the failure to build leftwing politics rooted in the working class created a vacuum that was ultimately filled by the right. (Encore presentation.) Labor Party Archive The post Lessons from the U.S. Labor Party appeared first on KPFA.

    KPFA - Flashpoints
    Flashpoints – December 22, 2025

    KPFA - Flashpoints

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 22, 2025 59:59


    An award winning front-line investigative news magazine, that focuses on human, civil and workers right, issues of war and peace, Global Warming, racism and poverty, and other issues. Hosted by Dennis J. Bernstein. The post Flashpoints – December 22, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

    KPFA - UpFront
    UpFront – December 22, 2025

    KPFA - UpFront

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 22, 2025 59:58


    UpFront delivers a mix of local, state, and international coverage through challenging interviews, civil debates, breaking updates, and in-depth discussions with authors. The post UpFront – December 22, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

    KPFA - Africa Today
    Africa Today – December 22, 2025

    KPFA - Africa Today

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 22, 2025 59:59


    A weekly news program providing information and analysis about Africa and the African Diaspora, hosted by Walter Turner. The post Africa Today – December 22, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

    KPFA - The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays
    Trump announces new “Trump class” battleships; California joins lawsuit challenging cuts to consumer protection agency – December 22, 2025

    KPFA - The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 22, 2025 59:58


    Comprehensive coverage of the day's news with a focus on war and peace; social, environmental and economic justice. Battleship Iowa – photo: PH2 J. Alan Elliott, USN Turning Point USA tour ends in Phoenix, with show of divisions in MAGA movement; Trump announces new “Trump class” battleships, as threats against Venezuela continue; California joins 22-state lawsuit challenging Trump administration cuts to consumer protection agency; Number of people in ICE detention hits record high, with 68,000 in detention on December 14; Florida's Catholic bishops urge Trump to pause immigration enforcement during Christmas holidays, White House vows to continue as usual; The post Trump announces new “Trump class” battleships; California joins lawsuit challenging cuts to consumer protection agency – December 22, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

    KPFA - Democracy Now
    Democracy Now! – December 22, 2025

    KPFA - Democracy Now

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 22, 2025 59:58


    On today's show: “Who Are They Protecting?”: Rep. Ro Khanna Urges Contempt Charges over AG Bondi's Epstein Redactions Rep. Ro Khanna on Venezuela Strikes, Zohran Mamdani, Trump-Kennedy Center & More Israel Approves 19 New West Bank Settlements as State-Sponsored Violence Escalates “Destroying Knowledge”: Michael Mann on Trump's Dismantling of Key Climate Center in Colorado Democracy Now! is a daily independent award-winning news program hosted by journalists Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez. The post Democracy Now! – December 22, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

    KPFA - Womens Magazine
    Womens Magazine – December 22, 2025

    KPFA - Womens Magazine

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 22, 2025 59:58


    This hour long radio program presents and discusses women's lives and issues globally and locally from a radical, multiracial, feminist, mujerist, womanist perspective. The post Womens Magazine – December 22, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

    KPFA - Law & Disorder w/ Cat Brooks
    Labor for Palestine w/ José Francisco Negrete and Miriam Arghandiwal

    KPFA - Law & Disorder w/ Cat Brooks

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 22, 2025 22:51


    Our guests today are representatives from Labor for Palestine in Los Angeles, joining us to talk about organized labor's role in confronting genocide. Guest host Thandisizwe Chimurenga speaks with organizers from Labor For Palestine. José Francisco Negrete is a Los Angeles–based labor organizer with Labor for Palestine, organizing within unions to build worker-led solidarity against Israel's genocide and in support of Palestinian liberation.  Miriam Arghandiwal is a member of IAtSE 871 and an organizer with Labor For Palestine LA, OC, IE, the boycott Home Depot Coalition and entertainment labor for Palestine. — Subscribe to this podcast: https://plinkhq.com/i/1637968343?to=page Get in touch: lawanddisorder@kpfa.org Follow us on socials @LawAndDis: https://twitter.com/LawAndDis; https://www.instagram.com/lawanddis/ The post Labor for Palestine w/ José Francisco Negrete and Miriam Arghandiwal appeared first on KPFA.

    KPFA - Law & Disorder w/ Cat Brooks
    Solidarity with Palestine and ICE Resistance w/ Ron Gochez from Union Del Barrio

    KPFA - Law & Disorder w/ Cat Brooks

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 22, 2025 15:07


    On today's show, it's Palestine Post — where we spend the full hour covering Israel's genocide against the Palestinian people, the ongoing resistance to it, and the global implications for movements, workers, and international solidarity. Our guest today is Ron Gochez,  longtime community organizer and educator in Los Angeles and a leading member of Unión del Barrio, working at the intersection of labor, anti-imperialism, and grassroots resistance. — Subscribe to this podcast: https://plinkhq.com/i/1637968343?to=page Get in touch: lawanddisorder@kpfa.org Follow us on socials @LawAndDis: https://twitter.com/LawAndDis; https://www.instagram.com/lawanddis/ The post Solidarity with Palestine and ICE Resistance w/ Ron Gochez from Union Del Barrio appeared first on KPFA.

    KPFA - CounterSpin
    CounterSpin – December 21, 2025

    KPFA - CounterSpin

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 21, 2025 29:58


    CounterSpin provides a critical examination of the each week's major news stories, and exposes what the mainstream media may have missed in their own coverage. Produced by the national media watch group FAIR (Fairness and Accuracy In Reporting). The post CounterSpin – December 21, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

    kpfa counterspin accuracy in reporting
    KPFA - Puzzling Evidence
    Puzzling Evidence – December 19, 2025

    KPFA - Puzzling Evidence

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 19, 2025 119:59


    Deranged “edits” segue into a cascade of echoing glossolaliac madness, the voicing of lyric ruminations from the free-falling brains of disintegrating personalities. The post Puzzling Evidence – December 19, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

    deranged kpfa puzzling evidence
    KPFA - Over the Edge
    Over the Edge – December 19, 2025

    KPFA - Over the Edge

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 19, 2025


    Themed mixes are made live and spontaneously on the air, consisting of found sound of many kinds and from many sources, old and new, put together on the run as the continuous audio collage continues. The post Over the Edge – December 19, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

    KPFA - Flashpoints
    Flashpoints – December 19, 2025

    KPFA - Flashpoints

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 19, 2025 59:58


    An award winning front-line investigative news magazine, that focuses on human, civil and workers right, issues of war and peace, Global Warming, racism and poverty, and other issues. Hosted by Dennis J. Bernstein. The post Flashpoints – December 19, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

    KPFA - UpFront
    UpFront – December 19, 2025

    KPFA - UpFront

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 19, 2025 59:58


    On today's show: Doctors in Jail? Hospitals Stripped of Fed Funding? The Criminalization of Trans Youth Healthcare Kilmar Ábrego García Reunites with Family, But Trump Admin Threatens to Jail & Deport Him Again “Terror & Fear”: Trump Moves to Denaturalize Citizens, End Birthright Citizenship, Halt Visa Lottery   UpFront delivers a mix of local, state, and international coverage through challenging interviews, civil debates, breaking updates, and in-depth discussions with authors. The post UpFront – December 19, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

    KPFA - The Visionary Activist Show
    The Visionary Activist Show – Dark O Moon Dark o Year Radio

    KPFA - The Visionary Activist Show

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 18, 2025 59:59


    Visionary Activist Show 12.18.25 2pm KPFA/ 12.19.25 run wee hours & 1 pm KPFK Dark O Moon Dark o Year Radio Winter Solstice Delving Diving Deep into the Dark To Liberate our Mad Whimsy, skookum for now! astro* animist, weaver of context Caroline W Casey once again welcomes Sean Padraig O'Donoghue, long-time bardic Flora Fauna Fungi ally, With a smidge of Revels & John Fugelsang, whose book be KPFA pledge incentive “Separation of Church and Hate” That we all craft fresh expressions for ancient guiding, never more needed…. (Saturn-Neptune Pisces to Aries conjunction…February 20th) So that by mid-Winter – When Uranus, Liberating Trickster Genius – stations direct- at exact mid-Winter so we be Rising Aroused in Apocalyptic Times…     CoyoteNetworkNews.com · Events, Councils, & More Visionary Activist on Patreon The post The Visionary Activist Show – Dark O Moon Dark o Year Radio appeared first on KPFA.

    KPFA - Against the Grain
    Fund Drive Special: Saving and Restoring Nature in Our Gardens

    KPFA - Against the Grain

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 17, 2025 59:59


    Entomologist Douglas Tallamy discusses what we can do to stem the extinction crisis — the loss of habitat and plant and animal species — by transforming the places where we live. The post Fund Drive Special: Saving and Restoring Nature in Our Gardens appeared first on KPFA.