Rightnowish

Rightnowish’s Grand Finale: Words of Wisdom from Timothy B.

18 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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, renowne...

Building a Native Arts and Culture Space From the Ground Up

11 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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, ...

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

27 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Loove Moore the 'Out Here Specialist' Leads by Example

20 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

West Oakland's Loove Moore is a superhero. His special power? His ability to participate. He's a talented musician, dancer, and community documentari...

Tomas Moniz’s New Book Is an Ode to Friendship in the Bay Area

13 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 c...

Jazz Meets Hip Hop in Bassist Giulio Xavier Cetto’s World

06 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 in...

Miguel “Bounce” Perez’s Culture Flows Through His Ink

30 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week we revisit a story that was originally published September 2, 2022 as part of “Permanent Behavior: Getting Tatted in the Bay” , a fou...

When the Youth Speak, Mush Lee Listens

23 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 a...

One Time for Public Media Podcasts

13 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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...

‘Ear Hustle’ Introduces Us to Seniors in the California Institution for Women

09 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 g...

D Sharp: The DJ with Four NBA Championship Rings

02 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Golden State Warriors had a rough 2023-2024 campaign, but at least the music was slappin'. During timeouts, breaks between quarters and sometimes ...

nic feliciano Is Blessed With The ‘Curse of an Overactive Creative Mind’

25 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

nic feliciano (who also goes by Coco Machete) contains multitudes. She's a fashionista who currently resides in Berkeley, but was born in the Philippi...

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

18 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

The Chronic Pain Of White Supremacy

11 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 B...

Rightnowish Presents: Immigrantly’s Conversation with Musician Meklit Hadero

04 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Rightnowish, we’re passing the mic to our friends at Immigrantly podcast. Host Saadia Khan and her guests examine traditional nar...

Zoë Boston, the Artistic Alchemist

28 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Mamas for a Free Palestine: Safety Doesn't Come From Bombs

23 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 r...

Sabreena Haque on Marking Transitional Milestones with Henna

21 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Michelle Cruz Gonzales of Spitboy is Punk AF and Lived to Teach About It

07 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

George Crampton Glassanos has Pendletons, Paint and Passion

29 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 represe...

Learn to Merge: Northern California Freeways & Culture

22 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Six Decades of Painting Black History

15 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 me...

Tommy Guerrero Creates Lo-fi 'Music From the Earth'

08 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 da...

The ‘Qing’ of Queens

01 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 read...

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

25 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 sin...

Rob Woods Knows You Are Worthy

18 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

"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 upliftin...

From Buskin’ on BART to Teaching Turfin’

11 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

"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, b...

Boots Riley is Directing the Future

04 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 d...

'Indigenizing' San Francisco (Yelamu): The Cultural District Honoring Native History

30 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 a...

The Coolest Place on Earth: The Public Library

16 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 pl...

Music in the Key of Fatherhood

09 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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. Learn more abou...

Wives Angelica Medina and Jahaira Fajardo Share Culture Through Dance

02 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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,...

Meet the Emo Drag King Who's Bending the Gender Binary

26 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 th...

The Hip-Hop Photojournalist Who Makes Guests Feel At Home

19 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Inside of a classic Queen Anne Victorian in West Oakland, photographer Traci Bartlow displays beautifully framed images of the people who shaped hip-h...

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

12 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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....

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

05 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In the early 2000s, the underground DVD business was a major conduit of culture. Those documentaries showed the backstory of hip-hop artists and stree...

Hyphy Kids Got Trauma Pt 2, "We Dance Different"

28 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 outle...

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

21 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Rightnowish Presents 'Hyphy Kids Got Trauma'

14 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rightnowish Presents 'Hyphy Kids Got Trauma' - A four part exploration of a transformative year in Bay Area music history, 2006, through the eyes and ...

Rightnowish Presents Ritually Podcast: 'A Feminist Call to Prayer'

05 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 Braze...

Adorned: Host Marisol Medina-Cadena Exits Her Flop Era

01 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 in...

Adorned: Chelsea Macalino-Calalay Makes the Bling of Your Dreams

25 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jewelry designer and brand creator of Wyphys, Chelsea Macalino-Calalay exudes fierceness, but also serenity. Rocking bleached brows that match her sha...

Adorned: Florist Jessica Cotrim on Letting Our Intuition Bloom

18 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 f...

Adorned: Sophia Mitty Stitches Her Pride for the 415

11 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 i...

Adorned: Perfumer Mauricio Garcia Puts the Aroma of The Bay in a Bottle

04 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Bay Area is home to enchanting ecosystems. For starters, we have sand dunes, golden grassland hills, redwood forests, and the pacific coast. Whene...

Pocho Poet Josiah Luis Alderete Speaks Fire In The Mission

28 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 Nightm...

The SOL Affirmations Podcast Talks The Gift of Impermanence

21 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 Feli...

Liner Notes: Flutist and Vocalist Elena Pinderhughes is Limitless

07 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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, sh...

Liner Notes: Big Vibin' with Bassist Giulio Xavier Cetto

30 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Raised in musical family, Giulio Xavier Cetto's musical influences range from his Venezuelan-Italian heritage to Bay Area rap. Giulio can play multip...

Liner Notes: Dr. Angela Wellman and Music Of The Highest Order

23 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 th...

Liner Notes: Peace, Love, and Sax With Lidia Rodriguez

16 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 gen...

Liner Notes: Jazz Advocate, Greg Bridges

09 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 conversatio...

Poetry of the Pacific with Terisa Siagatonu

02 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This episode originally aired on April 22, 2022 . Terisa Siagatonu's poetry navigates climate change and its impact on marginalized communities from t...

Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll: Richard Humphrey's Skate Journey

26 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 Sa...

Pen’s Pals: Writing Sci-Fi in South Africa

12 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Pen’s Pals: Putting on for Tehran in the Bay

05 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Inside of Mohammad Gorjestani's office, there's hella artwork. The filmmaker and co-founder of Even/Odd Studios, has painted collages of wrestlers f...

Dear Future Self: Letters From Fremont High Students

28 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 c...

Pen's Pals: A Plunge Into Literature and London's Cold Ponds

21 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Pen's Pals: Living Rent-Free in Kuwait

14 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Pen's Pals: A Journey to Heal in Mexico City

07 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 Ar...

Rightnowish Presents MIXED: Musician Guap on His Black and Filipino Heritage

24 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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...

From the Soil: How the Seed Was Planted

17 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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...

From The Soil: Protecting Sacred Land in the South Bay

10 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 grass...

From the Soil: A Family Tree on Toxic Terrain

03 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In honor of her late mother's efforts, Arieann Harrison is continuing the fight against environmental racism in San Francisco's Bayview-Hunters Point ...

From the Soil: Viticulture for the Culture

24 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On a steep hillside in San Francisco’s St. Mary’s Park, nestled between the Alemany Apartments, the 280 Freeway and the Bernal Heights Neighborhoo...

From the Soil: Farmworkers Building Fire Resilience

17 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 h...

From the Soil: Unfolding the Story of Black Miners Bar

10 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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, aft...

What Bay Hip-Hop’s Past Says About Its Future

03 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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. Da...

Best of Big Love: AB Banks on Radical Self-Love

27 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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

Best of Roll With Us: Dueñas Car Club

20 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This episode was originally part of the Roll With Us: Community and Culture on Wheels series from 2021. We're revisiting it as a part of our 2023 kic...

Best Of Reel Talk: Filmmakers Jon & Alba

13 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Best of Musicians to Know: Nappy Nina

06 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 h...

Food (Still) Don't Slap

16 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 w...

Cookin' Up Community with Chef Avery Zeus

09 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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"...

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

02 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 U...

Director Maria Victoria Ponce Captures the Cringe of Adolescence

18 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Filmmaker Maria Victoria Ponce was raised in Richmond, CA. She’s mastered the art of telling stories that speak to her individual experience of comi...

'Every Student Deserves a Black Teacher'

11 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 ed...

Introducing 'Tales of The Town' by Hella Black Podcast

04 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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...

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

28 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 flo...

A Hyphy History with Producer Trackademicks, Revisited

21 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Preserving Oakland Arts and Culture at B-Love’s Guesthouse

14 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Inside of a classic Queen Anne victorian in West Oakland, photographer Traci Bartlow displays beautifully framed images of the people who shaped hip-h...

Sydney Welch’s Photography Features the Latest Wave of Bay Area Talent

07 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 a...

Rightnowish Live: A Comedy Night To Remember

30 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 confl...

Permanent Behavior: Self-Taught Artist to Tattoo Legend

23 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

"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 ar...

Permanent Behavior: Henna, Tatts and Setting Intentions

16 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

"People really want something that brings meaning into their life," says Sabreena Haque, a well-known henna artist and burgeoning tattoo artist. Henn...

Permanent Behavior: Collective Ownership + Bodily Autonomy Through Stick-and-Poke

09 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 detaile...

Permanent Behavior: Repping “Cali-Chicano” Tattoo Style

02 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Our series, Permanent Behavior: Getting Tatted in the Bay, starts with tattoo artist Miguel "Bounce" Perez. Perez has vivid childhood memories of art...

Tattoo Prep with Pen & Marisol

31 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 t...

Robert Liu-Trujillo on Creating Books For ‘Kids Like Me

26 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 ha...

Help Make Rightnowish Even Better!

22 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Rightnowish team 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 wan...

Dispatch From Parker Elementary with Tongo Eisen-Martin

12 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 j...

Rightnowish Presents: "Polyfree" from The Stoop

05 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 t...

Sucka Free History with Dregs One

29 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 becomin...

“You’re On Native Land” : The Cultural District Honoring Urban Native History

22 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 a...

Union City’s Joshua Neal is a Star For Real

15 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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

Filmmaker Maya Cueva Focuses on Reproductive Rights and Immigration

01 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Maya Cueva makes documentary films that cover the heavy topics: immigration, reproductive justice and xenophobia. Her latest, On The Divide, follows t...

Searching For A Kiki: The Next Generation of Black and Queer Bars

24 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 m...

Searching for a Kiki: The World's First Transgender Cultural District

17 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The rich LGBT history of the Tenderloin goes back farther than any bricks thrown at Stonewall, and Transgender Cultural District President and Chief S...

Searching for a Kiki: SF's First Black-Owned Gay Bar

10 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 wit...

On Friendships and Basketball Shorts: Adult ISH x Rightnowish

03 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...