Rightnowish

Rightnowish’s Grand Finale: Words of Wisdom from Timothy B. Jul 18, 2024

On this final episode of the Rightnowish podcast, we end back where we started, but with some pretty significant updates.

In the fall of 2019, renowned visual artist Timothy B. gave us the first full Rightnowish interview for an episode titled, 'From D-Boys to Dope Art.'

During that interview Timothy B. was flanked by his mother Dana Bluitt and his father Timothy Bluitt Sr., as he shared with us his perspective on mural making, community building and his work in Oakland. Now, five years after our last conversation on tape, Timothy B. is a father too. Stepping into parenthood has changed his painting schedule and personal priorities. But still, he remains creative.

This week we discuss how Timothy B. has grown and how Oakland has changed. And then Timothy B. gives us some advice on how to deal with major life transitions; advice I needed to hear as we close this Rightnowish podcast series.

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Building a Native Arts and Culture Space From the Ground Up Jul 11, 2024

The dense green woods of Sonoma County's Forestville are home to a two-story music studio and residence that runs on solar energy. Known as The NEST, the terracotta colored building is made completely of wood, clay and cob; and it was created for the purpose of serving Native artists.

Ras K'dee, a Pomo-African, hip-hop musician who grew up in the area, is the caretaker of the space but he didn't build it alone. He worked with over 350 people from youth groups to his own family and friends. This week on Rightnowish, we talk about the importance of working together to create spaces for artists to grow and the ins-and-outs of land reclamation in the North Bay.

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‘All The Nights We Got to Dance’ is a Tribute to Queer Nightlife in SF Jun 27, 2024

Human memory can be triggered by certain smells, sounds or even a photo. It's funny how the mind works; one small symbol can lead to the rehashing of feelings from years ago.

The latest work from artist Marcel Pardo Ariza urges people to take a trip down memory lane by using images of gone but not forgotten bar signs. Pardo Ariza is clear: these bars served more than booze, they were sanctuaries for folks from San Francisco's queer and trans community and they should be celebrated as such.

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Loove Moore the 'Out Here Specialist' Leads by Example Jun 20, 2024

West Oakland's Loove Moore is a superhero. His special power? His ability to participate.

He's a talented musician, dancer, and community documentarian, who interviews people about everything from current events in the Bay Area to how they define love. Plus he can get down behind the camera, producing all of his own stuff.

Known for his interview series, The Loove Moore Show and for making songs that sample classic Bay Area tracks, what drives Loove Moore's affinity for culture and dedication to his community is a deep-seated spiritual conviction.

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Tomas Moniz’s New Book Is an Ode to Friendship in the Bay Area Jun 13, 2024

Tomas Moniz's novel All Friends Are Necessary explores the profound depths of friendship and the unique ways in which love is expressed. The book is chock-full of remedies for grief, sweet moments between friends, observations about Mother Nature and shoutouts to some key Bay Area landmarks and cultural institutions — all of which we discuss on this week's episode of Rightnowish.

Tomas Moniz will read and sign copies of his new book at Doña (3770 Piedmont Ave., Oakland) on June 13, 2024 at 6:30 p.m. and at Green Apple Books (1231 9th Ave., San Francisco) on June 18, 2024 at 7 p.m.

Also, Moniz is a big fan of exchanging letters. He can be reached at P.O. Box 3555, Berkeley, CA, 94703.

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Jazz Meets Hip Hop in Bassist Giulio Xavier Cetto’s World Jun 06, 2024

Jazz and hip-hop are technically two different genres of music, but for bassist and composer Giulio Xavier Cetto, the connection between the two is indivisible. Both genres seamlessly compliment each other as they show up in the music Cetto listens to as, as well as the music he makes. On this week's Rightnowish, San Francisco's own Cetto discusses the story behind his Instagram handle, his favorite Bay Area music venues, and what it's like to lead Big Trippin, a band that features drummer Thomas Pridgen, saxophonist John Palowitch and pianist Javier Santiago.

This story was originally published June 30, 2023 as part of “Liner Notes” a five-part series, about jazz in Bay Area.

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Miguel “Bounce” Perez’s Culture Flows Through His Ink May 30, 2024

This week we revisit a story that was originally published September 2, 2022 as part of “Permanent Behavior: Getting Tatted in the Bay” , a four-part series, about local tattoo artists.

Miguel "Bounce" Perez is a visual artist who owes a lot of his talents to childhood memories with his family. His mother introduced him to sketching, as she'd draw “chola-style” portraits of women with feathered hair and sharp brows. His uncles taught him the art of lettering in "Cali-Chicano" Old English script. And Bounce's father was part of a car club in West Berkeley, a neighborhood that was also home to a number of graffiti murals. Through these interactions Perez was introduced to what he does today: spreading culture through murals and tattoos.

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When the Youth Speak, Mush Lee Listens May 23, 2024

This week on Rightnowish we take a little dive into family history and explore the big concerns of the next generation with published poet, educator and youth advocate, Michelle "Mush" Lee.

Lee is the executive director of the well renowned poetry organization, Youth Speaks. The organization boasts a long list of alums who are playwrights and poets, actors and activists. Just two years after its founding in 1996, Youth Speaks launched the annual youth poetry slam, Brave New Voices. This year, the three-day conference that pulls young poets from all corners of the country will be in the nation's capital, Washington D.C., just months before the presidential election.

As an organizer, Lee is looking ahead to this year's conference with a clear understanding of why young people's voices are so important right now.

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One Time for Public Media Podcasts May 13, 2024

We love having conversations about culture, identity and place with local change makers and hometown heroes. If you appreciate the work that we do on Rightnowish, please visit https://donate.kqed.org/podcasts to support us.

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‘Ear Hustle’ Introduces Us to Seniors in the California Institution for Women May 09, 2024

As we celebrate Mother's Day, we're taking some time to honor those who have strained relationships with their mothers, are missing their mothers or grew up without their mothers. We're also thinking about the mothers who are missing their children for one reason or another.

More than just thinking about them, we're hearing from them. This week we're passing the mic to our friends over at "Ear Hustle", a podcast from PRX’s Radiotopia. This special episode highlights the stories of elderly mothers who are incarcerated at California Institution for Women, a prison located in Chino, CA.

Their tales of aging behind bars, while yearning for family are gut-wrenching but necessary, for we can't grow as a people unless we understand the plight of those on the margins of society. And when it comes to ensuring that we grow as a people, that's something that mothers know best.

Happy Mother's Day from the Rightnowish family!

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D Sharp: The DJ with Four NBA Championship Rings May 02, 2024

The Golden State Warriors had a rough 2023-2024 campaign, but at least the music was slappin'. During timeouts, breaks between quarters and sometimes even when the ball was in play, the Chase Center's speakers would vibrate with the sounds of legendary Bay Area hip-hop artists. The person often on the turntables making it happen: DJ D Sharp.

He's been the Warriors in-house DJ for a decade, providing the soundtrack for Steph, Klay, Draymond and company during their legendary run of four NBA championships. DJ D Sharp, clearly an essential part of the team, even has four NBA championship rings of his own. This week, we talk about providing a soundtrack for the Warriors' dynasty while building a lasting legacy for his family and community.

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nic feliciano Is Blessed With The ‘Curse of an Overactive Creative Mind’ Apr 25, 2024

nic feliciano (who also goes by Coco Machete) contains multitudes. She's a fashionista who currently resides in Berkeley, but was born in the Philippines and spent her teenage years in Southern California. After moving to the East Bay for school two decades ago, she's grown into a playwright, chef, thespian and — as she says — "a master of fun." feliciano's creations go beyond the stage. She's currently writing a comic book in which she gives a modern spin on the mythological creature from Filipino folklore.

This week, we talk about how the Bay Area has assisted feliciano's artistic endeavors, from rapping over bass-heavy hip-hop beats in the early 2000s to forging a "creative family of misfit Filipino kids who didn't follow the path."

Episode Transcript

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Deep Sea Fishing, Filipino Roots & Belonging “Where We Are” Apr 18, 2024

Adonis is a DJ who is immersed in downtown Oakland's nightlife scene. When they're not on the turntables, Adonis spends significant portions of their summers deep sea commercial fishing in Alaska. Adonis sees it as a way to pay bills, build community, and learn more about their Filipino roots.

This week we discuss how it all intertwines-- the search for self, the love of community, the deep sea fishing and the appreciation of the Bay Area.

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The Chronic Pain Of White Supremacy Apr 11, 2024

In her book White Supremacy Is All Around: Notes from a Black Disabled Woman in a White World, Dr. Akilah Cadet brings the reader into her life as a Black woman living with a disability who recognizes that oppressive forces are as constant as her chronic pain. Dr. Cadet talked with the Rightnowish team about racism, ableism and ways one can go about fixing a broken system.

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Rightnowish Presents: Immigrantly’s Conversation with Musician Meklit Hadero Apr 04, 2024

On this episode of Rightnowish, we’re passing the mic to our friends at Immigrantly podcast. Host Saadia Khan and her guests examine traditional narratives Americans hold about immigrants and people of color. Through the process, they carefully unravel the nuance and depth of the immigrant experience. Immigrantly explores the everyday miraculousness of immigrant life, like love, food, faith, friendship and creativity through first-person accounts.

Immigrantly’s guest for this episode is Meklit Hadero. She is a vocalist, songwriter, composer and former refugee who is known for her innovative Ethio-Jazz vocals and lively stage presence. Her music blends together folk, jazz, Eastern African influences, and what Hadero calls "everyday sounds."

She has performed worldwide, and just released a new EP called "Ethio Blue." Her album “When the People Move, the Music Moves Too,” was named among the best records of the year by Bandcamp and the Sunday Times UK. She is a National Geographic Explorer, a TED Senior Fellow, and a former Artist-in-Residence at Harvard University. Hadero is also the co-founder, co-producer, and host of Movement, a podcast, radio series and live show that celebrates songs and stories of immigrant musicians.

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Zoë Boston, the Artistic Alchemist Mar 28, 2024

Zoë Boston is a talented artist who takes the highs and lows of life, and creates moving works of art of all sorts.

She paints huge, brightly-colored aerosol murals depicting otherworldly beings, with elements of Afrocentrism and scenes inspired by nature. She also does oil-based paintings on canvas, smaller in stature but just as powerful. She's a fashionista, who knows how to put an outfit together-- accessories and all. She's a writer, of both short journal-like essays and profound lyrics for songs. Plus she's a talented vocalist.

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Mamas for a Free Palestine: Safety Doesn't Come From Bombs Mar 23, 2024

The Mamas for a Free Palestine collective is made up of mothers across the Bay Area who say they are fed up with business as usual. While they are a relatively new group, these mothers are not new to activism and political organizing. With their children in tow, they are joining with other social justice organizations to demand that elected officials declare a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, as well as end the use of U.S. public funds for Israel's military.

Editor’s note: This episode has been edited in accordance with KQED’s editorial guidelines and Code of Ethics.

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Sabreena Haque on Marking Transitional Milestones with Henna Mar 21, 2024

Mehndi or henna artist Sabreena Haque talks to KQED's Pendarvis Harshaw about setting intentions when having art added to your body, doing menna, aka henna for men and expanding into tattoos.

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Michelle Cruz Gonzales of Spitboy is Punk AF and Lived to Teach About It Mar 07, 2024

This week KQED's Sheree Bishop speaks to Michelle Cruz Gonzales. Michelle spent the late 90s in two iconic all-female punk bands, Spitboy, and Kamala and the Karnivores. In 2016, she released a memoir about her time in Spitboy and being the only woman of color in that band. Now, she teaches English classes with Punk literature at Las Positas College. Michelle talks about feeling seen as a person of color, the importance of supporting artists and musicians, dealing with toxic masculinity, and how east bay punk shaped her personality.

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George Crampton Glassanos has Pendletons, Paint and Passion Feb 29, 2024

George Crampton Glassanos says he isn't an artist, he's a painter.

Despite this assertion, his work is full of eye-catching colors and symbols representative of San Francisco's Mission district culture. It's born out of both a need to serve others, and George's personal urge to create. He's also driven by the need to advocate for the rights of working class people locally and abroad. This all adds to his paintings and drawings, but don't call it artwork.

He recently stopped by KQED's headquarters to share a bit of his story. Then he took us on a short ride to see a few of his hand painted signs and murals— his work.

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Learn to Merge: Northern California Freeways & Culture Feb 22, 2024

Last year I drove over 33,000 miles all around Northern California, constantly pursuing a deeper understanding of this region's culture. And then one day, while sitting in traffic, it hit me: you can tell a lot about our culture by simply looking at the freeways. This week, as we celebrate Rightnowish's 200th episode, I give you a glimpse into the things that I think about while I'm bending corners on Northern California's highways and byways.

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Six Decades of Painting Black History Feb 15, 2024

Ira Watkins paints Black history while living it.

He's a self-taught visual artist who has been using dazzling colors, expressive images and hidden messages to document Black history for decades. His work has graced the walls of his Bayview neighborhood and has been shown at the Tenderloin Museum. He's also painted a huge mural in his hometown of Waco, Texas, where the city dedicated a day in his honor-- now every January 17 is Ira Watkins Day.

This week we talk about Black history with someone who has seen it firsthand, and used his hands to make sure the stories are passed on.

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Tommy Guerrero Creates Lo-fi 'Music From the Earth' Feb 08, 2024

As a kid in San Francisco, Tommy Guerrero would stand on his skateboard, sliding down the steep hills of San Francisco slalom style. He'd dodge the dangerous objects in traffic and aim for the lips of the driveways he'd pass, going off them in attempts to catch air.

This skillset allowed him to win contests, have his own signature board, and turn pro before he could legally buy a beer. Instead, that first check from being signed as a professional skater, was spent on a four track recorder and a drum machine so he could make music.

Skating is where Tommy earned his name as a teenager. Now, as an adult, he still skates but it's more of just a kick and push on smooth pavement in the park, with an occasional ollie here and there. It's the investment he made in his music career that is paying dividends.

For over two decades Tommy has been producing Lo-Fi, boom-bap, jazzy, hip-hop, instrumental music where he plays every instrument. His music is cerebral, and his songs have titles that he pulls out of the ether. He's tuned in to the cosmos, as well as the popular trend of listening to vibey sounds. Plus, he's a dad, so it helps that he's tapped into the culture.

Tune in this week as we discuss music, skating, San Francisco culture, and Tommy's philosophies on fatherhood.

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The ‘Qing’ of Queens Feb 01, 2024

Qing Qi is an artist, talented MC, and an actress who doesn't mince words. Her lyrics are explicit for a reason. She looks at the atrocities that readily happen in this country and all around the world, from bombings to kidnappings, and then she asks what's wrong with saying a few four letter words or euphemisms for genitalia?

Qing Qi also doesn't shy away from the hardships she's navigated while living in the Bay Area. She pours her observations and personal experiences into her lyrics, delivering brash bars over bangin' beats. Last year she also got into acting, playing the role of Ally in the indie film, "Donna and Ally". So this week we talk to Qing Qi about music and movies, as well as the art of using comedy as a stress relief, and why being real with your children is the best form of parenthood-- and she means being really real.

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Underground Rap, Playa Sh*t, Political Joints: Equipto has Bars Jan 25, 2024

Equipto (born Ilyich Sato) is a hip-hop cultural cornerstone and well-known activist who reps San Francisco to the fullest.

He's been making music since the 90s, when he came in the game laying down tracks with the underground group, Bored Stiff. Equipto has rocked shows with the late Mac Dre and was good friends with the late Baba Zumbi of Zion-I. Legendary rapper San Quinn even credits Equipto for teaching him how to properly count rap bars.

We discuss his various roles of mentor, father, artist and activist who is trying to make sense of all the changes happening to his hometown, while simultaneously developing a new community in a new state.

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Rob Woods Knows You Are Worthy Jan 18, 2024

"Been through it all but I feel like it was worth it, not a perfect man but I feel like I am worthy," sings musician Rob Woods in a raspy yet uplifting tone that's reflective of the sentiment in his trademark song, "Worthy."

Woods wrote the song in collaboration with Ricky Jassal, who he met while incarcerated in a California state prison. Since his release, Woods has been traveling around this state reminding people that no matter what they've been through, they too are worthy. His work is important, especially here in California where there are large numbers of imprisoned and unhoused people. For many people, even those who aren't living behind bars or sleeping on the streets, times are hard. In the scramble to pay bills and make ends meet, our inherent value as human beings often gets lost. So this week we talk to Rob Woods for a simple but profound reminder that you too are worthy.

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From Buskin’ on BART to Teaching Turfin’ Jan 11, 2024

"Turfin' is a way of life for me," says Telice Summerfield, a dancer who has the ability turn a BART platform into a stage where she can glide, tut, bend and bone break on beat. She exchanges energy with onlookers; they get entertained and she gets empowered. The dance is an art. It's also a political act, as she takes up space at will.

Today we discuss how the hyphy movement opened her eyes to the arts as a child, how her experience at UC Berkeley exposed her to inequalities on campus as a young adult, and what dancing on BART has taught her about sociology. Now that Telice is a known name in the dancing world, she also gives us some insight on her plans to take the culture even further.

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Boots Riley is Directing the Future Jan 04, 2024

From global issues to community conflicts, Boots Riley has had a foot in a number of the major current events of the past year, and he says he's not done yet. So we're kicking off 2024 by talking to someone who has their finger on the pulse of the culture, and a hand in directing the future.

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'Indigenizing' San Francisco (Yelamu): The Cultural District Honoring Native History Nov 30, 2023

Marisol Medina-Cadena takes a tour of the American Indian Cultural District. It was founded in San Francisco's Mission neighborhood in 2020 to serve as a home base for the Urban Native community.

This episode originally aired on July 22, 2022.

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The Coolest Place on Earth: The Public Library Nov 16, 2023

This week on Rightnowish, we talk to librarian Mychal Threets about what it's like to be a social media star and how the public library system is a place for all.

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Music in the Key of Fatherhood Nov 09, 2023

This week Pendarvis Harshaw talks about how the music he grew up listening to, plays into how he and his daughter bond over music now.

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Wives Angelica Medina and Jahaira Fajardo Share Culture Through Dance Nov 02, 2023

Angelica Medina’s first memories of dance are from when she was five years old doing steps to a Selena performance on TV. Her wife, Jahaira Fajardo, remembers being a New York club kid in her late teens, when she thinks of her earliest dance experiences. That’s because dancing felt very heteronormative and exclusionary, and as a lesbian growing up in a Dominican household, dancing seemed just not okay for her. Now as adults, Angelica and Jahaira are co-founders of In Lak’ech, the first queer salsa and bachata dance academy in the U.S. and they are out to create dance spaces that build inclusivity.

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Meet the Emo Drag King Who's Bending the Gender Binary Oct 26, 2023

Born and raised in Oakland, Helixir Jynder Byntwell did drag as a hobby until August 2022. That's when they quit their job, won the SF Drag King of the Year competition, and became a professional king, all in the span of a week. Since then, they’ve joined the Rebel Kings of Oakland, a performance troupe based at the White Horse Bar. They’ve also participated in several well-attended performances in New York and in the Bay Area, most recently at the Castro Street Fair. Byntwell’s performances are always fun, always flamboyant, and more often than not, very emo. On this episode of Rightnowish, they describe their perception of queer joy, and how it feels to exist uninhibited.

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The Hip-Hop Photojournalist Who Makes Guests Feel At Home Oct 19, 2023

Inside of a classic Queen Anne Victorian in West Oakland, photographer Traci Bartlow displays beautifully framed images of the people who shaped hip-hop culture here in the Bay Area, and across the nation. Photos of Outkast and Queen Latifah, Busta Rhymes and ODB, hang alongside images of the Luniz and Shock-G, as well as E-40 and The Click.

While the photos tell a story about what life was like in growing up in Oakland, it's her house, which is a photography museum and a boutique hotel, that tells the complex story of multiple generations of Black folks, land ownership and community appreciation.

This episode originally aired on October 14, 2022

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Hyphy Kids Got Trauma Pt 4, "My Generation's Report Card" Oct 12, 2023

Despite the uptempo party music and the perception of free-spirited fun, it's clear that 2006 was a violent year in my Northern Californian community. But until recently, I hadn't stopped to consider the issues impacting the kids of the Bay Area in the early 2000s, during the hyphy movement: violence, crime, poverty, sexism, racism, and other forms of discrimination. These are no different from the issues we're facing today. If you look closely enough, you'll see that all these issues are rooted in capitalism and imperialism.

In this episode we talk to Congresswoman Barbara Lee, who represents the East Bay, about her history of dealing with these issues while serving this community for the past 25 years; Rich Iyala, a younger San Francisco based musician who wrote a song that inspired multiple aerosol artists to write tags that read, "hyphy children got trauma(s)" and "hyphy kids got trauma,"; and T'Jon, a senior at Oakland's Fremont High school, who was born in 2006 and views the hyphy movement as a groundswell of art, culture and community.

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Hyphy Kids Got Trauma Pt 3, "From DVDs to MTV" Oct 05, 2023

In the early 2000s, the underground DVD business was a major conduit of culture. Those documentaries showed the backstory of hip-hop artists and street culture all across the United States. One of the films Hood 2 Hood: The Blockumentary,, also included an early depiction of hyphy culture as I knew it to be-- hyper aggressive. But as the "hyphy movement" spread, the way the culture was shown drastically deviated from the origins of the term.

In this episode, filmmaker Aquis "Cash Out Quis" Bryant discusses the era before hyphy went nationwide. Mac Dre's former manager, Chioke "Seaside Stretch" McCoy shares insight on how Dre's murder pushed the culture into the spotlight; and how the industry subsequently took the "hyphy movement" and ran with it. And Rita Forte, a former radio host known as DJ Backside, opens up about the highs of taking the hyphy sound around the world, and the lows of seeing her DJ career come crashing down after bad experience while working for a local radio station.

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Hyphy Kids Got Trauma Pt 2, "We Dance Different" Sep 28, 2023

Before the "hyphy movement" and even prior to having its own name, the style of dance now commonly known as Turfin' or Turf Dancing, provided an outlet for young folks in Oakland to party to their favorite music, have fun by physically telling stories and express themselves while taking up room on the floor.

In this episode, we talk to Jeriel Bey, the person credited with coining the term, "Turfin'," Jacky Johnson, a founding Youth Uprising staff member, and Jesus El, my longtime friend and a well-known turf dancer.

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Hyphy Kids Got Trauma Pt 1, “In the Building” Sep 21, 2023

The Hyphy Movement was often looked at as goofy, but there was a lot of pain behind those big sunglasses and oversized airbrushed t-shirts. Welcome to Hyphy Kids Got Trauma, a four-part series about the Bay Area, and the significance of the year 2006.

In part one we land in Oakland and meet host Pendarvis Harshaw, a budding journalist at 18 years old. We see the highs and lows, the songs and scars, of that year through his eyes, and meet a few of the artists behind the music.

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Rightnowish Presents 'Hyphy Kids Got Trauma' Sep 14, 2023

Rightnowish Presents 'Hyphy Kids Got Trauma' - A four part exploration of a transformative year in Bay Area music history, 2006, through the eyes and ears of Pendarvis Harshaw. As a college student and burgeoning journalist at the time, Pendarvis navigates the shifting tides of a culture in transition, all set to the seminal sounds of the Bay Area’s “Hyphy Movement.” It was an era fueled by uptempo, bass-heavy songs with a free and fun-loving vibe. But 2006 also marked the second highest homicide total that the city of Oakland has ever seen. The violence was compounded by drugs, over-policing, the onset of gentrification, and the ongoing War On Terror. The wounds that occurred almost twenty years ago still impact the adults of the Bay Area today. Hyphy kids got trauma, and this is why. The 1st episode airs September 21st!

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Rightnowish Presents Ritually Podcast: 'A Feminist Call to Prayer' Sep 05, 2023

Hey Rightnowish listeners, today we’ve got a special bonus episode to share with you. It’s from our friends at Ritually, a new podcast, from Brazen Media hosted by London-based journalist Nelufar Hedayat. She’s reported about all sorts of things — human trafficking, the war in Afghanistan (where she was born), the climate crisis and more.

Now, she’s looking inward, and trying to answer some big questions that came up for her during the early days of the pandemic. What does spirituality look like, when you think of yourself as a secular person? What role do rituals play in our fast-paced world? And how can we use them to help make our lives feel calmer, richer, and more balanced?

In her podcast, Nelufar tries out new spiritual or wellness rituals to find out if practicing them can actually make us feel better. In this episode, she digs into a ritual that’s at the centre of her religion: the daily call to prayer. But as a progressive Muslim woman, she struggles with patriarchal interpretations of Islam, and the constraints of organized religion. So with the help of feminist spiritual practitioner, Nelufar tries following a new version of the call to prayer. And it’s different — radical, actually! — because it’s in a woman’s voice.

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Adorned: Host Marisol Medina-Cadena Exits Her Flop Era Sep 01, 2023

What began as a personal quest to get out of this rut (or flop era as the chronically online people say) that I was experiencing, quickly developed into my focal point for work. So, I enlisted the help of my podcast department colleagues to help me figure out how I would translate this self help journey for our Rightnowish podcast.

I know this was my idea but still... I was lowkey nervous about stepping into the limelight as the host, airing out personal woes of not feeling my best self, feeling like a ghost of myself (if I'm being totally honest).

Turns out, that the dedicated time to focus on this theme of adornment for work was a befitting experiment. It allowed me to bring my full self to work and not have to hide the truth that I was feeling so crummy about myself. With the goal of learning new tools to work myself out of this self loathing pit, I set out to interview Bay Area creatives/business owners who specialized in different forms of adornment: fragrance, flower arrangements, colorful clothing and custom jewelry.

Learning to view these forms of decorations as rituals has been a game changer for me. I now realize getting ready doesn't have to be about centering opulence, it can be about taking care of myself and setting intentions for the day or for the experience I want to manifest. I hope this series has been enjoyable for you as much as it has for me.

To celebrate the end of this series, we leave you with a conversation between producer Xorje Olivares and I about the journey of making 'Adorned'

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Adorned: Chelsea Macalino-Calalay Makes the Bling of Your Dreams Aug 25, 2023

Jewelry designer and brand creator of Wyphys, Chelsea Macalino-Calalay exudes fierceness, but also serenity. Rocking bleached brows that match her shag-mullet, a crystal blue gem on her canine tooth, delicate rings, and a thick gold chain, heart pendant choker, that was inherited from her auntie, Macalino-Calalay’s style is all encompassing. If her style and brand aesthetic was personified in a doll, it’d be more akin to Bratz then Barbie, because her custom jewelry pieces are about making statements, not meant to take the backseat to the wardrobe.

Macalino-Calalay cites her strong sense of style to her fashion-forward family who migrated from the Philippines to San Francisco's SOMA neighborhood in the 1970s. Maintaining a relationship to the homeland is also a big part of Macalino-Calalay's craft and reflected in her Whyphys jewelry. Take her recent collection, Palengke, named after the wet markets in the Philippines. The beaded earrings and charm necklaces pay tribute to the ingredients and foods she’d see while visiting. One pair of dangly earrings is made up of peach quartz, a green glass bead, and dalmatian jasper to replicate the layered, multi-colored rice cake snack sapin-sapin.

Macalino-Calalay’s gold plated Wyphys jewelry is colorful, spunky, and perfectly suited for all the occasions -- stunting at the workplace, hanging with the homies, even hittin’ up the skateparks. Macalino-Calalay actually beta tests the durability of her bling by skating with it, because as she says, she makes accessories for the “sweaty girlies” and “active people” who don't sacrifice comfort for fashion.

On this week’s episode of Rightnowish, Chelsea Macalino-Calalay talks about adornment with bling, the historical significance of gold for Pinoy folks, and how her Wyphy creations are a celebration of friendship, queerness and the hyphy state of mind.

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Adorned: Florist Jessica Cotrim on Letting Our Intuition Bloom Aug 18, 2023

The dahlia is San Francisco’s official flower and it’s also a favorite for the Excelsior raised floral designer, Jessica Alicia Cotrim. Her love for San Francisco and her neighborhood is on full display when you walk into her cozy shop, Beija Flor Flower Gallery. Between the hanging dried roses, there’s Muni inspired artwork and pieces flaunting the 415 area code. The register table is adorned with hella stickers promoting local businesses and creatives.

Besides repping her San Francisco pride, Cotrim’s store honors her Brazilian and Salvadoran roots. When the words “beija” and “flor” are paired together in Brazilian Portuguese, it translates to hummingbird. Cotrim says the symbolism of the hummingbird in Salvadoran and other Latino cultures represents the spirits of loved ones that have passed on. In this way, her business Beija Flor honors her family’s lineage that shaped her craftsmanship and work ethic. When creating custom bouquets Cotrim seeks to match customers' energy and desires with flowers and she does that by tapping into her ancestral intuition to bring forth healing floral experiences.

On this episode of Rightnowish, Jessica Alicia Cotrim talks to me about the ways flowers can promote wellness and how we can cultivate our intuition with the help of our flower friends.

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Adorned: Sophia Mitty Stitches Her Pride for the 415 Aug 11, 2023

When Sophia Mitty first started to sew, she was making it work from her bedroom. She’d place a wooden board on top of her bed as a makeshift table in order to cut out patterns. Nowadays, Mitty has her own work space to really spread out and create. Located in South San Francisco, her studio complete with heavy duty industrial sewing machines, affectionately dubbed “Sew City” (or “The Stu” for short) is a playground of color.

In foggy frisco, where gray skies are plentiful, Mitty’s colorful hand-dyed and painted garments pop. Her line of denim jackets and utility pants for femmes offer classic and clean silhouettes with a funky twist. They come in shades like tangerine, cherry red, kiwi green, even earthy pigments like rust. Marbled patterns are options too. “I use clothing as therapy, as a way to set the mood of the day. It's the easiest way to change your everyday life or make some kind of difference.”

On this episode of Rightnowish, clothing maker Sophia Mitty talks about stitching her pride for the 415, how color therapy influences her wardrobe, and why leaning into goofiness can help us dress for joy.

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Adorned: Perfumer Mauricio Garcia Puts the Aroma of The Bay in a Bottle Aug 04, 2023

The Bay Area is home to enchanting ecosystems. For starters, we have sand dunes, golden grassland hills, redwood forests, and the pacific coast. Whenever I get a waft of the marine fog or the cool Bay breeze, I feel cleansed. Now imagine being able to take in that smell whenever or wherever you are. That’s precisely what the fragrance, Memoria, by Mauricio Garicia conjures.

The perfumer’s fascination with fragrance began in his abuelita’s garden. In foggy South San Francisco, her small backyard was an oasis of potted plants and greenery growing off trellises. “I remember crushing the rosemary with my fingers and the pericón, the grandmother mint, and the jasmine,” reflects Mauricio Garica. “My grandmother really loved flowers, especially fragrant ones. I certainly inherited that love from her.”

With this ancestral inheritance and a deep reverence for plants native to Mexico as well as ecology of the Bay Area, Garcia’s boutique perfume line, Herbcraft Perfumery, honors the sacredness of the natural world. It’s why he refers to his perfumes as eau d’esprit, or spirit waters.

These spirit waters are intended as offerings — to anoint ones wrist or neck as well as for filling the air in ones living space, especially around altars, mirrors and candles. In this way, Garcia believes his fragrances help facilitate connection with the spirit world and ancestors.

On this episode of Rightnowish, Mauricio Garcia poetically breaks down the science of why scent is tied to memory and how the ritual of adorning our bodies with fragrance can empower and enchant.

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Pocho Poet Josiah Luis Alderete Speaks Fire In The Mission Jul 28, 2023

In a city that gives the cold shoulder to working class people and creative folks that aren't backed by trust funds or tech money, Medicine for Nightmares Bookstore opens their doors to those who still care about the artistic soul of San Francisco. It's a place where you can walk in and be greeted with a warm "Hey hermano, Hey prima, Hey familia," and strike up a conversation with the booksellers, fellow readers or local writers that frequent the Mission shop. It's a venue where folks can read to a supportive inter generational audience, a gallery space showcasing artists of color, a community sanctuary to just stop in and exhale a deep breath from the chaos of the city.

It's a vibe that is tended to and nurtured by co-owner and poet Josiah Luis Alderete. Coming of age in San Francisco in the 90s, he became immersed in the vibrant literary scene bourgeoning in the Mission. "People say North Beach is the heart of a literary scene in San Pancho or in San Francisco, and I'd say, nah, man, it's the Mission," he muses. As bookstores and cafes from that era have shuttered in the neighborhood, Alderete is helping keep the Mission poetry scene alive through organizing and booking local writers to read and share their work at the 24th street bookstore.

In our conversation back in March 2022, Josiah shared literary history of the Mission, why Axolotl's show up in his pocho poems, and how his work is a form of memory keeping.

Read the transcript

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The SOL Affirmations Podcast Talks The Gift of Impermanence Jul 21, 2023

On today's show we're passing the microphone to Dr. Felicia Gangloff- Bailey and Karega Bailey, hosts of the SOL Affirmations podcast.

Karega and Felicia are both educators, and members of the R&B-soul-hip-hop band SOL Development. They're also a married couple who’ve navigated the harsh realities of losing loved ones to gun violence, as well as the unfortunate passing of their first child, who was just a newborn, as they've previously discussed on Rightnowish.

In this episode, Felicia and Karega talk about taking a recent trip with their two year-old, Kamali, and realizing how much their child has grown. With that growth, there is both beauty and struggle.

Through reflecting on the experience, they share how it stands as an ever-important reminder to be present because no matter what you're going through-- good or bad-- this too shall pass.

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Liner Notes: Flutist and Vocalist Elena Pinderhughes is Limitless Jul 07, 2023

Elena Pinderhughes has been around the East Bay jazz scene since before she learned how to walk. Since recording her first published work as a kid, she has gone on to share stages with Herbie Hancock and work with Carlos Santana. She's also played NPR's Tiny Desk with Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah (formerly Christian Scott) and even rocked onstage with Future at Coachella .

But Elena says she wouldn't be where she is today without family support and the musical institutions of the East Bay. Working with her brother, pianist and vocalist Samora Pinderhughes, assisted her growth at home, while organizations like the Young Musicians Choral Orchestra aided her progress in the community.

Elena is preparing for the next iteration of her career, relying on the tools given to her by the Bay Area's multi-talented musical community, as she moves into the world of scoring films, making R&B music and more.

Read the transcript

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Liner Notes: Big Vibin' with Bassist Giulio Xavier Cetto Jun 30, 2023

Raised in musical family, Giulio Xavier Cetto's musical influences range from his Venezuelan-Italian heritage to Bay Area rap. Giulio can play multiple styles and genres with ease, but at the intersection of jazz and hip hop is where his artistry truly shines. He brings an electric energy to his performances, encouraging audiences to not only vibe, but to get up and dance.

Playing tribute to these genres, Giulio hosts and performs at a reoccurring "Sunday Slaps" night at San Francisco's beloved jazz venue, Black Cat. He also curates a weekly jazz set at Golden Gate Park's Stowe Lake Boathouse.

Between gigging and recording with notable musicians including Kev Choice, Spelling, Kassa Overall, and Fantastic Negrito, he leads and composes original music for his own jazz band, Big Trippin. On their debut album, which drops this year, you can hear Giulio's passion for jazz and hip hop.

On Rightnowish, Giulio talks about his favorite San Francisco venues to perform in, how the synthesis between jazz and hip-hop shape his sound and why the bass (upright and electric) is the heart of music.

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Liner Notes: Dr. Angela Wellman and Music Of The Highest Order Jun 23, 2023

Dr. Angela Wellman’s musical journey traces back to her upbringing in Kansas City, MO. As a young person involved in a music training initiative that was backed by the CETA (Comprehensive Employment and Training Act) program, she found the trombone– or rather, it found her.

In 2005, after music carried her around the map, Angela founded the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music as a way to assist Black and brown kids in accessing musical education. Now, after receiving numerous accolades for her work, including the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Study Fellowship and being inducted into the Alameda County Women’s Hall of Fame, Dr. Wellman recently completed her doctorate degree in education. The focus of her dissertation: the importance of access to music for Black and brown children.

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Liner Notes: Peace, Love, and Sax With Lidia Rodriguez Jun 16, 2023

Dimming one's light in the face of haters is not something Lidia Rodriguez knows how to do. Whenever she gets comments from guys about her size or gender, the baritone player is quick to clap back with a joke and prove them wrong. "When I'm playing my bari sax, I feel huge. I feel powerful. I feel seven feet tall. I feel like no one could tell me s**t. Like I feel so good about myself. "

Lidia Rodriguez is a musical force performing and recording across genre. She gets down playing cumbia with La Misa Negra, rocks stages with electronic group Madame Gandhi, and even goes dumb while performing with the Golden State Warriors brass band, the Bay Blue Notes.

Growing up in Mudville a.k.a Stockton, and later attending San Jose State, Lidia says she is a product of public music education. Now, as an educator herself, teaching bilingual music lessons, Lidia is not only training the next generation of musicians but also nurturing students to be self compassionate and authentically themselves.

On this week's Rightnowish, Lidia Rodriguez talks about the power of showing up as her full self (a queer and Latina saxophonist) in music spaces and her mission to spread the power of "peace, love and sax."

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Liner Notes: Jazz Advocate, Greg Bridges Jun 09, 2023

Welcome to the first episode of Liner Notes, the Rightnowish podcast series all about jazz in the Bay Area. We're starting this off with a conversation with someone who has a wealth of knowledge, especially when it comes to jazz, Greg Bridges.

As a journalist and longtime radio host at Bay Area radio stations KCSM and KPFA, Greg is steeped in Bay Area jazz history. As a reoccurring host of events like the San Jose Jazz Festival, he also has his finger on the current pulse of the culture.

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Poetry of the Pacific with Terisa Siagatonu Jun 02, 2023

This episode originally aired on April 22, 2022 .

Terisa Siagatonu's poetry navigates climate change and its impact on marginalized communities from the lens of someone who was proudly raised in San Francisco, by a family with deep Samoan roots.

In our conversation, Terisa looks back at January 2022's underwater eruption that caused massive tsunamis in Samoa, Tonga, Fiji and other nations in Oceania. Initially, the disaster made headlines and relief efforts filled social media feeds, but Terisa questions what sustained care looks like for those impacted by a changing global climate.

This week on Rightnowish, Terisa Siagatonu discusses climate justice and how she "languages" her experience.

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Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll: Richard Humphrey's Skate Journey May 26, 2023

This piece was originally a part of Rightnowish's 2021 series, Roll With Us, all about the Bay Area's community and culture on wheels.

Every Sunday San Francisco's Richard Humphrey teaches weekly roller dance classes in San Leandro; his students have the honor of learning from someone who has been on quad skates for five decades.

From 1979 to 1988, Richard was a part of the Golden Rollers, a trio of skaters who regularly performed in Golden Gate Park.

By now, Richard has taught thousands of people his signature skating style of "roller dance" (even Dr. Oz) through in-person classes and video tutorials.

After noticing the rise of skating's popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic, Richard wanted to make sure folks knew that skating has a deep-seated culture with a history that pre-dates the internet, and moves that sparkled on the rink long before most viral stars were born.

This week on Rightnowish, we roll into Memorial Day weekend-- the unofficial start of summer-- with the legendary Richard Humphrey.

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Pen’s Pals: Writing Sci-Fi in South Africa May 12, 2023

Anwar Bey grew up in Southern California, but spent his formative, young adult years in San Francisco. He moved to the Bay Area to live out his dream of creating video games. Then in 2021, after spending a decade in Northern California, he moved to Johannesburg, South Africa. That's where he's found the clarity to write about the future.

Bey is the author of a series of sci-fi stories titled, The Book of Woldu. It's an exploration of love, family and intergalactic time travel from the perspective of an East African family. Bey says his time spent traveling the continent, talking to people and experiencing life from a new perspective, has allowed him to pen these stories and further develop his multimedia platform, PLASMAWorlds.

When asked why it's important to tell stories about Black futures, he jokingly responds, "Because we're out here." He follows up by saying, "... we're going to exist in the future just as powerfully as we exist in the present and so that's why I'm creating this work to inspire."

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Pen’s Pals: Putting on for Tehran in the Bay May 05, 2023

Inside of Mohammad Gorjestani's office, there's hella artwork. The filmmaker and co-founder of Even/Odd Studios, has painted collages of wrestlers from Iran mounted near photographed images of Bay Area sideshows. There's stories embroidered on skateboard decks, family heirlooms in the form of pottery and even a tiny replica IranAir airplane. Books written in Farsi line the walls, and Persian carpets on the floor, require you to change out of your footwear and into slippers, as is the custom in Iran.

Gorjestani was raised on the west side of San Jose and has lived in San Francisco for two decades, but his heart remains tied to the place he was born, Tehran, Iran.

He has childhood memories from his homeland, the last of which are from when he and his family left the country during the Iran-Iraq War. He hasn't visited home since moving to the United States, but he has never been severed from the culture. As he soaked up all of the game the Bay Area offers, he simultaneously held true to his roots. At the same time, he grew critical of the United States; now he uses his art to question the forces that cause oppression here and abroad.

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Dear Future Self: Letters From Fremont High Students Apr 28, 2023

Imagine opening a letter from yourself as a high school student, addressed to the current version of you.

10, 15, or even 30 years ago, what did you care about? What were you curious about? Did you have fears about the world? goals of being a lawyer or a ball player? boy bands you wanted to see in concert? friendships that you hoped would last forever?

Do you even remember the high school version of you?

On this week's episode of Rightnowish, we combine forces with students from Oakland's Fremont High School, as they share letters to their future selves for KQED's annual Youth Takeover Week.

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Pen's Pals: A Plunge Into Literature and London's Cold Ponds Apr 21, 2023

Toby Brothers left the U.S. and fell in love with traveling the world. After working as an educator at The Athenian School in Danville, she initially left for Paris before moving to the United Kingdom. Once there, she became the founder and director of the London Literary Salon. The organization, in its simplest form, is a book club with a twist. They meet in-person or virtually, discuss classic works of literature and sometimes they take trips to locations mentioned in the stories. When asked what she’d share with people from her travels, Brothers advised: “Go not for the world to entertain you, but for you to understand how small your own experience is.”

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Pen's Pals: Living Rent-Free in Kuwait Apr 14, 2023

When photographer and filmmaker Aïdah Aaliyah Rasheed left her Northern California home in 2019, she knew that she had a job and housing awaiting her in the country of Kuwait.

Rasheed and her husband, Stephen Jamal Leeper, took contracts working at a school, and as a part of their employment, the married couple and their children were given complimentary housing.

“What’s nice about not having to think about that,” says Rasheed of living rent-free, “is that you can think about other things, you know." Her family invests their money in other experiences, like traveling.

Since moving, they've visited a number of countries in the region, and no longer have to consider the high cost of housing in the Bay Area. But living on the other side of the globe hasn't stopped Rasheed from keeping tabs on the U.S. through check-ins with extended family, conversations with community and her side gig-- a project that she's been working on for over a year.

When she's not making media or leading classroom projects about how society is designed, Rasheed is working as a curator for Sapelo Square, a publication focused on highlighting stories of Black Muslims in the U.S. and throughout the diaspora.

This week, Rasheed shares with us the importance of using media to tell real stories of the Black muslim diaspora, the beauty of the daily calls to prayer in Kuwait, and what she misses about home-- evidently, there's no shea butter like the kind you find at the Berkeley Flea Market.

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Pen's Pals: A Journey to Heal in Mexico City Apr 07, 2023

Richmond-raised photographer Christopher Nechodom retraced his family's roots to a small town in Mexico. In doing so, he left behind the pricey Bay Area -- a place that he loves dearly but was costing him more than money; peace of mind was at stake.

After experiencing a series of traumatic events: a victim of armed robbery as a kid, losing a close friend to homicide as a young adult, and then narrowly escaping the tragic Ghostship Fire, that took the lives of 36 people in 2018, Nechodom says he's now on the path toward healing . “I think the fire just opened the floodgates,” Nechodom tells me. “And it also forced me to finally get in touch with my own vulnerability and really address that trauma.”

Now a resident of Mexico City, Nechodom spends his time between the capital city and the state of Michoacán, where his mother's side of the family is from. The time spent in the state where he has roots allows for reflection and connection, while in Mexico City he has access to business opportunities and artist circles.

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Rightnowish Presents MIXED: Musician Guap on His Black and Filipino Heritage Mar 24, 2023

This week on Rightnowish we've got a special episode from our friends at KQED's The California Report Magazine. They’ve launched a new series called MIXED: Stories of Mixed Race Californians. Over 7 episodes, the hosts Sasha Khokha and Marisa Lagos have honest conversations with other mixed race Californians about the challenges and joys of being multi racial.

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From the Soil: How the Seed Was Planted Mar 17, 2023

Northern California is this beautiful piece of land where high mountains, deep valleys, and cold beaches can bring about a sense of peace. At the same time, the people who live here are constantly debating the land itself.

So over the past five weeks we decided to focus on stories broadly about life and land in Northern California, as a part of our From The Soil series. More specifically, we honed in on what people from communities directly impacted by climate change, polluted soil and the privatization of land are doing to right the wrongs of this piece of earth we call home.

After racking up over 1,000 miles reporting these audio stories, for the final episode in this series, Rightnowish producer Marisol Medina-Cadena and Rightnowish host Pendarvis Harshaw take a minute to sit down and discuss the behind-the-scenes of making the series. From herds of elk grazing near the 101 south bypass to the prevalence of people walking on freeways, this land tells so many stories, so we figured we’d share a few more with you all.

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From The Soil: Protecting Sacred Land in the South Bay Mar 10, 2023

At the southern edge of the South Bay in Santa Clara County, where the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains meet the town of Gilroy, there is a grassy pasture. Here, a small stream runs through acres of land while cattle graze and birds fly above.

This piece of land is a proposed mining site—but it's also traditional ceremonial ground for the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band.

For over 200 years, the Amah Mutsun have been unable to access one of their most sacred sites, known as Juristac.

"Juristac translates to the place of the Big Head. Our most important ceremonies were Big Head ceremonies. And so this location is where our ancestors, for thousands and thousands of years, held Big Head dances and ceremony," says Valentine Lopez, chairman of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band.

For the last seven years the tribal band has organized support from the local community, religious leaders, conservation groups and nearby city councils to stand in support against the development of the Sargent Quarry project, a proposal to use the land for mining purposes.

The Santa Clara Board of Supervisors is currently reviewing the proposed mining project's environmental impact report.

This week we hear from Valentin Lopez , the tribal chairman of the Amah Mutsun, speak about the historical and spiritual significance of Juristac, and the movement to protect the land for the Amah Mutsun.

Read the episode transcript.

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From the Soil: A Family Tree on Toxic Terrain Mar 03, 2023

In honor of her late mother's efforts, Arieann Harrison is continuing the fight against environmental racism in San Francisco's Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood. She is the founder of Can We Live, an organization that is working with local residents to screen them for toxins and install devices to monitor airborne pollutants. Can We Live also offers scholarships for students interested in studying environmental justice.

This week we talk to Arieann Harrison about growing up in toxic terrain and how her work doesn't fall far from the family tree.

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From the Soil: Viticulture for the Culture Feb 24, 2023

On a steep hillside in San Francisco’s St. Mary’s Park, nestled between the Alemany Apartments, the 280 Freeway and the Bernal Heights Neighborhood, there’s a wine vineyard that doubles as a teaching tool.

A patch of land adjacent to Alemany Farm is being cultivated by Christopher Renfro and Jannea Tschirch, the co-founders of The 280 Project.

Their aim is to use public land to grow crops and introduce people to the world of agriculture, with a specific focus on getting young African-American residents of San Francisco interested in viticulture.

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From the Soil: Farmworkers Building Fire Resilience Feb 17, 2023

On a crisp afternoon at the Bouverie Preserve in Glen Ellen, a group of twenty one farmworkers suit up in firefighter gear. Woman and men take turns helping each other strap on backpacks and fire helmets in preparation for another intense day of prescribed burn training. These are carefully planned low intensity fires set under specific environmental conditions, intended to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires.

Many of these immigrant and Indigenous farmworkers typically work in the grape fields throughout Sonoma County, but extreme drought, flooding, and massive wildfires have made these jobs more precarious.

Seeing the need for alternative jobs that provide safety training and fair wages, a coalition of organizations including North Bay Jobs with Justice, Audubon Canyon Ranch, and Resilience Force teamed up to create paid opportunities that tackle our climate crisis head on. Part of this work includes certifying farmworkers to do prescribed burns on private lands throughout the North Bay, as a way to prevent the build up of fuel before fire season.

Prescribed burns are not a new practice by any means. They are rooted in many cultures. Some of these farmworkers have already practiced prescribed burns in their homelands in Mexico and Central America, and bring this ancestral ecological knowledge to their new line of work.

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From the Soil: Unfolding the Story of Black Miners Bar Feb 10, 2023

A few miles northeast of the California state capital, in the city of Folsom, a public recreation area has recently been renamed Black Miners Bar, after years of being called Negro Bar. Historically, the site is where African American miners were relegated to panning during California’s Gold Rush of the mid-1800s. In the summer of 2022, California State Parks unanimously voted to change the name of Negro Bar to Black Miners Bar temporarily, while the department conducts more research into the true history of the area.

For more on what actually transpired on this piece of land we talk to one of the lead researchers on the project, Susan D. Anderson, History Curator and Program Manager at the California African American Museum. We also talk to Michael Harris, a historian and chair of the Friends of Negro Bar community group.

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What Bay Hip-Hop’s Past Says About Its Future Feb 03, 2023

This story is part of That’s My Word, KQED’s year-long exploration of Bay Area hip-hop history, with new content dropping all throughout 2023.

Dave “Davey D” Cook is a cornerstone of hip-hop culture.

He currently co-hosts KPFA’s Hard Knock Radio and serves as a processor of Africana studies at San Francisco State University, where he teaches popular courses on hip-hop and African American music. Davey D is a practitioner of the culture as well as a critic. Over the span of five decades, he’s been an MC, DJ, journalist, activist — the list goes on.

Originally from The Bronx, New York, Davey D was there when this thing we call hip-hop was in its nascent form, before it even had a name. When he arrived in the Bay Area in the early ’80s, one of his missions as a UC Berkeley student was to lend some insight to this burgeoning culture. So he put on a few events, one of which was The Day in Hip-Hop on Oct. 24, 1984. With the 50th anniversary of hip-hop at the front of mind, I spoke to Davey D about what the culture was like back then and how far it has come.

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Best of Big Love: AB Banks on Radical Self-Love Jan 27, 2023

This episode was originally part of the four-part series on BIG LOVEfrom 2021. We're revisiting it as a part of our 2023 kickoff series highlighting some of the best stories from our archives.

AB Banks, defines love as "doing the right thing with a passion." That means taking care of themselves and their folks, and they see the potential of self-love to be communal and revolutionary.

Day-to-day AB works with the People’s Programs in Oakland, supporting their unhoused neighbors through clinics and food donations. Outside of that, AB is deep in the practice of meditation. This is after setting out on a personal journey to learn the art of meditation, which included a trip abroad to study with renowned practitioners. In 2021 AB launched the Mad Chill series of short meditative videos with the aim of making this practice more accessible.

In our conversation, AB shares what they've learned and some of the tools they've acquired on this journey to understanding the various shapes self-love can take.

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Best of Roll With Us: Dueñas Car Club Jan 20, 2023

This episode was originally part of the Roll With Us: Community and Culture on Wheelsseries from 2021. We're revisiting it as a part of our 2023 kickoff series highlighting some of the best stories from our archives.

Dueñas Car Club is a sisterhood that rolls on 100-spoke rims.

Angel Romero is president of the club, which was founded in 2019 and is based in Sunnyvale, California. She's been cruising the strip since she was a kid in the passenger seat of her mother's lowrider.

It was through her mother that Angel inherited her passion for cool cars, cruising through the city, and serving the community.

Now, the members of the car club work with local organization to hold toy drives and distribute safety kits. They also pull up to events like car hops and car shows, stunting in full force.

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Best Of Reel Talk: Filmmakers Jon & Alba Jan 13, 2023

This episode was originally part of the "Reel Talk: Filmmaking in the Bay Area… Rightnowish" series from 2021. We're revisiting it as a part of our 2023 kickoff series highlighting some of the best stories from our archives.

San Francisco State graduates Alba Roland Mejia and Jon Warfield Harrison are in the early stages of their careers as filmmakers, but their work is already being supported by the likes of Join The Movement Coalition, Oaklandish, Marshawn Lynch's Beastmode, and Kodak.

Alba and Jon have released a handful of short films which are artistic, a bit experimental and occasionally include a dash of science fiction.

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Best of Musicians to Know: Nappy Nina Jan 06, 2023

This episode was originally part of the "Rightnowish: Musicians to Know" series from 2021. We're revisiting it as a part of our 2023 kickoff series highlighting some of the best stories from our archives.

Nappy Nina is a lyricist with a smooth-sultry delivery that's almost jazz-like, especially when coupled with some signature boom-bap production. In her songs, she raps about breakups, missing Oakland, the disappointing produce in Brooklyn, and navigating rough financial waters.

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Food (Still) Don't Slap Dec 16, 2022

If you're going to use Bay Area slang, use it right.

"Slap" is a term used in this region since the early 2000s to describe the sound of music laden with hard-hitting 808 drum machine beats and heavy bass lines. It's not a word to describe a quality sandwich.

While language, especially slang, is full of words with multiple meanings, many folks from the soil have been on a mission to set the record straight on how the lingo should be used.

This week on Rightnowish, we're diving deep into the etymology of the term and clarifying how it's best applied.

This piece was originally published as a written article in January 2022, you can find that by clicking here.

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Cookin' Up Community with Chef Avery Zeus Dec 09, 2022

Chef Avery Zeus is a whiz at combining flavors. They use that same energy when they bring queer people of color together at the monthly "Taco Tuesgay" pop-up event in Oakland. Zeus' company, Concept Kitchen, plans the catering for the event, but their main business is making sure that other QTIBIPOC-led food start-ups have the resources to succeed in the hospitality industry through kitchen access, booking services, and equipment for catering and street vending.

Rightnowish's Corey Antonio Rose spoke to Chef Zeus about the importance of gathering space, even when it's temporary, and why you shouldn't rush the process when it comes to cooking.

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From Pro Football to R&B, Larrenwong Puts His Heart Into It Dec 02, 2022

It seems like LarrenWong can do a little bit of everything.

He's a former linebacker who played football at James Logan High School and Northwestern University, before signing a professional contract with the Seattle Seahawks. He's an avid reader, student of art history and a talented painter. He's a rising R&B star who sings, writes and plays the guitar; earlier this year he dropped a quality album titled, Songs That I Hate To Sing.

Raised in Union City where he was exposed to different cultures, competitive athletes and creative individuals, Larren says his earliest musical influence came from inside of own his home. His grandfather, Mr. B (Butler Wong), was a former member of the New York Philharmonic and one of Larren's first musical instructors.

Larren took those lessons and built on them. He learned to play the guitar and write music. After stepping away from his football career, Larren jumped full-time into music and he's been making waves ever since.

His work is spreading. Earlier this year Larren was invited to perform the song "Mama" off his latest project for the web-based musical performance series, COLORS Studios.

And this week Larren sits down with the Rightnowish team to discuss it all.

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Director Maria Victoria Ponce Captures the Cringe of Adolescence Nov 18, 2022

Filmmaker Maria Victoria Ponce was raised in Richmond, CA. She’s mastered the art of telling stories that speak to her individual experience of coming up there, as well as the awkwardness that’s universally found in the process of growing up– no matter where you’re from.

Recently, she invited Rightnowish host Pendarvis Harshaw and producer Marisol Medina-Cadena to stop by and see the family photos that inspire her coming of age films. They discussed the inspiration for her films and what it means to rep Richmond's Latino community.

A 2022 Ranin Fellow, Maria says she now has the resources to tell more stories about Richmond, and plans to expand to other genres, including drama and horror.

Watch her film Ruda.

Read the transcript

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'Every Student Deserves a Black Teacher' Nov 11, 2022

This week on Rightnowish, we’re sharing an episode from our friends at KQED’s Mindshift Podcast. It’s all about new approaches to raising and educating children.

I didn’t have my first Black teacher until 7th grade, and only one after that until college. When I became a teacher, that’s when it clicked: representation matters, as does exposure to a diverse set of life experiences.

In this episode, Mindshift host Nimah Gobir, speaks to Micia Mosely, founder and director of the Black Teacher Project (BTP). They talk about the need for Black teachers in the classroom—not just for Black students—but for all of society.

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Introducing 'Tales of The Town' by Hella Black Podcast Nov 04, 2022

Today we’re passing the mic to a group that’s doing some substantive work, both in the community and in the media.

The Hella Black Podcast, hosted by Delency Parham and Abbas Muntaqim, is a show focused on movements toward Black liberation.

Right now the Hella Black Podcast is running a unique series called Tales Of The Town. It’s produced by former Rightnowish guest and award winning filmmaker, Maya Cueva.

Over the course of 12 weeks, Tales of The Town is looking back at historical movements for Black liberation in Oakland, and diving into current efforts as well. On top of that, they’re making sure to note the arts and culture that has, and continues to fuel movements.

So this week, we’re featuring episode number four from the Tales of The Town series. This episode dives into the history of West Oakland’s 7th Street, once a main thoroughfare for Black artists– home to jazz clubs and show venues where folks like Aretha Franklin would perform.

That is, until eminent domain brought about BART train tracks and a freeway that ran right through the community, ultimately causing many businesses to close. A blow to the neighborhood that still lingers to this day.

Abbas and Delency talk about that and more on this episode.

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A Family Tradition of Altar Making, As Told by Rio Yañez Oct 28, 2022

At the heart of Día de los Muertos is a celebration of the cycle of life. It's a time to talk with our dead. We sing to them, prepare altars with flower and food offerings, and share stories to keep their memories alive. It's both a sacred and joyous time.

Here in the Bay Area, we go all out for the tradition. Elaborate public altars are constructed in parks, schools, and community spaces. Museums and galleries have exhibits with Day of the Dead themed art and installations. It's truly a moment of visibility for Latino/x culture and tradition.

But it wasn't always this way in the Bay Area or the United States, for that matter. To shed light on the history of how Day of the Dead became such a tradition here in the Bay, we are talking to artist and curator Rio Yañez.

Read the transcript here

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A Hyphy History with Producer Trackademicks, Revisited Oct 21, 2022

October 25, 2022 marks the third anniversary of the launch of the Rightnowish podcast!

This week, we’re revisiting an episode that’s emblematic of this show’s ethos.

In July of 2021 we published an episode featuring Alameda’s own producer and DJ, Trackademicks. Known as the “cool collar scholar” from the HNRL collective, Trackademicks is a music producer who makes original songs and has a knack for remixing popular tracks, and adding that Bay Area flavor. In the early 2000s, his "Tell Me When To Go" remix cemented his name in the Bay Area musical history books.

When we talked last year, we discussed the history of Hyphy music and how he, as a Black and Filipino person, sees remixing as a part of his DNA. Since then, he’s DJ’d at functions in LA, and he’s produced more music including some forthcoming remix projects, like this mashup of Janet Jackson and Andre 3000. Check it out.

Annnnndddddd…Trackademicks has recently gotten married! Congrats to him and his partner!

Read the Transcript

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Preserving Oakland Arts and Culture at B-Love’s Guesthouse Oct 14, 2022

Inside of a classic Queen Anne victorian in West Oakland, photographer Traci Bartlow displays beautifully framed images of the people who shaped hip-hop culture in the Bay Area, and across the nation.

Her house doubles as a photography museum and a boutique hotel, that tells the complex story of multiple generations of Black folks, land ownership and community. This week we go back to the 90s as Traci takes us on a tour of B-Love's Guesthouse.

Read the transcript for this episode.

Information to visit Traci's photo exhibit, "Oakland Picture Lady"

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Sydney Welch’s Photography Features the Latest Wave of Bay Area Talent Oct 07, 2022

Fremont photographer Sydney Welch has compiled a collection of photos that serve as a highlight reel for the latest wave of talented hip-hop and R&B artists emerging from the Bay Area, including Stunnaman02, LaRussell, Kehlani, P-Lo, Su'Lan, Larry June, and Rexx Life Raj.

Her images are captured at concerts, showing artists rocking the stage or having an intimate moment backstage. She has Polaroid photos taken at parties and magazine-style portraits shot on film.

Most importantly: Sydney's images aren't taken from an outsider perspective. Before becoming a professional photographer, Sydney would attend concerts as a fan of Bay Area hip-hop and R&B.

This week Sydney Welch tells us how she relies on grace to navigate the notoriously treacherous music industry and why she's so passionate about representing the Bay.

Read the transcript.

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Rightnowish Live: A Comedy Night To Remember Sep 30, 2022

There's a lot going on in the world. On top of the constant grind that capitalism demands, there's news of natural disasters, inflation, war and conflicts. And that's in addition to the interpersonal issues we all face. We could use a little more laughter in our lives.

So last month, Rightnowish held an event called, Put Your Phone Down! A Rightnowish Comedy Night at KQED's headquarters in San Francisco. Hosted by Pendarvis Harshaw and Rightnowish producer Marisol Medina-Cadena, the evening consisted of a quick Q&A and an open mic segment where audience members came up and cracked some jokes. After the ice was broken and the punchlines were rollin ', three talented local comedians– Mike Evans Jr., Jackie Keliiaa, and Dara M. Wilson, stepped on the stage, one at a time, to headline the event.

In this week's episode, we share a bit of that night.

Read the transcript here. Check out a video of the full event here.

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Permanent Behavior: Self-Taught Artist to Tattoo Legend Sep 23, 2022

"It's only on you for the rest of your life," reads the Instagram bio of tattoo artist Shannon Anderson aka Mo' Better.

A widely recognized tattoo artist, he's done notable pieces on famous athletes and entertainers, But he's also inked multiple generations of Bay Area families. He's a self-taught tattoo veteran who is paving the way for others to traverse an industry that hasn't been to kind to people who look like he does.

For the past twelve years, Mo'Better's been the owner of Inkestry Custom Tattoos. But before he held a tattoo gun, he was known as a talented air brush artist, and before that he was a skilled barber. He learned each craft out of necessity. And each craft has earned him money, broadened his following and expanded his community.

For the final entry in our series on tattoo culture in the Bay Area, we talk to Mo' Better about his craft, and his life.

Read the transcript here.

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Permanent Behavior: Henna, Tatts and Setting Intentions Sep 16, 2022

"People really want something that brings meaning into their life," says Sabreena Haque, a well-known henna artist and burgeoning tattoo artist. Henna is an important part of wedding rituals and birthday celebrations. Similar to tattoos, henna plays an important role in times of transition.

Sabreena says the practice of receiving henna, which involves sitting still and letting the paste sink into your skin, is an opportunity for people to set intentions. "As the henna fades, that's when the intentions deepen," she says. After the paste has faded away, the memories of the experience and thoughts about how to move forward linger.

This week, Sabreena tells us about her family and her craft, and shares what philosophy has seeped into her byway of doing body art for the community.

Read the transcript here.

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Permanent Behavior: Collective Ownership + Bodily Autonomy Through Stick-and-Poke Sep 09, 2022

Sophia Blum, also known as Pio Poke, is a master of the stick-and-poke (or hand poke) method of tattooing. With a handheld needle, she creates detailed textile designs and images of feathers, arrows, birds and botanicals.

On top of being a skilled artist, she's in the business of changing the industry — after recognizing unfair labor practices within traditional tattoo parlors, where owners get the lion's share of the the revenue and workers make a small percentage, Blum organized with other artists and formed Thorns Tattoo, a worker-owned studio.

This week, we talk with Pio Poke about manually making her mark, as well as the importance of workers' rights and bodily autonomy.

Read the episode transcript here.

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Permanent Behavior: Repping “Cali-Chicano” Tattoo Style Sep 02, 2022

Our series, Permanent Behavior: Getting Tatted in the Bay, starts with tattoo artist Miguel "Bounce" Perez.

Perez has vivid childhood memories of art created by his family: His mother drew “chola-style” portraits of women with feathered hair and sharp brows, while his uncles created lettering in Cali-Chicano Old English script. His father was part of a car club in his West Berkeley community, a neighborhood that was also home to a number of aerosol graffiti murals.

All of this poured into Perez, and laid the foundation for what he does today.

He's a versatile artist, who sees collaboration with his clients as central to his work. He's done touch-ups for people who've been incarcerated, and even inked a team of mathletes. His art is detailed and graphic, ranging from Mayan Goddesses to anime characters.

Perez says he doesn't have a "specialty," but he often does cover-ups of older tattoos; a community service of sorts. He's also part of the art collective Trust Your Struggle, which paints murals in countries for historically colonized and under-resourced communities.

Given Perez's experiences with both impermanent aerosol and indelible ink, we figured he'd be the best person to start this exploration into the culture of tattooing in the Bay Area, and what it feels like to create permanent artwork-- if such a thing exists.

Read the transcript here.

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Tattoo Prep with Pen & Marisol Aug 31, 2022

On Rightnowish, we feature a lot of stories about art that's here today, gone tomorrow—and we wanted to find art that lasts forever. So, we turned to tattoos.

Permanent Behavior, our four-part series on tattooing in the Bay, kicks off this week. In these stories, we dive into the permanence of ink, as it resides on impermanent beings.

We hear from the creators of the tattoos—the artists behind the needles—all of whom come from a unique mixture of crews, cultures and countries of origin. The artwork, as well as the stories behind the art, are unlike anything you’ll see (or hear) anywhere else.

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Robert Liu-Trujillo on Creating Books For ‘Kids Like Me Aug 26, 2022

Growing up, Robert Liu-Trujillo didn't see himself represented in the books he read. So after he became a dad, he wanted to make sure his son would have stories to relate to. Liu-Trujillo set forth on a path to fill the void. And in doing so, he's contributed to the effort to create a culturally aware and racially just future for all of us.

Initially an illustrator, he became an author and has published eight books. He often uses watercolors to create scenes that are full of bright hues and earth tones. His characters are from cultures and communities that have been historically overlooked in the US early childhood literature circles. And his books are written in English and Spanish.

With the historical evidence that people of color aren't proportionately represented in children's books, and the ongoing fight to ban certain books that address race and racism, it's extremely clear why Robert's work is important right now.

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Help Make Rightnowish Even Better! Aug 22, 2022

The Rightnowishteam is working on some new and exciting projects — but first, we want to hear from YOU. Do you listen to the show? What do you want to hear more of? What's missing?

By filling out a quick survey, you can help shape the future of Rightnowish. Check it out: https://bit.ly/3C4MRzt

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Dispatch From Parker Elementary with Tongo Eisen-Martin Aug 12, 2022

Last year, renowned writer and San Francisco Poet Laureate, Tongo Eisen-Martin, told us that it's not enough to simply be a poet. "The poet needs to just come on down to the trenches," he said, explaining that quality writing comes from the lived experience of participating in community activism.

In direct application of his own philosophy, Tongo has been involved with the occupation of Parker Elementary School, where organizers are fighting against the latest round of school closures in Oakland Unified School District — schools that are located in communities that are largely populated by Black and brown students.

Tongo has been a part of the group's Freedom Friday events, where artists of all sorts are invited to show up and perform. As the fight against the school closures continue, we're going into the archives this week to share Tongo's poem, "A Sketch of Genocide."

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Rightnowish Presents: "Polyfree" from The Stoop Aug 05, 2022

This week on Rightnowish, we're passing the microphone to the team at The Stoop podcast.

In this episode, hosts Leila Day and Hana Baba introduce us to folks practicing healthy alternatives to monogamy, including author and educator Kevin Patterson, who describes his polyamory as "relationship anarchy."

"Every person that I meet, our relationship just sort of forms naturally," he says. "I don't try to put anybody in one box or another if that's not what suits this person."

Writer Crystal Byrd Farmer identifies as being solo polyamorous.

"Solo poly means that I'm not entwined with another person, so I'm not living with them, I'm not sharing finances with somebody, I'm not doing child care responsibilities with somebody else. I'm kind of my own person. I still have romantic and sexual relationships with multiple people, but it's really like I'm in my own house and do my own thing," she says.

And Intro, Ambi and Ex — the triad from the podcast Bloc'd — share their perspectives on polyamory, sexual identity and impending parenthood.

"I just had a feeling that if we got together, we would be able to figure out the rest," says Ex.

What you're going to hear originally aired on The Stoop in 2021 but it's always a good time to talk about the many manifestations of love.

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Sucka Free History with Dregs One Jul 29, 2022

San Francisco lyricist and graffiti writer Dregs One is making sure Bay Area hip-hop culture is properly documented, and at the same time he's becoming a recognized historian.

In a series of videos he simply calls "History of The Bay," Dregs is using TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube to highlight aspects of Bay Area culture that are often overlooked. In one video he dives into the use of local slang, noting that music "slaps" and food doesn't. Dregs has multiple videos honoring the work of legendary aerosol artist Mike "Dream" Francisco of the TDK crew, among numerous posts he's done in dedication to local graff writers.

Dregs' videos are short, often sprinkled with a touch of wry humor, and always laced with game straight from the soil. I talked to him about what it means to have thousands of views on his videos and how the work of documenting a culture that is often word of mouth inherently brings forth differing opinions. Dregs, who is still deep in the rap game and enmeshed in the world of visual arts, says it's not easy to continuously make videos and do the heavy lifting of keeping the "Frisco-ism" alive, but he loves seeing how many people his work is influencing — and that's what matters the most.

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“You’re On Native Land” : The Cultural District Honoring Urban Native History Jul 22, 2022

In Indigenous protocol, we're beginning this week's episode honoring the original stewards of this land that many of us in Frisco now occupy — the ancestral homeland of the Ramaytush Ohlone.

Now, let's take a trip down Valencia Street to La Misión.

The neighborhood is home to not one, but two rich cultural districts. Calle 24 Latino Cultural District was first established in 1999. More recently, in 2020, it was joined by the American Indian Cultural District — a home base for the Urban Native community. Its aim is to uplift the culture, history, and continuing contributions of American Indians in San Francisco and beyond.

On this week's Rightnowish, we introduce you to some of the people behind this cultural district that's the first of its kind in the Golden State.

Mary Travis-Allen (Mayagna, Chortega, Seneca) is the President of the District's Advisory Board and recalls memories of "Little Rez" along 16th Street. Debbie Santiago (Washoe, Osage) and her mother, Alberta Snyder (Washoe) share their memories about the SFUSD's Indian Education Program that ran out of the American Indian Cultural Center on Valencia Street in the 70s and 80s. Karen Waukazoo (Lakota) remembers her late mother and local hero, Helen Waukazoo, who co-founded Friendship House, the oldest social service organization in the United States run by and for American Indians. Last but not least, we venture to the waterfront at Fort Mason to talk with Sharaya Souza (Taos Pueblo, Ute, Kiowa), the Executive Director of the American Indian Cultural District about the legacy of the Alcatraz occupation.

There are so many Native stories alive in La Misión — we hope this is just the start to more of us hearing about them.

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Union City’s Joshua Neal is a Star For Real Jul 15, 2022

Joshua Neal is a viral sensation, using social media platforms to share his acting talents and social commentary with the world, and simultaneously launching his career.

Multiple times a week, Neal posts short comedic videos where he plays all the roles, writes all the scripts, and produces all the stories. He can be seen smoking fake cigarettes as a bad guy or wearing a towel on his head as he takes on the role of an angry girlfriend—all in service of telling humorous stories that resonate with people's real-life experiences.

His posts have been shared widely, and have reached the digital doorsteps of Hollywood luminaries like Ava DuVernay.

Neal, a writer and creator who grew up in Union City and currently lives in Hayward, now has a foot in the door of major production circles, and he did it by simply creating content from the confines of his parents' crib.

This week Joshua Neal shares a little bit of his own story, as well as what it takes to consistently make viral videos.

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Filmmaker Maya Cueva Focuses on Reproductive Rights and Immigration Jul 01, 2022

Maya Cueva makes documentary films that cover the heavy topics: immigration, reproductive justice and xenophobia. Her latest, On The Divide, follows the stories of three Latinx people whose lives interconnect through the last abortion clinic on the U.S./Mexico border. The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2021, and is available to stream free of charge through July 18, 2022 at POV.

Cueva says her journey into professional storytelling began after covering current events at Youth Radio (now YR Media) as a teen. While attending Ithaca College in New York, she began work on her first film, The Provider, which follows Dr. Shannon Carr as she performs abortions in Texas in the midst of a heated battle for reproductive rights. She's also made Ale Libre, which follows reproductive rights organizer and undocumented activist Alejandra Pablos in her fight against deportation, and Only the Moon/ Solamente La Luna, an animated film about her father’s immigration experience to the U.S. from Peru.

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Searching For A Kiki: The Next Generation of Black and Queer Bars Jun 24, 2022

Nenna Joiner owns Feelmore, a queer-friendly sex toy shop with locations in Berkeley and Oakland. Noticing the lack of Black queer spaces beyond the monthly “RnB nights” at many local clubs, they decided to open the Feelmore Social Club in Downtown Oakland, a bar slated to open in 2022. “This energy that they feel in Feelmore is akin to the energy that they're going to feel here,” Joiner assures, “We want to be open a long time.” Joiner speaks about re-imagining the Black queer space, and the role of the Black queer dollar in the community.

This series was produced and reported by Corey Antonio Rose.

For more information, visit Rightnowish.

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Searching for a Kiki: The World's First Transgender Cultural District Jun 17, 2022

The rich LGBT history of the Tenderloin goes back farther than any bricks thrown at Stonewall, and Transgender Cultural District President and Chief Strategist Aria Sa’id makes it her job to preserve that history. Her work in securing tenant protections, workforce development, arts and cultural heritage preservation, and cultural competency for the residents of the historic Tenderloin neighborhood has taken the idea of ‘safe space’ beyond the bars and into our daily lives. Sa’id speaks with us about what makes a space ‘safe,’ and the effect that empowering the most vulnerable within a community has on the rest of us.

This series was produced and reported by Corey Antonio Rose.

For more information, visit Rightnowish.

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Searching for a Kiki: SF's First Black-Owned Gay Bar Jun 10, 2022

When Rodney Barnette first moved to San Francisco in 1969, he noticed that “it wasn’t all rah rah gay capital of the world.” His experiences with racism in San Francisco’s historic gay community led him to open the New Eagle Creek Saloon, the city’s first Black-owned gay bar, in 1990. Over 30 years later, Barnette speaks about why Black-affirming queer spaces are still needed, and what he took away from his experience operating one.

This series was produced and reported by Corey Antonio Rose.

For more information, visit Rightnowish.

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On Friendships and Basketball Shorts: Adult ISH x Rightnowish Jun 03, 2022

Friendships can be hard for anyone.

As an adult you need to navigate staying in contact with old friends, getting past the awkward early stage of new friends, and deciding if certain friendships are healthy or unhealthy. This doesn't even touch on time constraints, and the difficulty of hangs since the beginning of the pandemic.

But maybe we make friendships harder than they have to be?

This week on Rightnowish, we're making new friends! This is a special crossover episode with YR Media's Adult ISH podcast.

After spending a day riding around with Adult ISH host Nyge Turner's hometown of Richmond, we jump into a conversation about how some friendships are as old as our collection of basketball shorts, while new friendships are hidden behind different social barriers of adulthood.

We hope you enjoy, friend.

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'Love me Before the City Disappears' from The Bay Podcast May 20, 2022

I met Mu'min years ago through creative Bay Area circles, now I count her as a friend, and she's flourished in her craft. From her film, Jinn, winning the SXSW Special Jury Recognition Award for Writing to writing for acclaimed shows, Queen Sugar, the Blindspotting series, Wu-Tang: An American Saga, and Insecure.

But way before all of that, Nijla attended UC Berkeley, where her experiences in June Jordan’s Poetry for the People Program left an indelible mark. She still writes poetry to this day.

In late April Mu’min shared some of her work with the Bay Podcast's Maria Esquinca in celebration of National Poetry Month.

This week we're sharing that episode with you.

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Raw Material: 'Visions of Black Futurity' May 13, 2022

Babette Thomas is searching for artistic Black utopias.

Thomas is the host of the latest season of SFMOMA's Raw Material podcast. In their series, "Visions of Black Futurity," they look at representation, identity and different historical through-lines in Black Art. Woven into the podcast is the story of curator Evangeline "EJ" Montgomery, a major player in the Black Arts scene. And EJ began her storied career in the 60s, right here in California, creating influential exhibits in the East Bay.

This week on Rightnowish, we're featuring an episode that also dives into the stories of the famed Sci-Fi author Octavia Butler, landscape painter Richard Mayhew, and local visual artist Sydney Cain aka Sage Stargate (who has also been featured on Rightnowish). Throughout, Thomas hones in on the question, “Where will we host our Black art spaces of the future?”

Listen to the full series on the "Raw Material" page.

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The Mission’s Mother and Son Painting Duo May 06, 2022

Mission District-based muralist Josué Rojas and his mother, Esther García are a dynamic duo.

Josué has painted murals across San Francisco and beyond, often using images that celebrate culture and community. Esther picked up painting during the pandemic, but she's been leaving her mark on the neighborhood for decades.

As she sold small goods on the street, Esther built a reputation for her sage-like presence around the way. Josué remembers times when she'd be asked to pray over people, and she'd kindly oblige.

Her presence is so strong that she got in good with local artists collectives, like the Chulita Vinyl Club. And the artist JR incorporated Esther's image into The Chronicles of San Francisco, a gigantic mural that was in the main entrance to the San Francisco Musuem of Modern Art.

Although Esther didn't understand Josué's art career at first, she watched Josue's journey as he earned a Masters of Fine Arts from Boston University, served as the executive director of Acción Latina and became a well-respected muralists on the streets of his hometown.

Now, at 75, Esther has been learning how to paint under the tutelage of one very demanding teacher: her son. And she tells me that she doesn't like what they paint-- she loves it.

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High Schoolers Rock the Mic Apr 29, 2022

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We All Come From Water: Poetry from the Edge Apr 22, 2022

Terisa's poetry emerges from climate change and its impact on marginalized communities. She also writes poems from the perspective of her hyphenated identity: raised in San Francisco with deep Samoan roots.

In our conversation, Terisa looks back at January's underwater eruption that caused massive tsunamis in Samoa, Tonga, Fiji and other nations in Oceania. Initially, the disaster made headlines and relief efforts filled social media feeds, but Terisa questions what sustained care looks like for those impacted by a changing global climate.

After speaking on this topic at venues across the country and around the world, even addressing members of the United Nations, Terisa Siagatonu discusses climate justice and how she "languages" her experience.

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A Spam Can, an Urchin and an Eyeball: Handmade Cars Race Down McClaren Park Apr 08, 2022

It's a sunny afternoon in McLaren Park in San Francisco's Excelsior District. Throngs of people are gathered on either side of a roadway that snakes down a steep hill. As they watch, a person riding what looks like a giant black Converse sneaker whooshes past. Coming up close behind it, a cast-iron bathtub whizzes by on what could’ve been the frame of a lawn mower. Then another driver — this one clinging for dear life onto what looks like a torpedo — hurtles by, inches off the ground.

This was the first Artists' Soapbox Derby held by the San Francisco Museum of Art — what we now know as SFMOMA — on May 18, 1975. It was a race for homemade cars. No engines! You just needed to be able to roll, steer and stop.

On April 10, SFMOMA is reviving its Soapbox Derby in McLaren Park. Homemade cars that can coast under the power of their own gravity will have their turn in the spotlight, careening down an 800-foot hill. It’s free and open to the public.

This week, we’re airing an episode from KQED’s Bay Curious that takes us back to the first Soapbox Derby in 1975 and it’s surprising twists in the road.

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Richmond Rapper Embraces Indo-Fijian Identity and ‘Men With Money’ Apr 01, 2022

Over punchy-uptempo beats with stupid-heavy bass lines, Pallaví AKA Fijiana turns social tropes on their heads. Her evocative visuals mix sexuality with tradition while her lyrics address appropriation and diaspora.

Fijiana says her Indo-Fijian heritage, her Richmond upbringing and rap influences like Lil Kim and Ladybug Mecca of Digable Planets, helped create the artist and person she is today.

In making music that pushes social norms, she's encountered backlash with a heavy dose of sexism. Fijiana says a guiding light has been conversations with her father and his acceptance of her work.

This week Fijiana talks to us about all of that, and her latest album Thirst.

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The Oakland Entrepreneur Building Safety Nets for When Social Services Fall Short Mar 18, 2022

For some young folks, there comes a time when they age out of child-serving social services. Their safety nets get thinner and they can struggle to find their footing with limited resources or experience. These sixteen to twenty-four-year-olds are called "transitional age youth" or TAY.

This is the crowd that Desire Johnson-Forte helps. She cares because she was once one of them.

Desire is currently the Executive Director of The BIZ (Black Intergenerational Zeal) Stoop. The organization has three main goals: First, to increase Black life expectancy through group conversations addressing fatalism. Second, helping young folks from the east bay tell their stories and shifting public narratives about them. Third, the Biz Stoop helps young people earn a living wage and build businesses through coaching, economic education and financial support.

Desire has been doing thins kind of work since she was a young person transitioning into adulthood, dealing with all that life threw at her.

This week Desire shares a bit of her story, why her work is important right now, and how she grew from a place where she needed assistance to being the person who provides.

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Up In Smoke: Cannabis, Crime and Creating Equity Mar 11, 2022

A storm's been brewing over legal cannabis in Oakland. And Chaney Turner thinks it has the potential to wash away small business owners-- especially People of Color.

Chaney Turner, current Chair of the Oakland Cannabis Commission, has seen robberies reach new heights as organized heists hit cannabis supply chains, from grow operations to retailers. It was especially intense during the summer of 2020, but this past fall, another string of caravan burglaries shook the industry, and resulted in distressed workers and millions in lost inventory.

Turner says the Oakland Police Department's response to the burglaries was disappointing and frustrating to business owners. Turner heard retailers experienced slow response times and poor communication from OPD. Some operators were also told to take matters into their own hands by arming themselves. While they have seen some improvement in communication from the police, for cannabis operators in Oakland paying sky high taxes, the approach still leaves something to be desired.

On this week's show Turner talks about the state of legalized marijuana and how it intersects with these robberies, banking, equity, community safety, and how Turner understand why some would hesitate to leave the illicit market.

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A Pocho Poet’s Ode to La Misión, Axolotls, and Bookstores Mar 04, 2022

Just imagine: you're a poet whose starting out on the scene and you've spent weeks working up the courage to share your work. You get to the venue there’s a raucous crowd of OG poets, they're cheering, but they're also waiting to see what's up with each person as the step to the mic. If the OG poets think your poem is a cheap knockoff of someone else's work, they'll throw peanut shells against the bar's aluminum walls. That sound will stay with you.

This might sound chaotic and harsh (and don't worry this is not how open mics in the bay roll these days) but it was the environment where Spanglish speaking pocho poet Josiah Luis Alderete sharpened his performance chops. In the mid '80s and '90s, Thursday nights at Cafe Babar in the Mission District was an epicenter for San Francisco's poetry scene.

Cafe Babar was the spot. Josiah remembers poets would show up from the East Bay, the Fillmore, even New York. Sitting on wooden benches, you could hear the words of Julia Vinograd, Juan Felipe Herrera, David Lerner, David West and Jack Micheline.

"Babar really opened my eyes and my heart to what poetry was. I remember leaving that place like leaving the church after you get saved... This is flor y canto! This is poesía! That fucking fire coming out of mouth! That truth."

In our conversation, poet Josiah shares some literary history of the Mission, why Axolotl's show up in his work, and how co-owing Medicine for Nightmares Bookstore & Gallery is helping keep the Mission's poetry scene alive.

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Big Love: Much Love for the African Diaspora Feb 25, 2022

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Big Love: A New Kind of Tough Love Feb 18, 2022

Krea Gomez has seen tough love play out in many ways. As a young adult, she was kicked out of her home for “being bad,” now she’s practicing tough love in her own way. In her work with young adults – and her own children – she sets boundaries and goals while teaching independence with care. Krea is also the Director of Local Initiatives at the Young Women’s Freedom Center and has been a loud voice trying to close juvenile justice halls and get kids out of the system.

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Big Love: Shroomin' and Shmopin' to Happiness Feb 11, 2022

In the Bay Area, “showing love” is something we toss around all the time. One man who embodies this is the tie-dye wearing, weed smoking, big smiling man named Oopz. He and his crew are known for throwing fun-loving parties at the Shmop House where the air grows thick with cannabis smoke. In this episode, he tells us his journey to becoming an extrovert, and the time his community love was tested when someone was shot at the Shmop House.

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Big Love: Practicing Self-Love in Community Feb 04, 2022

AB Banks, defines love as "doing the right thing with a passion." That means taking care of themselves and their folks, because self-love can be communal and revolutionary.

Day-to-day AB works with the People’s Programs in Oakland, supporting their unhoused neighbors through clinics and food donations. Outside of that, AB is deep in the practice of meditation. After setting out on a personal journey to learn the art of meditation, which included a trip abroad to study with renowned practitioners. AB has recently launched the Mad Chill series of short meditative videos with the aim of making this practice more accessible.

In our conversation, AB shares what they've learned and some of the tools they've acquired on this journey to understanding the various shapes self-love can take.

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Tracing Frida and Diego's Footsteps in the Bay Jan 28, 2022

You don't have to look very long to find tributes to Frida Kahlo in San Francisco. Frida inspired murals cover walls throughout the Mission, street vendors near the Embarcadero sell clothes and earrings with her likeness, and there's a street named after her in the Ingleside neighborhood. This devotion to Frida makes perfect sense because Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera lived in San Francisco, not once, but twice.

During their last stay in TK YEAR, Diego Rivera painted a 74-foot long, 30-ton fresco in front of a live audience at the the Golden Gate International Exposition on Treasure Island. The mural is rich with details depicting Ancient Mexico, the California Gold Rush, a bustling 1940s San Francisco, and historical figures from Latin America and the United States. You can stare at it for an hour and still miss details. Now this Pan American Unity mural is on display for free at the SFMOMA until the summer of 2023, you can visit it as often as you like to fully take in its message and power.

To learn more about the Pan American Unity mural's backstory and the controversy it sparked, we figured it'd be a good time to revisit a story that first ran on KQED's Bay Curious podcast. The episode also dives into Frida's artistic development and how a Santa Rosa horticulturalist influenced her art.

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Using an Upright Bass to Break Through The Boys' Club Jan 21, 2022

As a cancer survivor, Caroline Chung tells me expressing herself through music has been healing. But it's not always smooth sailing. Chung says she's been overlooked for gigs simply because of her identity-- an Asian woman who plays the upright bass.

"Hey, I'm a female jazz bassist," says Chung. "It's like nobody really cares, because it's the ‘boys club’."

Despite this, Chung has found collaborators in people poets and other jazz musicians.

After releasing two(FC) projects last year, Chung is gearing up for another push in 2022-- starting with this weekend's show at SF Jazz.

But before you see her in performance or check out her music, I invite you to get a little more of her story... Rightnowish.

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Releasing Pain Through Underwater Photography Jan 14, 2022

Erena Shimoda takes photos underwater. She creates majestic images of people in pools. Her subjects can be seen posing in wheelchairs, dancing with tulle, adorned in mermaid attire, or wrapped in Shibari ropes.

Some of her models are people who've lived through physical or mental trauma. Erena helps them slip into water, release their experiences, and hopefully reemerge anew. It's a nod to religious practices around water, like baptisms in Catholicism, the holy dips in India's Ganges River and the water meditations of Shintoism rooted in Erena's motherland, Japan. It's also a healing practice backed by science.

As we dive deeper into the new year, this episode we're talking to Erena about her journey photographing the healing power of water.

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Getting a New Routine in the New Year Jan 07, 2022

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Breaking Isolation and Building Bridges Dec 17, 2021

This country is extremely divided, always has been.

When you combine the issues of racism, sexism and other isms that have plagued us for ages and mix in the division that's risen over this drawn out pandemic, you could see why some people might feel comfortable and complacent in their silos.

But let's do something about it.

I'm asking you to get out of that comfort zone, reach out and connect with another person or group. It's a simple ask: build a bridge.

This week, for the final Rightnowish episode of 2021, I'm encouraging you all to take a step toward building bridges by making some community connections. Take a listen and let's get into it.

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On the Frontlines of Indigenous Activism Dec 10, 2021

This past Independence Day, Oakland's Marty Aranaydo found himself a long way from the town.

Marty had joined up with the NDN Collective to scale a 100-foot grain silo in Rapid City, South Dakota. Atop it, the group unfurled a massive inverted American flag with the words, "LANDBACK" across it.

The direct action called for more than the transfer of territory back to indigenous tribes, on the bottom corner of the flag they also wrote "1505," to represent the growing number of indigenous children's unmarked graves that have been found at native boarding schools throughout the US and Canada.

While Marty is a well-known DJ and aerosol writer, he isn't new to this kind of work. His family was involved in the original occupation of Alcatraz, direct action for social change is in his blood.

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Revisiting Oakland's Roller Skating Country Singer Dec 03, 2021

In the fall of 2019, we interviewed her about taking a quick break from country music to write a roller skating anthem: a vibey R&B song called "Roll Out."

In her latest project, Race Records, she's come back to her roots as a country singer.

Given that there's been a whole pandemic, a rise in the popularity of rollerskating and new music released that speaks to Miko's origins as a singer, we figured it'd be good to check in with Miko Marks for this week's show.

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Friends, Feelings, and Food this Thanksgiving Nov 19, 2021

This Thanksgiving-- Friendsgiving, Thankstaking, or whatever you call this holiday-- I'm turning the microphones on the Rightnowish team and asking the hard questions about food, friend and feelings.

For this episode I'm joined by Rightnowish producer Marisol Medina-Cadena and editor Jessica Placzek. We dive into our holiday experiences, the music that we turn to as the weather gets cold, and we take some time to appreciate you-- the listeners.

This episode was made for your listening pleasure, to be enjoyed while cooking, eating, or doing some exercise to shake off that meal you've just consumed. As I say at the end of the show, and will reiterate here: I hope you all eat well and nourish yourselves this holiday.

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The 1Up Crew Teaches the Art of Dance Battles Nov 12, 2021

Every Wednesday evening, the 1Up Crew gathers at In The Groove Studios in downtown Oakland for a free open lab session. That's where you'll see folks perfecting their moves and dancing in a variety of styles: turfing, ballroom, pop locking and krumping. It's all in preparation for monthly battles against other crews.

Some of the battles are freestyle, others are three-on-three dance-offs where teams choreograph routines in a format that's similar to the movie, "You Got Served."

But this is real life, real people and a real story about dancing in Oakland-- as shown through one of the crew’s leaders, Tarik Rollerson, a third generation dancer from the town, who is part of a community that’s creating a new way of giggin’.

We all know that in the Bay Area, “We dance a little different.”

Today, Tarik gives us some insight on why we move the way we do.

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Startup Dreams, Hip Hop and Theater Meet in a New Play About Tech & Art Nov 05, 2021

At first it may seem like an odd-pairing: a white guy who is a silver-spoon-fed techie from the East Coast and a Black woman from Oakland who is a hard working natural genius in the field of engineering.

But through a series of events that unravel in the new play, "Cofounders", the two learn to co-exist.

This week, we talk art and tech, and what can be done to curb the perceived divisions between the two.

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Rapping About The WWII Black Shipyard Workers in Marin Oct 29, 2021

December 7, 2021 marks 80 years since the bombing of Pearl Harbor, an act that would lead to the United States' formal involvement in WWII. In support of the war effort, the Bay Area soon became home to a number of small factories and larger shipyards where huge vessels were manufactured, like Sausalito's Marinship.

As jobs opened up in this industry, hundreds of thousands of African Americans migrated from the South in search of better paying careers and less racism. What they found in Northern California, along with jobs, was housing discrimination and racist unions. On top of that, their contributions from that period have been largely overlooked in historical documentaries and public memory.

Now, thanks to a group of young people who grew up on that same hallowed ground in Marin County, the tales of some of the Black workers at Marinship are being shared through beats and rhymes. The Marinovators, a collection of a dozen teenagers working under the guidance of MC Jahi, recently released the album "A Way Out Of No Way," which highlights the tales of African American laborers at Marinship like Rodessa Battle, Annie Small, and Joseph James.

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Bay Area Ghostwriter Behind Hip Hop's Biggest Names Takes Center Stage Oct 22, 2021

Jane Handcock has written for some of the top names in music, and now it's her turn to step into the limelight.

She's an R&B vocalist from Richmond, who has penned songs for the likes of Kelly Rowland, Rick Ross, Teddy Riley and Tyrese. As of late she's worked with the Grand Nationxl collective, dropping multiple songs on their group productions as well as a solo project of her own.

Now Jane, who got her start singing in East Bay churches, has relocated to Los Angeles where she's on the verge of dropping a project under the guidance of the legendary Snoop Dogg.

This week, we discuss how Jane is handling the pivot from being "the most known-unknown" ghostwriter out here, to being a star in her own right.

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Overcoming Re-Entry and Taking on the Industry That Incarcerated Her Oct 15, 2021

In Evelyn LaChapelle's first team meeting at a new job in the cannabis industry, they were discussing sales when she noticed a "righteous anger" brewing inside her. "My paperwork says I went to jail for over a hundred kilos of cannabis," says Evelyn, "and they're talking sales goals in kilos."

Since Evelyn was incarcerated for marijuana related charges, she's worked in the hospitality industry, for others in the cannabis industry and has recently become the CEO of a cannabis company called 87 Months, named for the amount of time she was sentenced. But this journey has not been easy.

Evelyn had a front row seat in California's changing cannabis laws, the whiplash from the speed of these shifts, and the inequitable ways the industry can shake out. She's also been a witness to the difficulty and lack of support in the re-entry process.

And she's one of thousands. Over 10 years ago, California was ordered to reduce it's prison population due to severe overcrowding, and more recently the pandemic forced the state to release even more people. On the outside, many are met with self-doubt, issues with learning new technology or discrimination based on their record.

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Say Aye Aye for the Bay With Oakland Rapper Capolow Oct 08, 2021

East Oakland's Capolow is a rapper on the rise.

Known for his high-energy anthem songs and his catchy "aye-aye!" ad lib, Capolow's music is ringing bells in the Bay Area and beyond. He made an album called "Oakland Nights" with Kamaiyah, and has made individual tracks with E-40, ALLBLACK, and Nef The Pharaoh.

But before he was a rapper – ten years ago – Capolow was one of the students in my class at Oakland Tech.

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A ‘Dynamite’ Young Boxer From Hayward With Olympic Dreams Oct 01, 2021

"Dynamite" Daisy Bamberger stands inside the ring by herself, shadowboxing. She's surrounded by free weights, kettle balls, punching bags and framed photos from old tournaments. Daisy continues to go through her routine. It's a routine that's obviously working for her.

Daisy is a highly decorated 19 year-old boxer from Hayward. After ranking number one in the country and winning 10 national championships, she's setting her sights on competing in the 2024 Olympics.

And the dream started right here, at Lightning's Boxing Club. She's been punching these bags since she was in elementary school. Boxing is in her blood. Her father, Mario Bamberger, is a boxer and now trains her.

As a product of Hayward High School, the same school that birthed legendary boxer Andre Ward, Daisy looks to carry on the East Bay Boxing legacy.

This week on the podcast we hear how becoming a boxing champion has not been as simple as floating like a butterfly. As a child, Daisy was teased about being overweight. Through hard training and personal sacrifice, Daisy overcame her bullies and laid the foundation for a run at Olympic gold.

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Good Vibes and Soulful Feels in a New Album for the ‘Sistas' Sep 24, 2021

Xiomara's "Chardonnay" was my song this summer.

The track is an audio version of driving down Highway 1 at sunset. Smooth and melodic, with an earnest message to the listener-- advising them to steer clear of that glass of wine they're considering purchasing.

Xiomara says that "Chardonnay" is a metaphor about living within your means and "examining this desire for some far off things, some opulent thing, and getting real and saying nah I need to let that go and stay in the moment."

That track is a single off her album, Sistas, a project that showcases Xiomara's ability to move through a spectrum of musical genres, while telling stories that speak to the experiences of sistas in her life.

This week, we get a chance to talk to the East Bay musician about the influences she pulls from as an artist, and how she hopes to influence others with her work.

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2000 Degrees: Glassblowing in the Bayview Sep 17, 2021

At San Francisco's Public Glass, locals have the opportunity to get hands on experience in this ancient and evolving craft.

The organization's executive director, Nathan Watson, says his mission is to ensure that Public Glass isn't just located in the Bayview neighborhood, but actually involves community members in their work.

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Pressing On with Press-On Nail Art During The Pandemic Sep 10, 2021

Have you ever wanted nail art that highlights your favorite Disney Movie? Maybe nails that show Mulan below a cherry tree, or Alice at her Wonderland tea party, or maybe you want to see Stitch getting into shenanigans across your hands... Whatever your preference, Vivian Xue Rahey has you covered.

These conversation pieces are clear fan favorites online. Vivian's Pamper Nail Gallery has hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram and TikTok, and millions more views.

It's a unique art form. And luckily for the fans, getting these fly nails has gotten easier.

Since the start of the pandemic, Vivian Rahey, has switched up her "Disneyland of Nails" business model: moving from appointments in the salon where nails are painted on site, to an e-commerce model where you can order press-on sets that arrive to your doorstep already bedazzled and painted with scenes from your favorite flick.

Despite changes to the model, the company is staying true to the vision she first described to me in the Spring of 2019. Today, we're revisiting that conversation with the queen of Disney nails and hearing how this art-based business not only stayed afloat, but expanded in the midst of a global pandemic.

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On Hiero Day, Tajai Massey Says Culture Needs Physical Spaces Sep 03, 2021

Tajai Massey sees Hiero day as a physical manifestation of the Souls of Mischief's most famous song, "93 Til Infiinty", where he and the other emcees give listeners a taste of life in Oakland.

These days, living in Oakland, it's hard to ignore the growing wealth disparities, the massive unsheltered population, and continued gentrification.

"A lot of folks I see during Hiero Day, they've had to move away, to Stockton, Sac, L.A... anywhere that's cheaper than here. But we see them on Hiero Day, so it's like a big family reunion," says Tajai.

Another unfortunate change in the Bay Area: fewer affordable art spaces.

This week on Rightnowish, we talk to Tajai about the intersection of culture and the built environment, and the importance of having access to space in order to share, celebrate and create culture.

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Rachel Wolfe-Goldsmith Is Imagining The Future of Murals Aug 27, 2021

Wolfe-Goldsmith teamed up with a handful of artists to create the 5th Story NFT art gallery, where murals were adapted into augmented reality by Black Terminus Labs. They are also converting the art into three dimensional pieces that will be housed on the blockchain network and sold as NFTs, which will allow the creators to have more control over the value of their work.

Wolfe-Goldsmith is a talented muralist behind some of the largest new pieces of public artwork in Oakland, including the two-story mural of the women of the Black Panther Party in West Oakland, and he huge mural of Stoney Creations and Yanni Brump on Telegraph and 17th. You can also see her depiction of an African American woman dancing on the side of the Oakland Tribune Tower in the heart of the town. But this latest project is one she hopes will change the future of murals and hopefully bring more stability into the livelihood of muralists.

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How the Art of Fatherhood Informs the Craft of Poetry for Prentice Powel Aug 13, 2021

Prentice Powell is an East Bay poet whose been working from home a lot lately. This has caused some confusion for his kids, "They were just like, 'So dad, do you have a job?'"

Powell does have a job, and does big things: he's performed his poems on The Arsenio Hall Show, Verses and Flow, and in the upcoming Nick Cannon movie, She Ball. And just this week, Powell concluded a residency at The Kennedy Center in Washington DC with Fiveology, a poetry group of his longtime friends and collaborators.

For Powell, poetry is his work, his passion, a way to express what he feels and work out what he thinks. And while he puts a lot of his life into his poems, he's decided there are certain topics to keep off the page and the stage, and certain poems he'd like to leave in the past.

This week on Rightnowish, Prentice Powell talks about fatherhood and poetry: how sometimes they mix and sometimes they don't.

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Frisco Born Filmmaker Harvey Lozada Turns the Camera on SOMA Aug 06, 2021

As the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged the health of individuals and communities around the world, Harvey Lozada focused on the stories coming from the neighborhood just south of San Francisco's Market Street, the SOMA District.

Through the film “It Takes The Hood to Save The Hood," Lozada shows how community organizations shifted their focus from being community resources, to being first responders.

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Building Confidence One Power Tool at a Time at Berkeley's Girls Garage Jul 30, 2021

Bookcases and bird feeders take shape amid the whir of chop saws, the bang of hammers and the trill of drills. Behind the power tools are girls and non-binary youth, mostly in high school and middle school, but the youngest builders start at age 9.

West Berkeley's Girls Garage was founded by Emily Pilloton-Lam in 2013, the organization's mission is to make sure young women and non-binary teens have the physical and metaphorical tools to get the job – any job – done.

This week, we're back to talking to people in-person for the first time in over a year. And what better way to get out there than to jump into the saw dust and discuss all that comes from the process of building.

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A Hyphy History with Producer Trackademicks Jul 23, 2021

In 2006, when music producer Trackademicks remixed the smash hit by E-40 and Keak Da Sneak, "Tell Me When To Go," he created a cultural jewel that sent waves throughout the Yay. The remix took a seminal song from the Hyphy Movement, added a unique wrinkle, and then proceeded to make your face melt.

The track could be heard at pep rallies in the valley, in nightclubs in San Francisco and blasting out of the front grill speakers of Chevy vans as they smashed through Deep East Oakland.

Trackademicks, a half-Black and half-Filipino guy who was raised in Alameda, looks at his own lineage and says remixing things is in his DNA, literally.

It was already in the music too, the Hyphy movement has its own history of mixing genres, which allowed it to birth something unique in The Bay.

Now, as a number of rappers (including Trackademicks) make music that harkens back to that era, we thought it'd be a good time to discuss how the big sun glasses, fun dances, and uptempo music of the Hyphy Movement came to be.

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Roll With Us: A Sisterhood of Lowriding Jul 16, 2021

Dueñas Car Club is a sisterhood that rolls on 100-spoke rims.

Founded in 2019 and based in Sunnyvale, the head of the club is Angel Romero. She's been cruising the strip since she was a kid as a passenger in her mother's lowrider.

It was through her mother that Angel inherited her passion for cool cars, cruising through the city, and serving the community.

Now, the members of the car club work with local organization to hold toy drives and distribute safety kits. They also pull up to events like car hops and car shows, stunting in full force.

Angel says it's amazing to see the look on the people's faces when their fleet of dope cars driven by women pulls through, but it's the young women whose imaginations they really love to inspire.

This week we discuss coordinating outfits with the color of your lowrider, the criminalization of lowriding culture, and how Angel is passing on her love of cars to the next generation of young women.

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Roll With Us: Extreme Wheelchair Sports Jul 02, 2021

Santa Rosa’s Randy Harlan and Bolinas’ Garnett Silver-Hall are known for using wheelchairs the same way others use skateboards-- grinding on rails and riding off ramps.

The duo are both adaptive athletes in the "chair skating" community and founders of Northern California's Wheelchair Motor Cross-- WCMX.

After connecting through mutual friends, the two have skated at parks in Northern California and competed in Southern California. Now Randy and Garnett teach other folks how to become involved in adaptive sports.

This week we hear how it feels to drop into a bowl at the skatepark and the dangers of attempting a backflip in a wheelchair.

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Roll With Us: From the Only Girl to Only Skating with Girls Jun 25, 2021

Marsha Howard grew up in the skateboarding mecca of San Francisco.

After getting her first board as a gift from a St. Anthony's Christmas donation program when she was 13 or 14, she's skated with friends in front of the Ferry Building and bombed down the windy roads of Twin Peaks.

She's also worked at Thrasher Magazine and been a skateboarding fashion model.

Nowadays she's a teacher and skates for exercise and mental health while using videos of her falling and getting back on her board to teach her elementary school students about perseverance.

This week, we talk to Marsha Howard about growing up skateboarding in this mecca and how she navigated the 'boys club' and assembled a circle of non-male skaters around herself.

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Cat Daddy: A Lesson on Pets and Parenting Jun 18, 2021

For his daughter's fourth birthday, Pen adopted an adorable gray and white kitten. His thinking? It'll teach his child about the responsibility of loving and caring for a living creature. Instead, Pen got the lesson.

In this special Father's Day episode of Rightnowish, Pen brings you into the story of his daughter, Z, their cat, Skye, and his revelation about where responsibility ultimately resides when you're a parent.

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Roll With Us: Bending Corners and Poppin' Wheelies Jun 11, 2021

Berkeley’s Omar "Meez" Jones is a biker, photographer, graphic designer and entrepreneur. One of his top talents is his ability to take his lifestyle and make a living off of it.

Earlier this year, a series of Apple billboards promoting their "Hometown" campaign sprung up all around the Bay Area, featuring the silhouetted images of two bikers hitting wheelies. Those bikers are Jones and his good friend from North Oakland, Almighty Gio.

What I saw as a major tech company leveraging culture to earn cool points, Jones sees as a platform benefiting the culture he represents.

While there's room for both to be true, Jones points out something that I overlooked: we breed hustlers in this region, so he'll figure out a way to make it work in his favor.

On top of that, Jones is working to expand opportunities to a younger generation of East Bay bikers, setting them up with brands and employment opportunities.

Tune in for the second entry on the intersection of wheels, community, and culture as Jones and I discuss biking, billboards, and being a community "big bro."

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Roll With Us: A Golden Roller on 50 Years of Quad Skating Jun 04, 2021

From 1979 to 1988, Richard was a part of the Golden Rollers, a trio of skaters who performed in Golden Gate Park every Sunday.

Since first getting his roll on, Richard has been featured in the television pilot, Dancing Wheels, was Damon Wayan's skating stunt double, performed on stage with Vaughn Mason and has been featured in Ebony Magazine. Richard also has custom wheels that bear his name, and worked with Riedell to manufacture a signature skating boot with no laces called, No Strings Attached.

Richard has also taught thousands of people his signature skating style of "Roller Dance" (even Dr. Oz) through in-person classes and video tutorials. And he's noticed skatings rising popularity since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. On social media, videos of skaters in fly fits doing tricks to the latest hits has made for top tier content, especially on TikTok.

While Richard appreciates the growing appreciation for the art of quad skating, he wants to make sure folks know that skating is a deep-seated culture with a history that pre-dates the internet, and moves that sparkled on the rink long before most viral stars were born.

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After Asking OPD to Leave, This Cafe Made a Plan for Community Safety May 21, 2021

In 2018 the Hasta Muerte coffee shop in East Oakland made national headlines when they asked Oakland police officers to leave their cafe.

Matt Gereghty, part-owner of the cooperative cafe, was the first person to tell an officer the cafe's policy of asking cops to leave. He read from a collectively written script the staff had composed before opening the shop.

Gereghty tells me it wasn't meant to be a major thing, just the cafe's attempts to ensure peace of mind for their customers by creating a space without cops. They serve a community where people have had traumatic experiences with police officers, or live in fear due to their documentation status.

Keep in mind it was 2018, and President Donald Trump's pro-police and anti-immigration rhetoric was flooding media.

When people found out about the policy, it led to pro-Trump, right wing protestors waving American flags with thin blue lines in front of the cafe. Hasta Muerte also received a letter from the president of the Oakland Police Association saying the policy was “a matter of concern for all Oakland Police Officers.”

The story was covered locally and nationally; it grew to the point that they even mentioned it on The View. But Hasta Muerte hasn't officially talked to any publications about what happened until now.

This week on Rightnowish, we discuss this East Oakland cafe's community-based approach to safety, cops and the media.

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Rocky Rivera Restores Justice Across the Board May 14, 2021

After winning an MTV reality TV show contest about a dozen years ago, Rocky Rivera landed a gig at Rolling Stone. That was a crowning moment in her career as a journalist.

Since then, Rocky Rivera's enjoyed a successful musical career and expanded her world as an educator in Oakland public schools. Most recently she published an autobiographical collection of essays, Snakeskin, which takes a look back at her storied career and personal life.

Rocky Rivera, who was raised in San Francisco, uses the book to express the importance of restorative justice practices. Addressing conflict without using punitive models is something that works in the classroom and the community, as well as in art.

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Motherhood, Marijuana and Mental Health with Been Milky May 07, 2021

Kate Dash, aka Been Milky, is one of the coolest mothers you'll ever meet.

She likes to bomb down huge San Francisco hills on a skateboard, she notoriously dyes her hair bright colors, she's a cannabis connoisseur and she's on the verge of launching a brand called Milky's World.

Been Milky, whose name honors the fact that mothers have the ability to feed all of humankind, sees mothers as the most important beings walking this earth. And since she's a photographer, she can show us exactly what she sees.

Her photography captures vivid images of her friends, many of them mothers, and of course, her own kids.

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Layers of Meaning with Visual Artist Paola de la Calle Apr 30, 2021

Artist Paola de la Calle plays with images and symbols that recall her childhood, her family's homeland in Colombia, and explores themes of citizenship and the politics of food. Bananas, tv satellites, door knocker hoops, sugar cane, and social security cards, to name a few, repeat in her work. She experiments with these images and themes across mediums. Paola's linocut prints, embellished flags, collaged posters and ceramics ask viewers to dig deeper into the colorful imagery.

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Schooling Trolls and Fighting Fatphobia One TikTok at a Time Apr 23, 2021

Through blogs and TikTok videos Brena Jean discusses what it means to be one of the millions of people living with lipedema.

The rarely diagnosed chronic disorder affects mostly women and causes fat cells within the body to build up and harden instead of burn; it's often confused with obesity or lymphedema.

As a result, many people living with lipedema don't know they have it. Or, in Brena Jean's case, she recognized the condition but struggled to prove it to medical professionals.

This week, Brean Jean and I discuss how she's taking internet trolls to school and what it means to fight fatphobia within the American healthcare system.

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Poet Alan Chazaro, the Piñata Theorist Apr 16, 2021

Alan Chazaro uses poetry to explore Bay Area culture, his love for hip-hop, and machismo stereotypes.

We first talked in 2019 about his first poetry collection, This Is Not a Frank Ocean Cover Album. Since then, Chazaro moved to Mexico, travelled through Central and South America, and then, ultimately, returned to the Bay Area. Chazaro has also been dabbling in the journalism trade-- with stories that range from the first woman to play professional men's basketball to the tale of a notable Oakland A's hot dog vendor. Chazaro has even freelanced for KQED.

In addition to all of that and teaching English, Chazaro just published his second book, Pińata Theory, which takes a deeper dive into his Mexican-American identity, Hip-Hop and deconstructing concepts of masculinity.

Since April is National Poetry Month, it seems like a good time to revisit our first conversation. And because so much has changed since then-- traveling, book publication and more-- we brought him back to give us a life update and a poem.

To hear other poets on Rightnowish here's a playlist:

https://spoti.fi/3tnZpe5

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These Artists Amplify 415 Day's Message of Resistance, Resilience and Restitution Apr 09, 2021

A few days ahead of April 15th -- 415 Day -- we're talking to two artists from San Francisco who have lived, fought, partied, and made art for their hometown.

Jules Retzlaff (Cereal For The Kids) and Sachiel Rosen (Baghead) are the duo behind the film and album, Dedicated To Those Who.

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Comedian Jackie Keliiaa on Keeping Tahoe Washoe Apr 02, 2021

Jackie Keliiaa is a stand-up comedian raised in Hayward and based in Oakland. She's unapologetically Bay, and proud of her Yerington, Paiute and Washoe roots. She's also funny af.

Building off Charlie Hill's legacy, Keliiaa cracks jokes about colonialism, Native culture and family, alongside her trials and tribulations with dating.

Before the pandemic, you could catch her shows at Punchline San Francisco, Comedy Oakland and Tommy T's. She's featured alongside other Native comedians in the televised 'First Nation Comedy Experience'. She also produces events that showcase woman of color comics, and she just launched a podcast where she interviews creative friends.

One of her latest endeavors includes contributing a chapter in the newly published book, We Had a Little Real Estate Problem: The Unheralded Story of Native Americans & Comedy. It's a deep dive into the under-appreciated legacy of Native comedians, taking its name from an iconic Charlie Hill joke, "My people are from Wisconsin. We used to be from New York... We had a little real estate problem."

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Cheryl Dunye on Inventing a Film Genre Mar 26, 2021

Filmmaker Cheryl Dunye is a legend. She’s best known for her seminal film, Watermelon Woman, which takes a critical look at the depiction of Black women in cinema; 2021 marks 25 years since it debuted.

In making that film, Dunye, a graduate of Temple University and Rutgers University, created her own style of filmmaking known as “Dunyementary.”

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Sci Fi and Time Travel with Theo Hollingsworth Mar 19, 2021

Oakland-based filmmaker Theo Hollingsworth knows about nerds. Back when he attended Howard University, he was given the nickname “spoken nerd” because of his personality and passion for poetry.

More recently, Hollingsworth’s independently produced comedic sci-fi series, Sirius Lee: The Problematic Time Transplant, dives into its own nerdom with quantum physics while addressing outdated perspectives on masculinity, gentrification and much more.

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Jon and Alba on the 'Heartbeat' of Film Mar 12, 2021

San Francisco State graduates Alba Roland Mejia and Jon Warfield Harrison are in the early stages of their careers as filmmakers. They’ve released a handful of short films which are artistic, a bit experimental and occasionally include a dash of science fiction.

Their first collaboration, My Own Mecca, looks at a day in the life of a young man at a crossroads, learning to navigate relationships, rent and the world around him. Their most recent work, Blackness is Everything, is an experimental film that features the faces and talents of some pretty well-known Bay Area-based Black artists. The short film, made possible with the support of BAYCAT, debuted in February and made for a quality visual experience in the middle of Black History Month.

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Maya Cueva's Films on Reproductive Rights and Immigration Mar 05, 2021

Maya Cueva makes documentary films that cover the heavy topics: immigration, reproductive justice and xenophobia.

Cueva says her journey into professional storytelling began after covering current events at Youth Radio (now YR Media) as a teen. While attending Ithaca College in New York, she began work on her first film, The Provider, which follows Dr. Shannon Carr as she performs abortions in Texas in the midst of a heated battle for reproductive rights.

That film led to another, On The Divide, which looks at the last abortion clinic on the U.S./Mexico border; the film is currently in production. Between creating those films, she's produced an animated film about her father’s immigration experience to the U.S. from Peru, Only the Moon/ Solamente La Luna.

And earlier this month Cueva debuted Ale Libre. This story follows reproductive rights organizer and undocumented activist Alejandra Pablos in her fight against deportation. The film recently debuted at the Big Sky Doc Fest, and later this month will be showing at the San Diego Latino Film Festival, Salem Film Festival and the Thin Line Fest.

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Tongo Eisen-Martin on a Poet's Role in a Protest Feb 26, 2021

Tongo Eisen-Martin, San Francisco's eighth poet laureate, says it's not enough to simply be a poet.

"The poet needs to just come on down to the trenches," he says. His suggestion for writers out there is to get involved in your community, whether that's passing out flyers or organizing a mutual aid program. "That experience is what you synthesize good revolutionary poetry from."

This week on Righnowish, Eisen-Martin joins us for a brief but powerful interview that includes a performance of his poem, "A Sketch of Genocide."

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How Hip-Hop Led To Studying the Bay Area’s AIDS Epidemic Feb 19, 2021

Antoine Johnson stands at the intersection of hip-hop culture, HIV/ AIDS history, and the great institutions of higher learning in Northern California.

A graduate of Oakland's Castlemont High School and Sacramento State University, Johnson is now a PhD candidate at UCSF where he's researching the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and how the community-- including a group of Black women in Oakland-- responded.

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Rapper Champ Green Isn’t Stingy with the Rhythm or the Wisdom Feb 12, 2021

Lyricist Champ Green is probably your favorite Bay Area rapper's favorite rapper. He's been putting in work for some time, and over the past calendar year he's been on a music-making mission. And he's not showing any signs of slowing.

His clever wordplay and wisdom-filled rhymes can be found on a project with DJ Basta, a recent single and video with Mistah FAB, and multiple tracks with the Grand Nationxl collective. And next week he's scheduled to release Pleasantly Plump 2 with DJ Twelvz.

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Jada Imani on Vibing with Hawaiian Frogs and Riffing Off Mac Dre Feb 05, 2021

Neo-soul and hip-hop artist Jada Imani gets her inspiration from a range of lived experiences: parking tickets, lessons from her parents, and Mac Dre lyrics.

Despite the pandemic, Jada has been dropping three-track EPs every first Friday since October, and plans to continue to do so until March. It's a legacy of the collaborations and vibe she cultivated while organizing and hosting First Friday events at the Alan Blueford Center in Oakland for over 3 years.

While honoring her origins, she's also incorporating inspiration from her new surroundings -- like Hawaiian tree frogs.

This week on Rightnowish we talk to Jada Imani about astrology, 'high vibration clapbacks' and how music was her access to culture when she was a small girl in a small town.

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Soul Work and That ‘Bay Area Bounce’ with Artist YMTK Jan 29, 2021

For the next month, Rightnowish will be featuring artists with local roots who are taking the sounds of the Bay to a national stage.

YMTK is an R&B and hip-hop artist who grew up in Oakland and currently resides in Los Angeles.

In his music catalog, you'll find his collaborations with P-Lo, IamSu!, Rexx Life Raj, and many more. YMTK has also written lyrics for emerging artists like the East Bay's Marteen and Compton's Gemaine.

But while sheltering-in-place over this past year, YMTK says he's been exploring his creative process as an individual.

"... when you are creating by yourself, it’s like really on you," YMTK says. And as a creative person, second guessing himself is common, but this time in solitude has proven to be a "swift kick in the ass to really focus on YMTK," he says.

But, focusing on self and going through the process of doing soul work isn't a foreign concept to YMTK. He spent his childhood in the church and says it has given his music a foundation, no matter if it's a dance track or a prayer song.

In addition to discussing the role spirituality plays in his life and art, we talk hoops, hanging with Mr. Cooper, and shooting your shot as a musical artist in the middle of a pandemic.

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Nappy Nina on Becoming the Rap Bill Nye and Missing Oakland Jan 22, 2021

Nappy Nina is a lyricist with a smooth-sultry delivery that's almost jazz-like, especially when coupled with some signature Boom-Bap production. In her songs, she raps about breakups, missing Oakland, the disappointing produce in Brooklyn, and navigating rough financial waters.

She's gotten mentions from the Grammys and Bandcamp. And she's been working on a streak of exciting projects. For an organization called Flocabulary, Nina was commissioned to pen a rhyme that tells the story of Toni Morrison. And this year, she's built on that momentum by dropping a new single,"Pandemy Stimmy," which features Stas Thee Boss. Soon, she'll release a new EP, Double Down, in collaboration with New Jersey-based producer, J Words.

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Dale and Sunny: An East Oaklander and His Horse Jan 15, 2021

Dale Johnson grew up in East Oakland with stories of his grandfather riding horses on a Texas ranch. For years horses were just part of a family story. But one day, a pair of polo boots caught Dale's eye and he was brought back into the world of equestrians.

Now Dale and his horse, Sunny, are deep in the horseback community. Last fall, they joined other riders, like Brianna Noble, to ride through San Francisco's Sunnydale Projects on Halloween dressed up like Wakandans . They were also part of the Ride Out to Vote campaign last November.

This week on Rightnowish, Dale and I talk about what it means to be a polo player and an equestrian in the face of race and class stereotypes that come with being an African American man from East Oakland.

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Breena Nuñez on Zines and Feeling Seen as an Afro-Latinx Comic Artist Dec 18, 2020

Breena Nuñez is an Afro Guatemalan-Salvadoran cartoonist who grew up on the Bay Area's peninsula. Now she lives in the East Bay.

Nuñez's illustrations cover everything from commentaries about electoral politics to autobiographical comics about gender, sexuality and race.

African ancestry in Central America is a through-line in Nuñez's work. Sometimes she explicitly brings it up in the captions, other times she subtly alludes to it through hairstyles or a character's skin tone.

Earlier this year, Nuñez and her partner Lawrence Lindell co-founded Laneha House, a small press where they publish their work and the work of The BAYlies collective. And just this month, the two got married.

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The Road to Reparations Through Black Genealogy Dec 11, 2020

Alex Trapps-Chabala is a young genealogist whose main focus is tracing the lineage of African American people.

He grew up between Sacramento's Oak Park neighborhood and the Bay Area. But as preteen, his family sent him to live with with relatives in Alabama to get some discipline for an attitude problem. It was that time spent in the south that pushed Alex toward becoming a genealogist.

Alex says that while in Alabama, his grandmother taught him about his family and showed him how to dig through archives and records in order to uncover more information.

As he got more invested in genealogy, he saw gaps in how African American history is told, as well as opportunities to illuminate more Black family histories.

Alex began pulling up vital records, census records and even digitizing records of home births. With the help of others in genealogists, Alex is compiling a database he hopes will be a resource for African American families.

Now through his startup, The KinConnector, Alex is aiming to have an easy to use database that fills voids in African American histories.

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The Parallel Lives of One Community Organizer and the First Openly Gay Black MLB Player Dec 04, 2020

Vincent-Ray Williams III is the Operations Coordinator at Oakland's LGBTQ Community Center. Through this position Vincent has a hand in developing the Center's Glenn Burke Wellness Clinic.

The clinic, which is named after the Oakland A's player who was discriminated against for being the first openly gay major league player, is set to open early next year. Vincent says the clinic will focus on HIV/ AIDS testing and prevention.

Vincent, who was born HIV positive, says dispelling negative notions of people living with the virus is the work he finds most purposeful.

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Family, Eritrea, and Berkeley at the Heart of “Everything” Nov 20, 2020

Abdulalim A’Omer grew up in a tight-knit Muslim Eritrean community in South Berkeley.

He says that experience exposed him to a little bit of everything-- fashion, basketball, family, politics, religion, technology and more. It all proved to be a foundational part of Abdulalim's multifaceted Everything brand, which wants to ask its users, what's your everything?

Abdulalim, or Abdul for short, is the oldest of four boys. His parents immigrated from Eritrea, allowing him to become a college educated entrepreneur. Their sacrifices aren't lost on him and he maintains a connection to their homeland. But recently, he's watched Eritrea become enmeshed in a brewing civil conflict in the neighboring country of Ethiopia.

In this week's episode of Rightnowish we talk to Abdulalim about how he is using technology and art to bring people into his world of culture, community and ... everything.

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Essential Work: Designing the End to Mass Incarceration Nov 13, 2020

Deanna Van Buren is an architect, but she goes far beyond just designing buildings. She uses her craft to demonstrate new structures for justice in our society.

Van Buren is the co-founder and Executive Director of Designing Justice, an organization that she says focuses on "ending mass incarceration through innovations in the built environment, using both finance and design together."

Designing Justice has launched projects across the country: They're behind a Peace Making project in Syracuse, a restorative justice project in Detroit, and they're looking to convert an Atlanta jail into a community center.

Locally, they've refurbished a MUNI bus to create a mobile school in San Francisco and in East Oakland, they've built a community center based in restorative justice practices.

This week on Rightnowish, Deanna Van Buren discusses what it means to design for a more equitable society.

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Election Anxiety? Laughter Gets Us Through with Luna Malbroux Nov 06, 2020

Comic Luna Malbroux loves to stay informed, and she also loves to laugh.

By prioritizing joy in her life, she has the energy to confront racism, sexism and the stress of this election season.

Just this week, Malbroux-- who is also a musician and sex coach in training-- spent election night co-hosting a live event for the San Francisco AIDS foundation. She brought the laughs and she brought some deep political knowledge.

In this week's episode of Rightnowish, Luna's got jokes and wisdom on how to find pleasure in these tense times. Hit the play button to catch some serotonin.

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Hunger Strikes, Prayer Dances and Protests: A Photographer in Community Oct 30, 2020

Denis Ivan Perez Bravo is an East Bay-based photographer and organizer who isn't shy about jumping right into the action.

The images he captures on the front lines of protests in Northern California show the intense struggle of today's social movements.

The risk of bodily harm can come from both sides of a scrimmage. While covering the news, Dennis has been hit by projectiles fired from police weapons and risks being trampled by crowds of protestors.

On top of that, Denis is undocumented, so he's literally risking his freedom. But he says that his photos are worth it.

Beyond capturing images from the front lines in the battle for justice and liberation, Denis also fills his camera rolls with shots of community sporting events and cultural affairs from his neighborhood in Richmond, CA.

This week on Rightnowish, we talk to Denis about what it means to be on the front line, and why he sometimes crosses that line.

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These Community Aunties Want Legendary Black Creative Spaces Oct 23, 2020

Two years ago Tayleur Crenshaw and Maud Alcorn started the arts collective, Gold Beams. It began as an open mic Crenshaw hosted in her living room -- called Second Mondays -- which eventually grew into a larger monthly event at Red Bay Coffee headquarters in East Oakland.

"It’s like emotional stories that they kind of leave at the altar at Second Mondays. And us as community aunties, we are there to rub the backs and to listen and be an ear. We’re just here for people’s emotional journeys," says Crenshaw.

Since shelter-in-place orders came down this spring, Gold Beams has pivoted while staying productive. They're doing a filmed series of intimate performances highlighting Black artists, called Fourth Mondays. They're also working in collaboration with Welcome To The Table to produce a series of filmed conversations about relationships amongst Black artists in the Bay Area. It's called, In Real Life: A Conversation Between Black Men and Women. And if that's not enough, they've also mounted a photo exhibition, which largely features the work of Dorean Raye, myself and other photographers who've captured their events; the framed images are posted at Oakstop at 1721 Broadway in downtown Oakland. The exhibition is titled, Mondays Were Never the Same, and is open for timed reservations. But do it fast, it's only scheduled to be up until November 6th.

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Cat Brooks on Refunding the Community Oct 16, 2020

In January of this year, Cat Brooks and the Anti Police-Terror Project launched a service where trained professionals respond to mental health crises; it's an alternative to people calling the police to handle the situation.

The service, Mental Health First, or M.H. First, initially launched in Sacramento, and began serving Oakland this summer. Brooks says that M.H. First's work is just one part of the effort to refund the community and divest from overspending on police.

This week on Rightnowish, Brooks discusses M.H. First, the racism she encountered as a young person and she traces her origins in organizing back to the killing of Oscar Grant-- a case which was recently been reopened.

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Yanni Will Eat You Up and Make You Love Yourself Oct 09, 2020

On 17th and Telegraph, on the backside of YR media's Oakland headquarters, there's a mural that stretches the length of the three story building. The colorful artwork was painted by Rachel Wolfe Goldsmith and shows two people: one with their fist raised to the sky wearing a shirt that says "they/them", and another person looking calmly at you, sort of inviting you in.

The models for the mural are artist and musician Stoney Creation, and Yanni Brump, a non-binary model, party thrower and public speaker.

I was familiar with both Goldsmith and Stoney Creation before, but I didn't know Yanni until I posted a picture of the mural. A friend tagged Yanni in the post, and looking at their page, I got a glimpse into all the things they do.

I reached out to Yanni and learned how they went from shy, to living their life unapologetically. Now you can see them posing for Vogue, walking in New York Fashion Week, speaking at protests, using TikTok videos as a tool to teach self love and being the face of this HUGE MURAL in downtown Oakland.

This week on Rightnowish, Yanni Brump gives us a crash course on finding the courage within to trust in yourself.

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The Townfolk Project, Documenting Oakland’s Community Oct 02, 2020

About two years ago photographer Scott La Rockwell started taking photos of longtime Oakland residents, and interviewing them about their roots in the Town.

He published the pieces online, calling it: the Townfolk Project.

He says he initially planned to take photos of 100 folks from a cross section of backgrounds and neighborhoods, but with COVID-19, things slowed down. He’s sitting on about 20 published interviews.

But this past summer, when store owners boarded up their buildings to discourage any vandalism that might come after peaceful protests, Scott’s project got an unexpected canvas: the windows of a building on 13th and Broadway.

Now about a dozen of Scott’s photos of artists, activists and folks who’ve been putting on for the greater good of Oakland are mounted on one of the most prominent corners of the city.

This week, we talk to Scott La Rockwell about the importance of showing the community to itself, especially at a time when people are so divided.

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The Abolitionist Fighting Sex Trafficking with Words and Altars Sep 25, 2020

Regina Y. Evans works with a team of folks to assemble altars on International Boulevard in Oakland, a hub for adult sex workers as well as the sex trafficking of minors.

Regina says the goal of the work is to be present for the girls-- "Beloveds" as she calls them.

The altars are decorated with art, flowers, letters and fabrics, and since the start of the pandemic, she's been adding hand sanitizer, condoms and PPE. Regina says her team builds these altars as an offering and that she doesn't directly approach the Beloveds, instead she allows the altars to be an opening for interactions.

For Regina, spirituality, social commentary and artistry all weave together in her mission to abolish the sex trafficking of minors.

You can see this in all her work: She owns the vintage boutique, Regina's Door, which also serves as a safe haven for at-risk youth and survivors of human trafficking. And in addition to designing costumes for stage shows, she writes and performs her own plays-- which are informed by the work she does on the streets of Oakland.

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The East Bay Poet Bringing Cheesecake to Your Door Sep 18, 2020

A few years back, Victor Harris Jr. was selling maple peach bourbon cheesecakes at an Oakland event. He says an older African American woman sampled a slice and he watched as her eyes rolled back in her head before they re-focused on on him. She asked Victor to come closer, so he leaned in and she smacked him softly in the face. Then she complimented his work and ordered a cake to go.

Victor, who is DJ, a former race car driver, a poet and owner of Reuschelle's Cheesecakes, hasn't been working any events this year due to concerns around COVID-19, but he's still finding ways to bring his sweets to peeps. He's selling at the Castro Valley Farmers Market, and the Temescal Farmers Market in Oakland. He's also doing personal deliveries-- and he says that's his favorite part of the job.

This week, I interview Victor about the origin of his cheesecakes and his poetry, which caught the ear of Rightnowish listener Rebecca Hensler, who suggested we interview Victor.

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The Queen of Vinyl and the Ears of Rightnowish Sep 11, 2020

Ashleyanne Krigbaum spins vinyl at weddings and dive bars, sound designs museum audio tours, and was the founding producer of KQED's arts and culture podcast, Rightnowish.

You might've heard of it.

Ashleyanne, who can trace her East Bay roots back for a few generations, grew up along the Delta in the town of Bethel Island. And after calling Berkley home for the past couple of years, she's decided to move to the Los Angeles area, where she'll embark on a great career opportunity-- and also enjoy a new romantic partnership.

Before Ashleyanne left the KQED team, we put her in the hot seat and asked her the hard questions. You know, like: what does it take to produce a weekly arts and culture show? What's her philosophy on creative collaboration? And what's the story behind her technicolor hair?

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Sometimes, It Takes Time Sep 04, 2020

Erina Alejo is an educator, artist and cultural artifact keeper. But when asked how they self-identify, Alejo says they're, "a third-generation renter."

Alejo's grand-aunt immigrated from the Philippines to the Bay Area in 1959. Soon after, other family members joined. They lived in the East Bay city of Pittsburg, before moving to San Francisco. They've been renters the whole time.

Now Alejo, who spent their early years in the Mission District before being priced out and moving to the Excelsior, says they've been watching the story of gentrification unfold through a unique lens.

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Quarterback Josh Johnson Explains There’s More to the Game Aug 28, 2020

Oakland's Joshua Johnson knows about the commitment, focus and strategy it takes to compete at a high level. He's a professional NFL quarterback with over ten years of experience in the league. And recently, he's taken those same qualities to the world of online gaming.

Johnson is a co-founder of the Ultimate Gaming League (UGL), an e-sports platform where gamers compete, create community, and talk trash to one another.

Beyond fun and games, Johnson says there are ample entrepreneurial opportunities in the world of digital gaming, especially when it comes to individuals branding themselves. Johnson's aim is to make sure folks in his community are taking full advantage of the platforms that are growing more popular by the day.

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How This National Policy Leader Got Politicized in Oakland Aug 21, 2020

With all that's going on in the world, some folks might overlook the presidential election that's in less than three months. But not Tracey L. Ross, and she's getting the word out about the importance of this election.

Tracey, who was raised and politicized in Oakland, currently works as the Director of Federal Policy and Narrative Change at PolicyLink. This means she serves as a bridge between policy researchers and elected officials.

She has a unique sense of America's national political landscape and she wants to make sure people are aware of what's at stake this coming fall, and how that will inform elections to come.

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Sowing Seeds of Social Justice in Fruitvale Aug 14, 2020

Michael Muscadine was born and raised in East Oakland's Fruitvale neighborhood, where his family goes back several generations. Muscadine says that's where his grandfather, John Melendrez, instilled in him the idea of community oriented social activism.

Now Muscadine works as a life coach at the Fruitvale-based nonprofit, CURYJ, which stands for Communities United For Restorative Youth Justice. Muscadine works directly with young folks-- many of whom have had run-ins with the justice system-- to assure that they have resources like food and housing.

Muscadine also works at a community garden in the same neighborhood where he works and lives. Through gardening, and his work at CURYJ, he's literally planting seeds in the same place he has deep roots.

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Keeping Yourself and Your Culture Healthy During COVID Aug 07, 2020

As the Director of Homeless Services for the Alameda Health System and the Chief Clinical Officer with Health Leads, Dr. Damon Francis has his hands full.

Before the pandemic, Dr. Damon performed heath checkups, tests, and provided resources for people living without shelter and those living with HIV. This year he's taken on treating people living with the virus and informing people how to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

When he talks about quelling the spread of COVID-19, Dr. Damon relies on something he learned while working with people living with HIV/ AIDS: you can't demonize human behavior.

He believes that people are going to be people; he just wants them to do so in the most informed and healthy way possible.

So, when it comes to the ongoing conversation about gatherings in public spaces, like Oakland's Lake Merritt, Dr. Damon doesn't condemn people, instead he asks them to socialize in the healthiest fashion possible: wearing masks, washing hands, staying more than six-feet apart; he also suggests looking at the Alameda County Health Department's page for further information.

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'Paint Us in a Beautiful Light': Photographing Black Joy Jul 31, 2020

Amir Abdul-Shakur's Instagram page, AmirThePhotographer, looks like a community yearbook. His shots are mostly portraits of Black folks in Oakland, and show each individual in their own radiant light.

His images, some of protests and others of parties, all seem to have an underlying joyous sentiment.

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Futbolista Turned Marijuana Medicine Maker Jul 24, 2020

Dania Cabello is a former professional fútbol player, who now teaches the sport to young folks through the program Oakland Street Stylers. She was one of the main characters in the film Futbolistas 4 Life and is a producer on the series, The North Pole. But her most recent venture involves juicing marijuana leaves to make healing salves and bath salts; and her company is called Ojo De La Sol.

After mastering her remedies in her kitchen, Dania says she went through the long bureaucratic process of filing paperwork, getting her products tested and when she finally got access to a space where she could mass produce, that's when the first shelter-in-place orders came down from Governor Newsom.

Since then, she's struggled to get her products into stores, as meetings are hard to arrange while socially distancing. But nonetheless, she's managed to set up her online shop and sell her her salves and bath salts through a digital storefront. After all, this is a time where masses could use medicine.

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From West Africa to the West Coast: One SF Griot's Dance of Resistance Jul 17, 2020

"I'm doing a flip off the boat," said Jarrel Phillips, breaking down last year's performance at Remembering 1619, a play directed by Joanna Haigood of Zaccho Dance Theatre, which acknowledges the first shipment of enslaved Africans reaching Virginia 400 years ago.

"I'm one of the ones that decides, 'I'm not having this, yo, I'm out,'" says Jarrel, summarizing his character in the play.

His onstage persona is much like Jarrel in real life: acrobatic, resilient and close to his roots. From the stage, Jarrel tells the story of Africans surviving in the Western hemisphere. In real life, Jarrel is part the story of how African Americans have survived on the West Coast of the United States.

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Rocking the Mic and Running the Lake Jul 10, 2020

DAGHE Digital is just about as unique as they come.

He's a West Oakland kid, who's clear about his West African roots, as his family hails from Nigeria. He grew up a socialite who turf danced and threw "functions" for people who weren't old enough to go to legit clubs. He's grown to become a brand creator, clothing designer, music producer and more.

But his main job? Going stupid on the turntables and microphone at some of the biggest events.

I first sat down to interview him in Oakland last summer, and talked about the other side of DAGHE. You know, the cerebral side, the side that likes to have "business meetings" with himself while he runs the lake. Since shelter-in-place, he channeled his love of running towards a Peace and Wellness run to show solidarity with the protests.

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Mentoring Oakland’s Youth and Keeping an Eye on OPD Jul 03, 2020

Is police reform actually achievable? That's the question I'm most interested in asking Regina Jackson.

Ms. Regina, as she's often called, has been the Executive Director of the East Oakland Youth Development Center since 1994. That's where she perfected her system of mentorship and community engagement.

In 2017, Ms. Regina was elected to a four-year term as the Chair of the Oakland Police Commission-- an independent review board that works outside of OPD to oversee policies and practices within the department.

Ms. Regina's goal is to bring her philosophies on mentorship and community development to the Oakland Police Commission, in the hopes that it will result in substantial reform to the Oakland Police Department-- which has been under a federal monitor since 2003.

Ms. Regina is powerful and competent, but given all that I've experienced with police in America, especially over these past few weeks-- with footage of George Floyd's Death and the tale of Breonna Taylor's death, I've grown more pessimistic about the potential of "reforming" police departments in America, Oakland's included.

But if anyone is going to make a dent in police reform, it's going to be someone like Ms. Regina.

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The Fairy Glow Mother from East Palo Alto Jun 26, 2020

Hadiyah Daché is an esthetician from East Palo Alto, who recently relocated her Fairy Glow Mother business to Oakland.

Her skincare work covers everything finding remedies for acne to waxing intimate areas, and there's so much more to it.

In this conversation, we touch on Hadiyah's roots in EPA, her entrepreneurial drive and why skincare is deeper than just applying sunblock-- which she suggests you do multiple times of day if you're outside in the summer months.

Correction: Hadiyah's last name is Daché.

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Getting Out of the Way for Your Creative Child Jun 19, 2020

Sydney Nycole is a singer and songwriter from Berkeley who has been making music since she was a teen. And although her father (and manager) Gary Reeves has been in the industry since the 1980s, Sydney found this passion on her own.

Once it was established that Sydney, a free spirit who has no problem speaking her mind, was on the path to becoming an artist, it was on Gary to make sure he did his best to be there to support her and to know when to step back and let Sydney do her own thing.

In this conversation, Gary talks about how his experiences working with the likes of Michael Jordan, Jamie Foxx and Blair Underwood informed what it's like to be a father in the entertainment industry. Sydney also offers some insight into what her father has done to help her on her path.

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Pulling Poetry Out of People Jun 12, 2020

Poet Tiffany Banks is the host of Speak On It, a weekly poetry night that usually takes place at Liege Lounge in Old Oakland.

But since California has been sheltering in place, the poetry night has taken to the digital realm-- and now the talented performers hop on a big Zoom call just about every Wednesday night to share their work.

As the host of this event, it's on Tiffany to organize the video call, schedule performers, promote the event and, at times, influence bashful artists to share their hidden talents.

In this episode of Rightnowish, Tiffany helps me to tap back into a passion I've had since a kid, writing poetry. And she even convinces me to perform.

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Poet Porche Kelly Performs "Jokes" Jun 08, 2020

Porsche Nicole Kelly is an Oakland based motivational speaker, poet and author of the book, 2 Kinds of Fire. For this week's episode of Rightnowish, I step back and let the wordsmith speak to us as only she can, through her poetic critique of race in society in the form of her poem, "Jokes." The poem grapples with cases of police brutality and white nationalist violence. Do what you need to take care of yourself.

You can follow Porsche Nicole Kelly at "thepoetactivist" on Instagram.

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It’s Not Business as Usual Jun 05, 2020

Over the past nine months, I've had the luxury of getting to know some of the most interesting artists and activists the Bay Area has to offer. As the host of the Rightnowish podcast, it's been my goal to give them a platform, while taking a step back.

But this week, given all that has occurred in relation to police brutality and protests, I have something to say.

Today's episode of Rightnowish is dedicated to the lives of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, and all of those who've lost their lives in the struggle to end police brutality and extra-judicial killings of African American people.

I hope this piece creates critical thinking about the numerous ways in which this country shows its lack of value for the lives of African American people.

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Community Service & Star Power with Jamal Trulove May 29, 2020

For the past three months, San Francisco's Jamal Trulove has been working with UCSF’s Science Policy Group in order to get masks, hand sanitizer and information to groups that have been most impacted by COVID-19.

You might've heard a little bit about Trulove's story.

He's an actor, who played the role of Kofi in the 2019 film, The Last Black Man in San Francisco. He's a rapper, under the stage name 10MilliMilli, he's dropped a handful of songs, and is working on more.

And last year he was awarded a multi-million dollar settlement in a case with the SFPD, after being framed and falsely imprisoned for a 2007 murder; a case that led to him serving over six years behind bars. Since then, he's been vocal about that case and the prison system.

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COVID Can't Stop Comedy in the Bay May 22, 2020

Chris Riggins has performed on stages across the Bay Area and beyond. And as his career was in mid-stride -- COVID-19 hit. Now Riggins is adjusting to a world where comedy performances, like many forms of art, are happening online.

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Catching Babies with a Go-To Doula for Black Parents May 15, 2020

Sumayyah Monét Franklin is a birth rights activist, doula and owner of Sumi’s Touch.

She gives advice to potential parents on conception, coaches new parents through postpartum and is with parents during the birthing process-- she's attended over 500 births and counting.

As of late, caution around potentially being exposed to COVID-19 has made many people wary about even going to traditional healthcare facilities. Guidelines on how many people can be present for the birthing process have become strict, making more parents hesitant to go to a hospital. This might explain why Sumayyah says she's seeing an uptick in her business-- and she expects that trend to continue.

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‘Angel Parents’ Karega and Felicia Bailey on Grief and Love May 08, 2020

When Felicia Gangloff-Bailey and Karega Bailey's newborn daughter, Kamaiu, passed last year, the couple says they became "angel parents." It's a term that exemplifies their seemingly ever-present optimism and uplifting approach to dealing with grief.

This mindset is something the duo brings to their professional life as well, working as educators and restorative justice practitioners. They're also musicians, making up half of the band, Sol Development, along with Brittany Tanner and Lauren Adams.

Recently, the couple has worked to publish a book full of affirmations that can be used as a toolkit, of sorts, to give guidance to other people who are dealing with grief. The book is call Sol Affirmations.

This week on Rightnowish, we're discussing the importance of understanding grief and how uplifting words help process the highs and lows that life can throw at you.

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Illustrating a Stutter with Umber Magazine May 01, 2020

Mike Nicholls is the founder of Umber magazine, a publication dedicated to telling the stories of Black and Brown artists from the Bay Area. It's so invested in those narratives, the pages are brown and the ink is black.

For the magazine's third issue, which was released last summer, the theme was Sound. Nicholls, who grew up with an intense stutter, says he's always found it easier to express himself through the written word—hence his passion for the visual arts. But he's always been interested in digging into sound, especially as a method for overcoming stuttering.

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The Sweet Release of Writing a Battle Rap Apr 24, 2020

Oakland MC Passwurdz 510 is a professional battle rapper. That means he gets paid to go on stage and publicly humiliate his opponents.

It's an art form that dates back to the early days of Hip Hop and has been depicted in movies like 8 Mile. On top of being a competition of lyrical prowess, these battles provide comedic relief for audiences - and a cathartic release for artists, as well.

Passwurdz, aka Pass, is also part of the duo ANML PLNT (along with Jordan Jennings, aka Apes), which released an album earlier this year, called "The Box."

Now that people are dealing with the emotions of daily uncertainty, I figured it'd be a good time to get some tips from a professional about how to use battle raps to constructively release some pent up emotions.

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How Theater Prepared This Artist for the Funeral Home Apr 17, 2020

Paris Warr's dream job has always been to work in a mortuary. Now she's worried about how Covid-19 will impact her industry.

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KMEL’s DC Keeps the Beat Going During Rona Apr 10, 2020

Radio host DC is working non-stop during shelter-in-place, and he has a pretty good idea of how others in the entertainment industry are dealing with everything that is (and isn't) happening in the Bay Area.

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From East Oakland, Music for the Soul Apr 03, 2020

She's been all over the world—but back home in Oakland, Pendarvis Harshaw catches up with the R&B and jazz musician.

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Truth Be Told on ‘Rona and Racism Apr 02, 2020

Our friends over at the podcast Truth Be Told just dropped their second season and we want to share their recent episode about COVID-19, called 'Rona and Racism: A Survival Guide.

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Trap Nature with Scid the Snakeman Mar 27, 2020

He's a nature-loving animal advocate who documents his journeys on social media. He's Scid "The Snake man" Howard.

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Conjuring Our Ancestral Spirits Through Art Mar 20, 2020

Artist Sydney Cain uses art to reveal her connections to ancestors and community that are no longer here... or maybe they are, just in another realm.

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The Human Body Can’t Be Stopped Mar 13, 2020

Carina Ho, who goes by ONIKHO, is a dancer, musician and choreographer who is paralyzed from the chest down. Here's how she uses her art to tell her story.

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Pro Baseball’s First Black Woman Mar 06, 2020

The story of Toni Stone, the first black woman to play professional baseball in America.

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Repping Oakland With Tattoos, Sewing and Community Service Feb 28, 2020

Yasmin and Daniel are educators, volunteers and entrepreneurs who hold Oakland's well being at the center of everything they do.

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This Librarian Holds the Keys to Oakland’s History Feb 21, 2020

When you want to research the history of your house, write a paper about a historical figure or make a movie about Oakland-- you go see Dorothy Lazard.

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Fredrika Newton + Huey P. = Revolutionary Love Feb 14, 2020

How do you maintain a healthy relationship in the midst of combating oppression?

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Hennessy Pound Cake, Long Commutes and Filmmaking Feb 07, 2020

After her family was evicted, Danielle Thompson turned to filmmaking to document the changes in Oakland in the hopes that it might someday bring her back home.

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The Jacka’s Manager Talks Life, Legacy and Friendship Jan 31, 2020

Touring with The Jacka gave manager PK a front row seat to seeing how Bay Area culture is loved around the world.

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Politicizing Sex Work with Connie Wun Jan 24, 2020

As a former sex worker, Dr. Connie Wun talks about the importance of understanding the difference between sex work and exploitation.

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Antique Naked Soul Turns Anxiety and Love Into Music Jan 17, 2020

With virtuoso beatboxing and soulful singing, the a capella group uses their vocal gifts to impart an empowering message.

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Drew Banga’s Musical Notes on Fatherhood Jan 10, 2020

Drew Banga is responsible for some of Kamaiyah and Rexx Life Raj's best-known songs, but his biggest job is fatherhood.

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Meet Oakland’s Latinx Game Developers Jan 03, 2020

Five young women in Oakland have created a video game about the challenges of being a mother.

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Claiming Community Walls for the Black Panther Party Dec 27, 2019

Pendarvis Harshaw's 'Rightnowish' kicks off with Oakland muralist and culture keeper Refa One.

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Photographing Oakland, One Portrait at a Time Dec 20, 2019

Lara Kaur’s Community Portrait Pop-Up in Oakland gives back through free photography.

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Brookfield Duece, a Son of East Oakland Dec 13, 2019

Brookfield Duece is using his music to make sure the story of his neighborhood is told properly.

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The Culture is the Cure: Artists as First Responders Dec 06, 2019

Ashara Ekundayo is closing her gallery in Oakland. The next chapter in her creative career will be writing a book that explores how people use art as a first response to combating oppression.

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Breaking Bread and Busting Machismo Nov 29, 2019

This East Bay poet drops a few words of wisdom on masculinity over a plate of g-fire chicken wings.

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Room 302: Home of Oakland’s Own ‘Tiny Desk’ Nov 22, 2019

'Off The Table' is a bi-weekly performance showcasing the work of students at the Oakland School of The Arts and modeled after the "Tiny Desk" concerts at NPR.

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Oakland’s Street Sofas and the Bay Area Housing Crisis Nov 15, 2019

Discarded furniture never really caught my eye—but after talking with Jamie Facciola, I notice it everywhere.

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Loving Yourself in the Streets and Between the Sheets Nov 08, 2019

How many sex toys come with personal mantras? At Nenna Joiner's store in downtown Oakland, self-care takes on a whole new meaning.

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Oakland’s Rollerskating Country Singer Nov 01, 2019

With 'Roll Out,' the singer pays homage to the Oakland Rollers, a crew that transforms a Lake Merritt cul-de-sac into a rollerskating rink every week.

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From D-Boys to Dope Art Oct 25, 2019

Oakland native Timothy B. has been putting paint where it ain’t for some time now—and the center of his work is family.

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Introducing Rightnowish Oct 02, 2019

People say the magic of the Bay Area is dimming, that artists are leaving and the unique flavor of the Bay Area is going with it, but the team behind Rightnowish knows that there’s more to that story. To understand it, you gotta keep up with what's going on in the moment, in other words, what's happening right now... ish.

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