Crosscurrents

Today, we get lost… and find our way on San Francisco’s Crosstown trail. Then, a story about a mother in prison and a daughter who wishes for her to come home.

Duration:00:26:50

Taking the long way: San Francisco's Crosstown Trail

Today we’re bringing you a story that recently won the Society of Professional Journalists - Nor Cal award for best feature story - small division! The San Francisco Crosstown Trail offers up a lot of those opportunities for charm and whimsy. It’s a 17 mile walk from Candlestick Point to Land’s End.

Duration:00:13:32

Uncuffed: Mothering from prison isn't easy

A story from Uncuffed and the California Institution for Women about a mother in prison and a daughter who wishes for her to come home.

Duration:00:05:27

Sights + Sounds: 'Noises Off' play

"Noises Off," by English playwright Michael Frayn, debuted over 40 years ago, and is still cracking audiences up. And now, there’s a new production of the play at San Francisco Playhouse. Actor Joe Ayers plays the arrogant, but clumsy leading actor Garry Lejeune.

Duration:00:05:38

SHOW: Grief and Dying in the Modern Age

11/3/2025

Today, we explore what's at stake when people mourn online. Then, Death Doula's give agency to people at the end of their lives.

Duration:00:26:50

The business of never letting go

11/3/2025

When loved ones die we find ways to hold on — through photos and keepsakes. Now, things like AI memorial platforms and companion chatbots offer digitized connection with the dead. With these technologies becoming more common, what does it mean to grieve with a chatbot instead of each other?

Duration:00:16:53

End-of-life doulas and the art of dying well

11/3/2025

This story is about a different kind of doula – an end of life doula. Their role is to provide emotional support to dying people and their families. In 2019 Reporter Annie Berman joined Mimi Burrows and her son, Peter, as they met with a death doula. In the process, she learned more about what it means to live – and die – well.

Duration:00:07:33

SHOW: Bomba in the Bay, and a Scary Story from Sudanese Folklore

Bomba is more than just music. Today, we’ll hear how one of Puerto Rico’s oldest musical traditions lives on in the Bay. Then, we hear a very scary Sudanese folk tale.

Duration:00:26:50

Bomba — music, history, identity, and resistance rolled into one

Bomba. It's a word you feel: percussive, rhythmic, pulsating. The art form grew out of the Afro Indigenous cultures of Puerto Rico. But it’s much more than dance music. Bomba echoes and resonates with the violent history of slavery and resistance in Puerto Rico.

Duration:00:11:16

Bay Poets: 'Bones talk out the side of their neck' by poet Nia Pearl

Day of the dead is coming up this weekend and it is a time when many people are thinking about dearly departed loved ones. Next we’ll get a message from the ancestors… through a poem. Here’s poet Nia Pearl with ’Bones talk out of the side of their neck.’

Duration:00:02:11

Sights and Sounds After Dark: Creepy Tales — Widea’s Goat

Hana Baba recently took part in telling a scary story from her Sudanese culture as part of an evening of “Creepy Tales” from KALW’s Sights and Sounds show.

Duration:00:12:30

SHOW: Families Facing Hard Choices

Gender affirming care is becoming less accessible for trans youth in the Bay. Today, we’ll hear from families facing tough decisions. Then, the story of a woman in prison who was gifted a book that changed her. And, a collection of readings from Bay Area authors.

Duration:00:24:51

Hard choices for trans youth and families after pause to gender affirming care

This summer, both Stanford Medical Center and Kaiser Permanente paused gender affirming surgeries for youth under 19 years old. Ever since, the families of transgender kids in the Bay have been facing some hard choices.

Duration:00:12:02

Uncuffed: The book that changed her life

How a book given to an Uncuffed producer surprised her.

Duration:00:05:04

New Arrivals Collection