Crosscurrents Podcast

It's been 10 days since the Bay Area’s shelter-in-place policy was announced and it’s already affecting the way we live. We’ll hear from people working and living all around the Bay Area. Then, we’ll hear the tunes of the famous Golden Gate Park band as we continue our tour through the park.

A psychiatrist shares tips for coping with this new reality. Then, Bay Area performers use tech to get through the coronavirus blues. And, how local band Magic Magic Roses turned a new friendship into a decade of making music together. 

Bay Area nurses are on the frontlines of the COVID-19 spread. This week they continue to sound the alarm about staffing and equipment shortages. Then, what happens to victims of domestic abuse when their abusers are homebound? And, bilingual rapper Chhoti Maa talks love, colonialism, and... her grandmother's storytelling magic.

We're also featuring Chhoti Maa for today's local music. Check out her music videos online from the comfort of your home. 

As inmates and deputies around the country are testing positive for the coronavirus, San Francisco’s public defender is pushing to bring more people home. Then, in the next episode of tbh, a young musician performs at all the most important celebrations.

Plus, we're continuing to feature local musicians while we're sheltered-in-place. Today, it's Zelma Stone from San Francisco. They were supposed to play a gig this week at Bottom of the Hill. 

While the Bay Area shelters in place, some vets are still working to give sea lions the care they need. We go behind the scenes at the Marine Mammal Center. Then, we answer a question about the Farallon Islands that came from a listener like you. And, we continue our tour of Golden Gate Park, in celebration of its 150th anniversary. 

Low-wage immigrant workers are especially vulnerable during the Bay Area’s historic shelter-in-place order. We'll hear what county officials are doing to help them. We'll also check in on the latest news you need to know about the coronavirus in the Bay Area. Then, we'll hear from an artist who is dismantling the box of beauty standards by leading a movement to reclaim ugly.

It’s day one of the Bay Area shelter-in-place order. We're bringing you the latest on the effects of COVID-19 in the Bay Area. Then, when there’s a health crisis, what happens to our already existing housing crisis? And, a story from Lake Merritt as it celebrates 150 years as a wildlife refuge for the birds.

The Bay Area is ordered to shelter in place beginning at midnight. What do these extreme measures mean? And how is the coronavirus outbreak affecting people who have already been locked down? We'll hear from our Uncuffed team at Solano State Prison and get the latest update on how the coronavirus is impacting the Bay Area. Plus, the next episode of tbh: teenagers are reconsidering the hip-hop industry.

KALW is listener supported and twice a year we ask for your contribution. Donate to support local public radio. Call 800-525-9917 or text GIVEKALW to 44321.

As the Bay Area shuts down to prevent the spread of COVID-19, who’s being left behind? An update on the coronavirus. Then, we explore the overlooked black history of San Francisco’s waterfront; we find out why there's a city within a city; and we continue our tour of Golden Gate Park.

KALW is listener supported and twice a year we ask for your contribution. Donate to support local public radio. Call 800-525-9917 or text GIVEKALW to 44321.

First, an update on the coronavirus in the Bay Area. Then, jurors reach a verdict in the murder trial of 18-year-old Nia Wilson, but the Wilson family’s fight isn’t over yet. Will the defendant serve time in a prison or mental facility? And, we meet a dancer in Oakland who doesn’t hear the music he dances to, he feels it.

KALW is listener supported and twice a year we ask for your contribution. Donate to support local public radio. Call 800-525-9917 or text GIVEKALW to 44321.

We share the latest updates on COVID-19 and how it’s impacting the Bay Area. Then, what does it take to run a trans-inclusive business in Oakland? And, the latest episode in our podcast tbh: by, about, and for teenagers. This one’s on Treasure Island.

People are taking to the stage to share stories of loss and mortality. Then, we’re going to Golden Gate Park to celebrate its 150th anniversary. And, we’ll find out why it can be so hard to get around the Bay Area using public transit.

California voters went to the polls yesterday and we’re breaking down the election results. Then, we join an East Bay Pastor who supports people who are housing insecure.

Millions of dollars in bonds are on the San Francisco ballot, but how does that money get turned into public funds? Then, what do high schoolers think about video game addiction?

California’s wildfires are getting worse and workers’ rights advocates say immigrant workers are cleaning up after them. Then, a dancer tells the story of a woman’s rise to empress in 17th Century India.

New tests are showing toxic chemicals in drinking water statewide. Then, a comic book creator shares what drives him.

A new toxic chemical has been detected in the carpets of a Berkeley preschool. We hear how parents and the state have responded. Then, we ecplore sneaker culture in the next episode of our podcast tbh. 

Once upon a time in Gold Rush-era San Francisco a businessman amassed a fortune, then lost it all and went insane. His next move? He declared himself Emperor of the United States. 

In a new story from The Spiritual Edge, we meet two Catholic nuns who, after decades of work with immigrant detainees, still aren’t slowing down. Sisters JoAnn Persch and Pat Murphy say their age — one is 85, the other is 90 — is irrelevant when there is so much need. They attend rallies and prayer vigils, meet with immigrants in detention centers — and when they see an opportunity, press for legislation that will bring more humanity to a system where it can be lacking.

Abrupt class cuts at City College of San Francisco have city leaders asking hard questions. Is CCSF still for everybody? Then, we’re talking about “slacktivism” on tbh — a podcast made by, for, and about teenagers. And anyone else who wants to hear what's on their minds.

Bees come to California to do a lot more than make honey for us to eat. They pollinate our almond trees, and then move on to other states to help us grow cherries, watermelons, and even cotton. Our whole agricultural system has become dependent on this one single species of insect. It's a special presentation from 99% Invisible: On Beeing.

Hear how California is responding to a new Trump administration rule that could deny green cards to low-income immigrants. Then, Sara Moore doesn’t clown around when it comes to their line of work. And, we’re answering a question from a listener like you — just in time for Valentine’s Day.

Today's local music is Kelly Stoltz from San Francisco. They're performing at the Great American Music Hall this Sunday, 2/16. 

From The Spiritual Edge, as part of an international reporting project called Sacred Steps, we hear about the courageous life of Jesuit priest Padre Melo, who speaks up against increasingly authoritarian Honduran government. And, we talk to a musician whose transformative experience changed the way she makes her art.

As a corruption scandal rocks San Francisco’s Department of Public Works, its head, Mohamed Nuru, resigned. Then, we debut a new series made by, about, and for high schoolers. And anyone else who wants to hear what's on their minds.

A legendary San Francisco drag queen reflects on her ownership role at a nightclub. And, ever wonder why there’s not a single billboard on most of highway 280?

In a new series from The Spiritual Edge, we hear from a former Israeli soldier who questions the violence he perpetrated towards Palestinians, and what it means to be Jewish if he’s no longer a Zionist.

An update on news out of Silicon Valley. Then, we’ll hear about an inconspicuous project at Burning Man that connected people on the playa to strangers around the world.

We want to tell you about a new podcast we're launching in February. It’s made by high schoolers. Here’s a sneak peak.

We’re used to prices going up.But, at Trader Joe’s in Northern California, the price of a certain wine has just gone down. For the past seven years their Charles Shaw brand wine famously known as “two-buck chuck” has been selling for 2.49. Now, it’s back down to 1.99. How do they keep it so cheap?

This award-winning documentary explores the lives of Sikh youth in America, and how they confront and respond to violence, sometimes with humor.