Crosscurrents

A new documentary takes viewers into the large, West Oakland homeless encampment 'Wood Street.' Community and resistance among Oakland’s unhoused people. Then, we’ll head to San Quentin to hear how listening to a song from your culture can make you feel a bit closer to home. And, Californians have weighed in and voted for their favorite state parks.

A new documentary follows the 2023 sweeps of the homeless encampment in West Oakland known as ‘Wood Street,' and the struggle leading up to it. It’s been selling out theaters at Bay Area film festivals. And it’s called “Wood Street.” Prominently featured in the film is John Janosko, one of the key organizers of the encampment’s residents. He lived at Wood Street for 10 years. The film’s creator is documentarian and award winning journalist, Caron Creighton. They both spoke with KALW’s Jenee Darden on “The Sights + Sounds Show.” You can see “Wood Street” at the Grand Lake Theatre in Oakland this Wednesday, July 15th. 

The Uncuffed My Mixtape is a selection of our producers' favorite songs. Uncuffed producer Rahim Bradshaw interviewed HabenMichael about an Eritrean song that reminds him of his family and culture. It's “Seyomay” by Tareke Tesfahiwet.This piece was created by student producers in the Uncuffed audio storytelling training program, in partnership with journalists at KALW Public Media. Our work in prisons is supported by the California Arts Council, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, independent foundations, and donations from listeners like you. Content is approved by an information officer.Follow @WeAreUncuffed on Instagram and Facebook Learn more, sign up for Uncuffed news, and support the program atwww.uncuffed.org

Earlier this year, California residents ranked our 280 State Parks from the best park for flowers, birding and even the under the radar favorites. So what did folks say? We get a breakdown from Rachel Norton, Executive Director of the California State Parks Foundation. She spoke with State of The Bay’s Ethan Elkind about the results of the vote. 

For many new immigrants, learning English is an important goal. Sometimes at the expense of their mother tongue. Today, how growing up straddling two languages can have lasting impacts on family and identity. Then, we’ll head to San Quentin to hear the power of an R&B Slow Jam. And, we hear from an All-American track star on growing up in 1960s San Francisco.

For many immigrants, crossing the border is the first step on an often complicated, exhausting path of figuring out life in America. Author Reyna Grande experienced that first hand.As a child she migrated to the US with her parents, and has spent her writing career capturing the raw reality of life across borders. Her newest memoir is “Migrant Heart.” It interrogates how living between two nations, two languages, and two identities has shaped the person she’s become. Recently, Reyna spoke to KALW’s Angie Coiro as part of Litquake, at our live event space in Downtown San Francisco. In this excerpt from their conversation, Reyna explains how her struggles to straddle two languages is linked to her relationship with her parents, children, and her own identity. 

The Uncuffed My Mixtape is a selection of our producers' favorite songs. Uncuffed producer Ryan Pagan interviewed Louis Sale about a song that reminds him of a complicated time in his life.This piece was created by student producers in the Uncuffed audio storytelling training program, in partnership with journalists at KALW Public Media. Our work in prisons is supported by the California Arts Council, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, independent foundations, and donations from listeners like you. Content is approved by an information officer.Follow @WeAreUncuffed on Instagram and Facebook Learn more, sign up for Uncuffed news, and support the program atwww.uncuffed.org

Have you ever had a relative that you enjoyed sitting by during family functions because they always had good stories to tell? Ben Tucker is that kind of guy. He’s known for his storytelling performances as part of the Oakland based Stagebridge, where he tells stories about his ‘storied’ life. His family was part of the Great Migration of African-Americans to the West- he grew up in SF’s Bayview neighborhood.  He was an All-American track star back in the 1960s when he ran for San Jose State. And Ben has been a preschool teacher in Berkeley, a social worker in Harlem and a track coach in Nigeria.He immerses readers in all these life adventures in his new memoir, “A Good Run.” KALW’s Jenee Darden spoke with Ben on the Sights and Sounds show. 

Today, we’re bringing you the episode of Uncuffed that won first place for Narrative/Produced Program at the 2026 Public Media Journalism Awards. First, we hear an honest conversation between the UnCuffed host and his mom, that they hope can be healing. Then, we’ll hear from women in prison about what it’s like to be a caregiver from the inside.

The SAT’s are back in the conversation around college admissions. Today, two perspectives on if we should or shouldn’t bring back standardized testing. Then, an Oakland film tackles the challenges parents face when caring for kids with disabilities. And, San Francisco is full of living history, and a lot of it is delicious. We visit the oldest SF ice cream makers.

For decades, standardized tests like the SAT and ACT were a central part of college admissions. In 2020, the University of California system became one of the nation's highest profile university networks to eliminate them, citing concerns about fairness and equity. Now, that decision is being revisited as hundreds of UC faculty recently signed an open letter in favor of reinstating the admissions tests, saying that their students have severe preparation gaps. UC Berkeley is leading this push and the supporters of the letter say testing can identify talented students who might otherwise be overlooked and provide admissions officers with another useful data point. Critics argue that the reason standardized tests were discontinued was because they disadvantage students from underrepresented and lower income backgrounds, and that high school achievement tells colleges far more. Today we hear from both sides. Frank Worrell, is professor of psychology at UC Berkeley School of Education, who has signed the petition to bring back standardized testing. Jessie Ryan, the president of the nonprofit Campaign for College Opportunity, wants to keep the SAT’s out of the admission process. They both spoke with State of The Bay’s host Ethan Elkind.  

For parents with children who are disabled, there can be a haunting question - “Who is going to take care of my child when I die?” In the award-winning film “Paper Bag Plan” a father faces that possibility when he learns he’s diagnosed with colon cancer. His 25-year-old son lives with Cerebral Palsy. And he attempts to make his son more independent by training him to be a bagger at a grocery store.  This movie is the latest feature by Oakland filmmaker Anthony Lucero. It’s inspired by his mother and disabled brother, and it's now out on streaming platforms. The host of KALW’s Sights and Sounds Show Jenee Darden, spoke with Lucero about his new movie. 

It’s summertime! And with the high heat of Midsummer comes: National Ice Cream Month. So today, we’re bringing you one of our favorite ice cream stories. On a block at the edge of Noe Valley, there’s a three-story beige apartment building that almost always has a crowd in front of it – even on a cold day. It’s Mitchell’s Ice Cream, San Francisco’s oldest known family owned ice-cream maker. It’s been serving cones and sundaes from its shop on the building’s ground floor since 1953.

Today, an annual check up on San Francisco’s RV ban. Then, we meet some of the talent behind San Francisco’s iconic club, Oasis. Plus, a poem in memory of a beloved San Francisco drummer.

Last year, San Francisco established new parking restrictions. They were aimed at curbing the city's growing number of people living out of their vehicles, mostly RVs. The stated goal was to take RVs off city streets, and get those who lived in the vehicles into more permanent housing. But while city efforts to reduce the number of RVs appears to be succeeding, the crackdown has left hundreds of former RV tenants without any shelter. Yesica Prado is an investigative reporter with El Tecolote. She also lives in an RV in the East Bay and has reported extensively about on vehicular homelessness. She spoke recently with KALW's news editor Sunni Khalid about her most recent reporting.

The day after Christmas, some stage performers, cabaretists, and dancers got some really good news. The beloved San Francisco nightclub Oasis was slated to close on January 1, 2026. But it was rescued by a major donation from a Bay Area philanthropic group.This was welcome news to everyone in the Oasis family, but especially Tito Soto, the club’s event producer and a headline performer.  KALW’s Stafford Hemmer went out to the club to meet the man who’s brought Oasis to life every Saturday night for the last six years. And who continues to invest much of his life into the club.With the news that Oasis is going to reopen on July 17th, Stafford brought D’Arcy and Tito to KALW’s live event space in Downtown San Francisco. They talked about why Bay Area drag is different from the rest of the world, and how today’s artists navigate the line between performance and protest. Oasis has been closed for renovations for the past several months… but it’s about to reopen on July 17th! Find the details for their Grand Reopening here!

Today, we’ll hear a poem that honors the way we feel when we lose a friend, a space, a community. Here’s Alexiz Angel Romero reading her poem ‘ode to the beating heart, dedicated to Larry “Bucket Man” Hunt.

Cybersecurity isn’t just a concern for the largest corporations, it has local impacts too. Today, what adding AI does to changing cybersecurity risks. Then, in his new memoir, Adam Nimoy explores his relationship with his dad, iconic Star Trek actor Leonard Nimoy. And, the many anthems that represent America.

We share our personal information all the time: at the pharmacy, at school, at the insurance agency. Many of us assume someone there knows how to keep our data safe. But, rapidly evolving AI systems are raising new cybersecurity questions. KALW’s tech reporter, NeEddra James has been reporting on how local governments are responding to AI.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of “Star Trek.” Filmmaker and actor Adam Nimoy not only watched the show, but he went on set when he was a kid. That’s because his father, Leonard Nimoy, played Spock. The half-human, half-alien science officer came from a culture that put logic above emotion. Leonard Nimoy once said he was so immersed in the character that sometimes he couldn’t turn it off at home. This led to friction in Mr. Nimoy’s and his son Adam’s relationship. Adam Nimoy reflects on this in his new memoir, “The Most Human: Reconciling with My Father, Leonard Nimoy.” He spoke with KALW’s Jenee Darden on “The Sights + Sounds Show.” Here’s an excerpt from their conversation. 

We’re approaching the Fourth of July weekend. A time when people are reflecting on what it means to be American. And  with that reflection comes a complicated mix of emotions. Some celebrate the 4th of July, some protest it, other people are just indifferent.Whatever your feelings are, one thing is for sure: we’ll be hearing a LOT of the national anthem in the coming days. Especially as the country marks 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  So - how do you relate to the Star Spangled Banner?Well that’s a question Jeff Chang asked on his new KALW show, Notes From The Edge. His show explores the possibilities and perils of America as our country moves through increasingly uncertain times. In one episode, Jeff invited musicians to reimagine America's Anthem. In this clip, we’ll hear from Julian Brave NoiseCat, the Oscar-winning director of the documentary Sugar Cane, and the author of the memoir “We Survived the Night.” 

There’s a new cohort of journalists learning how to make radio in California prisons. Today, we introduce you to this year’s Uncuffed class at the California Institution for Women - through their favorite songs.

Queer spaces are always evolving, but some things stay constant. Today, a conversation on the challenges and possibilities of creating community spaces. Then, if you could re-imagine the American anthem, what would it sound like?

It's the last day of June, so today we are going to send off this year's Pride Month by imagining what the future of Queer spaces could be. In this segment we hear from two of KALW's recent Audio Academy graduates: Jordan Karnes and Anna Casalme. They recently hosted a night of clips and conversations at our live event space in Downtown San Francisco. It was called 'Creating Queer Third Spaces: Envisioning Places to Connect & Belong.' 

We are approaching the July 4th weekend, and now more than ever people are reflecting on what it means to be American with a complicated mix of emotions. Some celebrate the 4th of July, some protest it, other people are just indifferent. Whatever your feelings are, one thing is for sure: we’ll be hearing A LOT of the national anthem, especially as the country marks 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. So, how do you relate to the Star Spangled Banner?Well that’s a question Jeff Chang asked on his new KALW show, Notes From The Edge. His show explores the possibilities and perils of America / as our country moves through increasingly uncertain times. In one episode, Jeff invited musicians to reimagine America's Anthem. In this clip, we’ll hear from one of them. Here’s La Doña.

A long time Bay Area sci-fi convention is adding AfroFuturism to its programming. Then, we hear how the way schools embrace the LGBTQ+ community impacts how kids shape their attitudes and actions. It’s an episode of TBH, our series made by, about, and for teenagers. Plus, KALW's Notes from the Edge listens to artists about how they would reimagine our National Anthem. 

The 4th of July holiday is this weekend. For some Bay Area nerds, their weekend will include not only fireworks and hot dogs… but space ships, and magic too! The sci-fi/fantasy convention BayCon is returning to the South Bay for its 42nd year this holiday weekend. And this year will feature a new AfroFuturism Lounge.The lounge includes screenings, interactive sessions, and panel discussions about the genre. Audrey T. Williams is a writer, and a co-curator of the AfroFuturism Lounge. She spoke to KALW’s Jenee Darden for “The Sights + Sounds Show,” about what guests will find when they step in.Here’s an excerpt of their conversation.

Today, the KALW high school summer podcasting institute is kicking off! Each cohort of students produces a show called tbh, short for to be honest. In honor of the program launch, and the wrapping up of Pride month, we’re bringing you one of our favorite tbh episodes from a previous cohort. This one is about the role schools play in supporting students, and shaping attitudes around the LGBTQ PLUS community. tbh reporter Amaya Dorman McKenzie graduated from Berkeley High School in 2024. She has two moms. And in this story, she shares her experience. 

Making your voice heard, and creating change, are fundamental to our democracy. But sometimes, when we see that democracy being threatened, it can make us ponder how we feel about this country as a whole.Saturday is the 4th of July. And every time it comes around, folks consider their relationship with the day. Some celebrate it, some protest it, other people are just indifferent… Whatever your feelings, one thing is for sure- we’ll be hearing A LOT of the national anthem, especially as the country marks 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. So—how do you relate to the Star Spangled Banner?That’s a question Jeff Chang asked on his new KALW show, Notes From The Edge.His show explores the possibilities and perils of America as our country moves through increasingly uncertain times. In this segment, Jeff invited musicians to reimagine America's Anthem. We bring you one of those musicians- here’s Leyla McCalla 

San Francisco’s Mayor Daniel Lurie has made changes to the city’s harm reduction policy. And not everyone supports them. Today, how the new policy is impacting the people who receive these services. Then, a Black culture space in the city is closing its doors for a few years.

For more than 25 years, the City of San Francisco has used an approach called “harm reduction” to help people struggling with substance abuse. It’s common in California. The key tenet of harm reduction is: meet people where they’re at, so that they can manage their substance use and stay alive. That can involve giving people clean supplies to consume drugs.But the harm reduction approach is at the heart of a conflict. On the one side are some San Francisco elected officials, business owners, and residents who associate it with open air drug use and crime. On the other side are nonprofit organizations that say harm reduction services save lives. KALW's Stafford Hemmer has the story. 

A treasured Black arts and culture space, in the Fillmore-Western Addition neighborhood, is closing for a few years. The African American Art & Culture Complex has served the community for 37 years. They’re closing so the city can do seismic renovation on the building. But what happens when an important community space has to shut down, even temporarily Ashley Smiley, who goes by her last name, is the program coordinator for the African American Art and Culture Complex. Smiley spoke with KALW’s Jenee Darden on the “The Sights + Sounds Show” about the center’s longtime impact and what this closure means. 

Now for some poetry that celebrates queer brown love. Here is San Francisco poet Flavia Elisa Mora reading her piece “Xochipilli.” 

The Public Media Journalists Association, or PMJA, just announced their 2026 winners and KALW is proud to have taken three awards, so today we bring the second place winner for Enterprise Journalism, our story about how unhoused community members find shelter and support at SFO.

Today, a tenant who is about to be evicted commemorates their apartment that hosted 35 years of performance. Then, a classic Dracula story gets revamped. Plus, a poem about another monster that refuses to die.

It’s been nearly 130 years since Bram Stoker’s novel “Dracula” was published. Over time, artists have reimagined the blood-thirsty monster in many ways. Now, San Francisco Playhouse is taking a stab at the classic story, with a feminist twist.

A dancer is evicted from a San Francisco home with deep roots in their experimental dance community.

Revisiting The Gay Life is a new 12-episode series from KALW’s Queer Power Hour. It explores a pivotal moment in SF’s LGBTQ history — from the rise of Harvey Milk to the early days of what would later be called AIDS.

It’s World Cup fever! So today, we go on a little Bay Area tour of how Jordanian and Algerian fans are getting hyped for their big match. 

The Jordanian national soccer team is playing in the World Cup for the first time in history. The Bay Area Jordanian American community is a tightly knit community of just a few thousand people. A group of enthusiastic fans gathered for a street party in downtown San Mateo to celebrate. Today, Crosscurrents host takes us to that street party, to hear what this historic moment means for Jordanians in the Bay Area.

"Nashama" is the nickname of the Jordanian national soccer team. It's a word for a group of people who are chivalrous and brave...but it also relates to being generous and hospitable. Mazra, a restaurant in San Bruno, serves food from the Levant—the area that covers Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Palestine. Today, how this spot on the Peninsula embodies Nashama through food. 

Ahead of the Jordan-Algeria World Cup match, KALW's Hana Baba headed over to a favorite community store—South Berkeley Meat and Produce. People visit from all over the state to shop for nostalgic items from Algeria. It’s got a large butcher counter with all kinds of halal meat cuts, including a staple Algerian sausage called Merguez.

How far would you go to get your hands on a cassette tape? Today, we meet two music archivers from Oakland. First an Afghan man’s odyssey to preserve his cultural music. Then, a young woman from Sudan is digitizing old music cassettes for a new diaspora generation.

The Taliban retook power in Afghanistan in 2021, after the hasty conclusion to a 20 year U.S. occupation. Since then, music has been officially banned in the country. Musicians are driven underground, instruments are destroyed, and recordings are contraband.Here in the East Bay, one Afghan-American is working hard to preserve what he can. He’s digitizing tapes he’s sourced from back home and posting them in an online database he started calling the Afghan Cassette Archive. But getting those tapes out of Afghanistan is not as simple as an online order… It's an illegal, expensive, and dangerous odyssey.Reporter Christopher Alam met up with Omid J, aka OMJVinyls, at his Oakland studio to check out his rare collection.

Today, how the political fight over college access is impacting Bay Area students. Then, we bring you readings on grief, intimacy and rest from Black Women writers.

With graduation season wrapping up, many teenagers around the Bay Area are celebrating the end of high school and are making plans to begin college. But in Washington DC, policymakers are fighting over college access.In the past year, the Trump Administration has worked quickly to dismantle the Department of Education. And one of the major programs they want to eliminate is called TRIO, a federally-funded initiative that helps low-income students and those who would be the first in their families to go to college. Thousands of those students in the Bay Area get support from TRIO programs to get into college and graduate. KALW reporter Anna Casalme visited two programs in San Francisco to understand what this political fight means for students. 

“When We Exhale” is a new anthology collection of poetry, essays, and other writings, where Black women reflect on rest, grief, intimacy, cultural memory and healing. Jenee Darden, is the host of the KALW’s Sights and Sounds show recently welcomed the authors behind the anthology to our live event space in downtown SF. It was a night of poetry, fellowship, and connection.In this excerpt from the event, we begin with Jenee’s conversation with one of the book’s co-editors, Alie Jones. Then, we hear “A recipe for Exhale Cake” by Adrienne Danyelle Oliver. And, writer Ayodele Nzinga brings us an excerpt of her piece “a breath in three movements.” 

One San Francisco band has been going strong for 144 seasons. Today, we’re hitting the high notes with the Golden Gate Park Band’s music director. Then, the Conservatory of Flowers’ corpse flower is about to bloom again. Plus, we stop by the San Francisco dragon boat festival!

If you go out to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park on any given Sunday from April to September… and you wander over to the concourse between the California Academy of Sciences and the DeYoung museum of fine arts… you’ll hear the Golden Gate Park Band playing at the Spreckels Temple of Music. And, when I say any Sunday, I mean it. Because the band is now in their 144th season. That’s since 1882!And though the concerts have been happening for nearly a century and half, the music is very eclectic. They’re a blend of all types of music from soul, to Disney songs, to Ukrainian music, and so much more. German Gonzalez is the current music director and conductor of the Band. He recently spoke with KALW’s Jenee Darden for the Sights and Sounds Show. In this excerpt from their conversation, German talks about his music journey and what he's looking forward to performing with his band.

Over the weekend, San Francisco’s Conservatory of Flowers announced that their corpse flower, named 'Scarlet,' would be blooming in the next 7 to 14 days. It’s an event that usually makes the news because these flowers can take up to ten years to reach their first bloom and they can smell like… death. But they’re also endangered. And one of the Conservatory’s neighbors, the California Academy of Sciences, has been working with a national effort to preserve this rare plant's DNA. KALW’s Wren Farrell took a look at the program in 2024 when the Academy’s corpse flower ‘Mirage’ had its own bloom.