Jenee Darden

Sights and Sounds is your weekly guide to the Bay Area arts scene through the eyes and ears of local artists. During shelter in place, instead of recommending in-person events, we're offering ways to experience art and culture from home. This week, host Jenee Darden speaks with poet James Cagney. 

The number of COVID-19 cases in Oakland rose over the weekend, just as Bay Area counties relax shelter-in-place rules. But more testing resources are coming to Oakland. And the city is increasing the number of hotel rooms for the homeless community. 

April is National Poetry Month, and for some poetry helps make sense of the world. M.K. Chavez writes poetry that reflects on what’s going on in society and inside of herself.

Chavez is the author of "Mothermorphosis" and "Dear Animal," Her work has been honored by PEN Oakland and the Berkeley Public Library Foundation among others. In this interview she talks about themes in her writing such as nature and her mother’s battle with schizophrenia. 

Click the play button above to listen.

Oakland is continuing to close off 74 miles of roads through their Slow Streets Initiative. The closures are supposed to give Oaklanders more safe, outdoor space while we shelter in place. But some residents in East Oakland aren’t open to the idea.

Sights and Sounds is your weekly guide to the Bay Area arts scene through the eyes and ears of local artists. During shelter in place, instead of recommending in-person events, we're offering ways to experience art and culture from home. This week, host Jenee Darden speaks with artist Paul Lewin to talk about three virtual events.

Sights and Sounds is your weekly guide to the Bay Area arts scene through the eyes and ears of local artists. During shelter in place, instead of recommending in-person events, we're offering ways to experience art and culture from home. This week, host Jenee Darden speaks with global event designer Edward Perotti about three virtual events.

Golden Gate Park Virtual Concert Series

Melissa Jones has been electrifying stages around the Bay Area with her music and poetry. She is the lead singer of the soul/funk band No Lovely Thing. Melissa talks about how her Oakland roots and being a black woman influence her work.

Some singles are sexually frustrated and longing for intimacy while sheltering in place. They’re refraining from physical contact for their own health and safety. But they are finding ways to cope without touch. 

Sights and Sounds is your weekly guide to the Bay Area arts scene through the eyes and ears of local artists. During quarantine, we're taking a break from recommending live events and instead offering suggestions for ways to experience art and culture from home. This week, host Jenee Darden speaks with cellist and composer Joshua McClain to talk about three virtual arts events he's currently digging.

Singing Body with Dohee Lee, 10 a.m. every Wednesday

Sights and Sounds is your weekly guide to the Bay Area arts scene through the eyes and ears of local artists. We're changing things up a bit due to the shelter-in-place order.  This week host Jenee Darden chats with hip-hop artist Call Me Ace about three arts events for you to see, hear and do right from home. 

**Correction: Jenee mistakenly said Madame C.J. Walker was the first self-made millionaire. Walker was the first self-made female millionaire.

Sights and Sounds is your weekly guide to the Bay Area arts scene through the eyes and ears of local artists. We're changing things up a bit because of the shelter-in-place order. This week host Jenee Darden sits down with award-winning poet MK Chavez to talk about three art suggestions for you to see, hear and do at home. 

UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive

COVID-19 numbers / Call for collaboration / Distance learning / Curry meets Fauci

Toni Morrison once said that in chaotic times is when artists must go to work. Theaters, concert halls, and other event venues are shut down. But that isn't stopping Bay Area artists from shining on the virtual stage.

Vanessa Rochelle Lewis was bullied for her appearance and sexuality. She redefined ugly to mean Uplift Glorify Love Yourself. Vanessa is the founder of Reclaim UGLY, a movement that helps people heal from “uglification” and celebrate their beauty.

Due to the coronavirus outbreak, please check event websites for up-to-date information and possible cancellations

Sights and Sounds is your weekly guide to the Bay Area arts scene through the eyes and ears of local artists. This week, host Jenee Darden sits down with writer and educator Vanessa Lewis to talk about three arts events happening around the Bay this weekend.

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Jurors found John Lee Cowell, the man who killed 18-year-old Nia Wilson guilty of first-degree murder and attempted murder. Now jurors have to decide on his mental state. Even as the case winds down, emotions are still high. 

Sights and Sounds is your weekly guide to the Bay Area arts scene through the eyes and ears of local artists. This week, host Jenee Darden sits down with Coral Best and Aliada of the comedic duo Invisible Disabilities to talk about three events happening around the Bay this weekend.

Most eyes were on the Democratic presidential primary, last night. When polls closed, NPR made a quick call: Bernie Sanders won California. But it wasn’t that simple.

Sights and Sounds is your weekly guide to the Bay Area arts scene through the eyes and ears of local artists. This week, host Jenee Darden sits down with Melissa Jones, lead singer of the local band No Lovely Thing, to talk about three arts events happening around the Bay Area this weekend.

In 1611, Nur Jahan was 34, widowed, and a single mother when she married the Mughal emperor. She rose to power in India, but years later story faded from people’s memories. Farah Yasmeen Shaikh is telling her legacy in the show "The Forgotten Empress."

The media landscape has changed in this new digital age and Oakland City Council members say there’s a part of the city’s charter that needs to get with the times. This is where Oakland’s Measure R comes in. 

Currently the city’s charter states that the City Council designates the city’s official newspaper for publishing matters of legal and public notice such as election proceedings, awarding of leases and contracts, etc. But for a publication to be an official newspaper it has to be printed and published in Oakland with a minimum 25,000 daily circulation. Newspapers are struggling and the city’s longtime newspaper, the Oakland Tribune, shut down in 2016. 

Are Alameda County voters willing to increase the sales tax to help fund young children’s healthcare and education? That’s what drafters of Measure C want to know. If passed, Measure C — or the Care for Kids initiative — would raise the county’s sales tax by one-half of one percent. This would last for 20 years and generate about $150 million annually. 

Jaimel Hemphill’s comic book hobby grew into a passion. He and his friends launched National Press Comics, a publishing company in Oakland with diverse characters and genres. He stopped by to talk comics and wound up sharing a funny wrestling story.

Sara Moore gives people the gift of laughter through the art of clowning. And clowning has been self-empowering for them when it comes to gender. Sara’s character is out of this world in "The Supers: A Science-Fiction Magical Realism Human Cartoon Opera."

Sights and Sounds is your weekly guide to the Bay Area arts scene through the eyes and ears of local artists. This week, host Jenee Darden sits down with dancer and choreographer Farah Yasmeen Sheikh to talk about three arts events happening this weekend.

Sights and Sounds is your weekly guide to the Bay Area arts scene through the eyes and ears of local artists. This week, the poet-clown of San Francisco, Sara Moore, sits down with host Jenee Darden to talk about three arts events happening around the Bay Area this weekend.

Lisa D. Gray could barely read when she became fascinated with books. Now she’s penning award-winning stories about race and class. Lisa is the founder of Our Voices Our Stories SF, a literary event where women writers of color and the community engage.

Singer and guitarist Graham Norwood put music on hold after getting married. Then a divorce inspired him to write new songs. Graham’s debut album is "Out of the Sea." In this interview he talks about love, music and being blind.

Sights and Sounds is your weekly guide to the Bay Area arts scene through the eyes and ears of local artists. This week, host Jeneé Darden sits down with author and educator Lisa D. Gray to talk about three events happening around the Bay Area this weekend.

Elisheva Biernoff centers people on her canvas, who are sidelined in society. She talks about her growth as an artist from New Mexico to the Bay Area. Her work is featured in the celebration of Fraenkel Gallery’s 40th anniversary.