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Crosscurrents

KALW

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...

Location:

San Francisco, CA

Networks:

KALW

Description:

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.

Twitter:

@KALWNews

Language:

English

Contact:

500 Mansell Street San Francisco, CA 90140 (415) 264-7106


Episodes
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SHOW: Art That Explores Secrets, and Discovery

4/2/2026
Today, a story about a young Oakland woman who’s a little lost… then finds herself in the middle of a mysterious cross country trip. Then, an indie folk artist explores the power of vulnerability in her music. Plus, we’ll hear from Bay Poets.

Duration:00:26:50

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Sights + Sounds: Soma Mei Sheng Frazier's novel 'Off the Books'

4/2/2026
In the new novel “Off the Books,” a young, Chinese-American woman works an underground job in The Town. She chauffeurs mysterious people to their destinations. No questions asked. But she has a lot of questions for her handsome new client. He needs a ride across the country to transport a huge, black suitcase. What’s in the bag is a mystery. “Off the Books” is the debut novel by Soma Mei Sheng Frazier. Soma is the former San Francisco Library Laureate and she’s now a creative writing professor at SUNY (State University of New York) at Oswego. KALW’s Jenee Darden spoke with Soma about themes of family, grief and romance on “The Sights + Sounds Show.” Here’s an excerpt of that interview.

Duration:00:10:22

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Bay Poets: 'The Grisham House' by poet Maw Shein Win

4/2/2026
Maw Shein Win was El Cerrito's inaugural poet laureate. Here she is reading her piece, ‘The Grisham House.'

Duration:00:01:31

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Bay Area Beats: August Lee Stevens finds power in vulnerability

4/2/2026
August Lee Stevens is an indie soul and folk artist from that city. She’s a graduate of Oakland School of the Arts. She and has just In 2024 she released her debut EP - Better Places. In this segment of Bay Area beats, Stevens discusses her musical career, and what it's like producing her own music, in this 2024 piece from reporter D’Andre Ball.

Duration:00:11:45

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SHOW: National Poetry Month, and a Resolution to SF's Big Boba Feud

4/1/2026
It’s National Poetry Month! Today, the history of Bay Area poetry and San Francisco’s first Latino Poet Laureate. Then, we hear the deep thoughts and feelings of a teenager with autism. And, we take you to a San Francisco neighborhood that’s being torn apart… by Boba.

Duration:00:26:50

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Celebrating the Mission with San Francisco's first Latino Poet Laureate

4/1/2026
April is National Poetry Month, and to celebrate in proper style we’re exploring the amazing archives at San Francisco State’s Poetry Center. Josiah Luis Alderete is the host of KALW’s series, Bay Poets. And he has dug up audio of San Francisco poets that have had a deep and lasting impact on shaping this city’s literary landscape. Here, KALW’s Sunni Khalid speaks with Josiah about Alejandro Murgia - and the historical context that led to him becoming San Francisco’s first Latino poet Laureate.

Duration:00:06:02

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Lucien Gonzalez’s Poetry

4/1/2026
Besides being National Poetry Month, April is also World Autism month, and today we're bringing you the words of Alameda poet Lucien Gonzalez. Lucian describes himself as a non-speaking autistic person. He loves watching NPR Tiny Desk concerts, traveling to new places, and writing poetry. Lucian worked with a KALW producer to create an audio essay weaving together two of his poems. They are voiced by Hussain Khan in this piece from 2024.

Duration:00:05:32

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The Great Boba Turf War finally comes to an end

4/1/2026
Food fights aren’t new. But in every city, there’s a different battleground. In Los Angeles, it’s the raging debate over who makes the best French Dip sandwiches – Philippe’s or Cole’s? In South Philadelphia, it’s Pat’s versus Geno’s for where to get the best cheesesteak. Or in Montreal, where can you get the better bagel – St-Viateur or Fairmount? And in San Francisco? Tensions run high about… Boba. Also known as bubble tea, boba’s a hugely popular drink from Taiwan that is usually made of tea, milk, sweeteners, and chewy tapioca balls called “boba” that the drink is named for. For almost 20 years, the feud between two bubble tea shops, Teascape and Bobaland, has torn one San Francisco neighborhood apart. But as KALW's Anna Casalme found out, this heated rivalry… may be starting to cool.

Duration:00:13:58

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SHOW: Students Preparing for a Shared Future With AI

3/31/2026
Three and a half years after the arrival of ChatGPT, many schools have been slow to write clear guidelines for how students should, and shouldn’t, use AI. It’s the next story from The Homework Machine series.

Duration:00:26:51

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The Homework Machine: AI creates gray areas for students and teachers

3/31/2026
Today, we bring you the second story from our 2025 series: The Homework Machine. In part one, we heard about the rapid rise of AI, and what it’s meant for our schools and education. In this next episode we’ll hear how reporter Jesse Dukes has been working with researchers at MIT, speaking to teachers and students all across California and around the country. He learned that the arrival of ChatGPT and other AI tools has led to more cheating in schools… but, it’s not always easy to define what cheating IS… or to know what to do about it.

Duration:00:19:26

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Bay Poets: 'Your Mind Can't Tell the Difference' by poet Larry Dorsey Jr

3/31/2026
Adopting and adapting to new technologies is part of the human experience. For our segment Bay Poets, poet Larry Dorsey Jr. explores the blurred lines between living life and capturing its moments through technology, Here he is reading his poem, "Your Mind Can’t Tell the Difference.”

Duration:00:01:41

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SHOW: Kids, Homework, and AI

3/30/2026
A few years ago, teachers started suspecting their students might be using generative AI in their work. Today, we hear about AI in education. And for some teachers, it’s not all that scary. Plus, a poem.

Duration:00:24:51

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The Homework Machine: AI arrives in schools

3/30/2026
Parents and teachers alike are continuing to grapple with what has undoubtedly been a hot education topic- artificial intelligence. Any K through 12 student with an internet connected device has had access to ChatGPT and other powerful generative AI. And one big thing AI can do effectively? Writing. Essays. Homework assignments… So what has that meant for our schools and education? For his 2025 series The Homework Machine, reporter and researcher Jesse Dukes talked to teachers and students throughout California and across the country about AI. Today we hear part one of his series.

Duration:00:19:26

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Bay Poets: 'Blind Man Dancing In The Rain' by poet Larry Dorsey Jr

3/30/2026
Here’s Youth Speaks alumni Larry Dorsey Jr reading his poem “Blind Man Dancing In The Rain.”

Duration:00:02:24

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SHOW: Plug-In Solar, Electric Trains, and Trash Falcons

3/26/2026
There's a new kind of solar on the block... but will law-makers allow renters to use plug-in solar? Then, a fully electric train ride into the future of Caltrains. And, one group is keeping fun at the center of something that’s the cause of a lot of grumbling -- litter. It's Oakland’s Trash Falcons!

Duration:00:26:50

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Low-cost solar power is here – but hurdles remain

3/26/2026
Electricity prices have risen sharply over the past decade. A new, cheap solar power option could cut bills. But it’s facing legal challenges. Crosscurrents host Hana Baba sat down with KALW's climate reporter, Mary Catherine O’Connor, to learn more.

Duration:00:07:21

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Caltrain jumps into the future, from diesel trains to electrification

3/26/2026
If you’ve ridden Caltrain anywhere between San Francisco and San Jose recently, you might have noticed that those trains have made the jump to being fully electric. Gone are the days of the loud, lurching—and often smelly—diesel locomotives. And electrifying the 51 miles of railway along the Peninsula was not cheap. It was a multi-billion dollar modernization project. It’s also just a small part of a larger, statewide ambition: the California High Speed Rail system. Last year, KALW’s transportation reporter, Zain Iqbal went on one of the new trains to see what’s changed with electrification.

Duration:00:08:50

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Amidst trash pollution in the Bay, Oakland neighborhood group finds delight

3/26/2026
Reporter Laura Isaza brings us this story from 2023, of one OAKLAND group tackling the trash near their home.

Duration:00:09:06

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SHOW: Happy Birthday, Sights and Sounds!

3/25/2026
Today, two new stories from Uncuffed. Plus, a special conversation with the Sights and Sounds team about what they’re looking forward to in their second year.

Duration:00:26:51

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Uncuffed: From the driver's seat of a Mercury to the triggers of a machine gun

3/25/2026
Uncuffed Solano producer Saladin Rushdan loved his first car, a Mercury. But after he was sent to fight in the Vietnam War, he came back a changed man, with different feelings about the car of his youth.

Duration:00:05:25