Crosscurrents is KALW Public Radio's award-winning news magazine, broadcasting in the Bay Area Mondays through Thursdays on 91.7 FM. We make joyful, informative stories that engage people across the economic, social, and cultural divides in our community.
An Oakland pastor turns the tables on homophobia in the church. A new translation revives the poetry and nuance of the Zohar, a Jewish mystical text. Pastor Mike McBride uses his Berkeley pulpit for social justice.
Searching for a home after fire. Musicians whose preferred stage is inside a tunnel. Nosing around Golden Gate Park's Rose Garden.
In East Palo Alto a water shortage stalls the city’s plans for growth. A DIY guide to recycling your own water at home. A tour of one of San Francisco’s grandest buildings, complete with carnivorous plants.
San Francisco officials ask a wary public to trust them as they search for their next police chief. Author Mary Roach on her new book, "Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War."
What the law can and can't do for gig workers. Why labor law is slow to adapt to the gig economy. A conversation with some of the oldest gig workers around: musicians.
The bond between a former foster kid and his court-appointed special advocate. A journalist who's changing how the media reports on the foster care system.This week's Audiograph mystery sound revealed. Today's local music is pianist Manny Moka.
Activists oppose the law enforcement training event, Urban Shield.Musician Diana Gameros sings about the home she had to leave behind.
The tiny culprit behind the pine tree fatalities fueling California's rash of wildfires.For wildlife, the traffic problem at Muir Woods is life or death.The bookmobile brings public libraries to neighborhoods and schools.
An alternative to criminalizing homelessness and drug addiction.Aya de Leon's new novel politicizes the pulp genre.This week's Audiograph mystery sound revealed.
The real first responders to drug overdoses? Other users. Opioid addiction, from prescriptions to the streets.The San Quentin Prison Report on coping with death behind bars.
An organization trying to change racial stereotypes about who is and is not "outdoorsy." A ranger tells the story of African-American Buffalo Soldiers out west.A real-life Rosie the Riveter.
A look into how much teachers spend out of pocket on classroom supplies. A conversation with Joshua Raoul Brody. A Bay Area Beats with scat singer Lorin Benedict. The story behind this week’s Audiograph mystery sound.
Dr. Laurie Vollen on the science and use of medical marijuana. Seniors discover the benefits of a plant they may have once denounced.Memories of Frank Quan, the last resident of China Camp State Park.
What the second major fire in a year means for residents of Lake County.A conversation with local folk, blues and jazz legend Barbara Dane. A remembrance of Bay Area vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson.
A look inside a local branch of a national LGBT gun rights organization.Keeping up with a Bay-Area based Olympian who plays one of the fastest sports in the world. We learn the story behind this week’s Audiograph mystery sound.
Why it's taken so long for San Francisco’s Bayview district to get a full service grocery store.A Bayview choreographer on aerial dance.A KALW student reporter shares what mariachi means for her family.
Vallejo hopes to plug in to the electric car market.An effort to bring a California frog back from the brink of extinction.Bay Area students compete in dragon boat races.
A look at how local campaign donations influence the way we vote. Dropping in on one of the nation's first LGTBQ studies class. A conversation with Oakland’s newest youth poet laureate.
The last in our series of audio essays on racial justice. A conversation with Bay Area hip hop artists who are using culture to counter harmful stereotypes. The story behind this week’s Audiograph mystery sound.
An East Bay resident voices her personal essay on racial justice.This Ethiopian farmer brings his home flavors to the Bay Area.A tour inside San Francisco's Armory building.Bay Area students depart for Howard University.
Two mothers express their struggle to talk with their sons about race and racism.California relaxes water conservation rules, but it doesn't mean the drought is over.The magic of locating underground water.
The first in a series of audio essays from Bay Area residents on racial injustice. What the closure of a recycling center in West Oakland means for the hundreds of people whose income relies on it. The very specialized job of keeping animals away from airplanes at SFO.
One architect’s process of designing sacred spaces. An interview with a Hiroshima survivor whose Buddhist practice helps her deal with the past. The story behind this week’s mystery sound.
The first day of school is just around the corner—how will the San Francisco's school district cope with a shortage of teachers? We meet a woman who specializes in teaching blind people how to get around in the world.
Why Oakland wants to diversify it's emergency services staff.How a music class became a sanctuary for West Oakland teens.Jessica Jones on promoting healthy living among women of color like herself.
How tech habits can become psychological disorders.A visit to a place designed to help techies do good.A mother remembers her home country of India.
Today on Crosscurrents: Bay Area residents voice their views about the upcoming presidential election. Youth Radio dispatches from the Republican and Democratic National Conventions. A colony of artists in San Francisco faces eviction.
How some San Franciscans will be affected by the city’s new family leave policy. An interview with Maria Su, Executive Director of the Department of Children, Youth and Their Families. San Quentin Prison show support for life on the outside.
Training police officers to respond to mental health crises.Corey Rosen on the local improv scene.The story behind the construction of one of the Bay Area's biggest bridges.
A local family has delivered singing telegrams for more than 30 years. An interview with hambone expert Unique Derique.
