))
Crosscut Reports takes listeners deep into the stories that shape Washington state, drawing on the enterprising work being done by reporters in the Crosscut newsroom to tell the personal stories that help us better understand the real-life impacts behind the headlines. Hosted by Sara Bernard
An exploration of the natural wonders of the Pacific Northwest through sound. Hosted by Ted Alvarez
From Washington State to Washington, D.C., conversations with the politicians, leaders, journalists, academics and thinkers who shape our world. Hosted by Mark Baumgarten
The official podcast companion to Out & Back, a video series from KCTS 9 and Crosscut that explores the ways diverse communities are engaging with the outdoors. Hosted by Alison Mariella Désir
The official podcast companion to Mossback’s Northwest, a historical video series from KCTS 9 and Crosscut hosted by Knute Berger.
C
Crosscuts: Conversations from Crosscut.com - The House of Podcasts
Conversations, Interviews, Explorations from Crosscut.com from 2014-2015
Civic Cocktail offers a lively look at big events and important issues facing the Puget Sound region. Hosted by Mónica Guzmán
An exploration of the history and ongoing impact of Black art and artists in Seattle. Hosted by Brooklyn Jamerson-Flowers.
An exploration of the transformational events and movements that are creating a new normal in our society, as told by reporters on the ground in the Pacific Northwest. Hosted by Sara Bernard. Season 1: The Pandemic Season 2: Defunding the Police Season 3: Education … Cover photo by Lindsey Wasson
Stay on top of Washington State's primary and general election races, ballot initiatives and issues. A production of KCTS 9 public media, which brings you the PBS experience of high-quality drama, news, documentaries, science, kids programming and local stories. Trust KCTS 9 to provide the widest variety of programs that entertain, inform and connect you with your community. KCTS 9 is a service of Cascade Public Media.
Reporter Josh Cohen discusses the city's plans — and readers' moonshot dreams — to improve the central business core. Just as technology was making working-from-home more convenient, the pandemic, and the social-distancing requirements that came with it, accelerated the process. Remote work is probably here to stay, so it’s unlikely offices in Down…
Director Thanh Tan explains how her experience as a child of refugees led her to help those displaced after the fall of Kabul and make a Crosscut docu-series about their plight. When Thanh Tan learned that the United States military had withdrawn from Afghanistan and left the capital, Kabul, in the hands of the Taliban, she felt she needed to do so…
C
Crosscut Reports
1
The Painful Legacy of the Wah Mee Club Killings
21:01
21:01
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
21:01
Reporter Maleeha Syed talks about revisiting Washington's worst mass shooting without reopening wounds. It has been 40 years since the Wah Mee massacre, the deadliest mass shooting in Washington history and one that had a devastating impact on many of the residents of Seattle’s Chinatown International District. For some, it wasn’t just the shooting…
C
Crosscut Reports
1
Why People Are Paying So Much for Alden Mason’s Paintings
20:09
20:09
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
20:09
Ten years after his death, the Seattle painter is having a moment. Reporter Margo Vansynghel discusses the increased interest in his work. When Alden Mason was in the prime of his career, he was well-known among those who followed art in Seattle and those who collected it. Yet the artist from Skagit Valley never saw the success of other 20th-centur…
Reporter Lizz Giordano discusses the recent labor organizing push in Washington and the struggles between Starbucks and its workers. When employees at a Starbucks coffee shop in Buffalo, New York, voted to unionize in December 2021, it was big news. The result was a first for the Seattle-based corporation. Since then, workers at hundreds of locatio…
C
Crosscut Reports
1
The Burden of Rent in the Rest of Washington
19:20
19:20
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
19:20
Places like Walla Walla, Yakima and Spokane are not the affordable alternatives they once were, but solutions could be coming. It's no secret that the cost of living in the Seattle area is very high. Lesser known is the impact that rising housing costs have had on people throughout the state of Washington. While the overall numbers are highest in S…
C
Crosscut Reports
1
Fixing Prison Culture the Scandinavian Way
22:41
22:41
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
22:41
Reporter Joseph O’Sullivan visited one of Washington state's penitentiaries that is trying to change the relationship between guards and prisoners. A new effort being piloted in Washington state prisons seeks to improve culture behind bars. The program, called AMEND, is modeled on the prison system in Norway, where a stated goal of incarceration is…
Western and European forms have long dominated dance education in the United States. Journalist Marcie Sillman tells us how the University of Washington is changing that, and what questions that shift poses to higher education. The University of Washington dance department has placed itself in the vanguard of a movement to open, or maybe knock down…
O
Out & Back with Alison Mariella Désir
1
A Path for the Next Generation with Chelsea Murphy
39:38
39:38
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
39:38
As a kid, Chelsea Murphy felt she didn’t belong outside. Now the Leavenworth-based founder of She Colors Nature is making sure her daughters do. The outdoors in America have a long history as an unwelcome place for Black men and women and children of all ages. Decades of violence and intimidation have made activities like hiking and camping, which …
C
Crosscut Reports
1
Fighting Back the Floodwaters on the WA Coast
17:34
17:34
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
17:34
Reporter Hannah Weinberger tells us how a monumental levee project could ease economic turbulence in two Grays Harbor County towns. For coastal communities like those in Washington’s Grays Harbor County, flooding has long been a part of life. But as floods have become more frequent and severe, this aspect of life at (or below) sea level has become …
O
Out & Back with Alison Mariella Désir
1
Rewriting the Narrative with Denice Rochelle
36:48
36:48
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
36:48
The founder of the Bronze Chapter has thrived in the outdoors all her life. She wants other people of color in the PNW to feel the same way. Denice Rochelle doesn't just want to see more people like herself adventuring outdoors. She wants to see more people like herself leading those adventures. When she created the Bronze Chapter, Rochelle wanted …
C
Crosscut Reports
1
The State of Abortion in Washington State
19:57
19:57
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
19:57
Without federal protection for abortion, the state has become a refuge for those seeking care and a target for political opposition. The past year has been a seismic one for reproductive rights in the United States. And the aftershocks appear far from over. When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the stage was set for abortion bans or restri…
O
Out & Back with Alison Mariella Désir
1
The Freedom of Fly Fishing with Giancarlo Lawrence
34:09
34:09
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
34:09
The angler known as The Black Stonefly was raised in the city. But now he's on a mission to get more Black people into the outdoors. Fly fishing changed Giancarlo Lawrence’s life. He says it has healed him and inspired him to become more self-sufficient. And, he says, he believes it can do the same thing for Black people like him, who are currently…
What reporter Margo Vansynghel learned from talking to the mayor, the artists and the people who cover up spray paint over and over and over again. Graffiti is a part of everyday life in Seattle, from the smallest tag on a street sign to the giant letters greeting commuters along the interstate. But it is a part of city life that Mayor Bruce Harrel…
O
Out & Back with Alison Mariella Désir
1
Running on Coffee with Ian Williams and Amir Armstrong
34:57
34:57
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
34:57
The Deadstock Run Club is giving people of color in Portland a place to come together, connect and get moving. As home to one of our most storied track and field destinations, one of the most celebrated runners in American history and arguably the greatest sneaker brand in the world, Oregon is a natural place to start a running club. That Ian Willi…
The party has used its legislative majorities year after year to check off a lot of its wish list. What now? When the Washington state legislative session started on Monday, January 9, Democrats were in the driver’s seat. The party currently controls both houses and the governorship, making it one of 16 states where Democrats have achieved a so-cal…
First drawn to the sport for health benefits, athlete Rosalie Fish hit her stride advocating for missing and murdered Indigenous women and two-spirit people. Rosalie Fish is best known for the red handprint often painted on her face. First a runner in high school and now a collegiate athlete at the University of Washington, Fish runs with the handp…
QPOC Hikers started as a place for people to bond over the outdoors. It’s become so much more. The outdoors transformed Jas Maisonet’s life. But when they went looking for people to join them on outdoor adventures, they ran into a problem. As a non-binary person of color, they had trouble meeting people outside of happy hour meet-ups. To meet more …
O
Out & Back with Alison Mariella Désir
1
Farming as Healing with the Black Farmers Collective
38:27
38:27
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
38:27
Agriculture is a fraught industry for descendants of enslaved people. Yes Farm is working to move beyond that trauma. The relationship between Black people and agriculture in the United States has long been dominated by one obvious and ominous image: Black Americans working the land as enslaved people. But a different image is being formed at Yes F…
O
Out & Back with Alison Mariella Désir
1
Riding for Equity with Peace Peloton’s Doc Wilson
32:22
32:22
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
32:22
Peace Peloton started in Seattle as a single protest ride in 2020. Now it fights for social justice nationwide. Reginald “Doc” Wilson loves his bike. So in the wake of George Floyd’s murder by Minneapolis police in May 2020, his bike became a tool to reclaim space and fight for social justice under the name Peace Peloton. Since the first ride on Ju…
C
Civic Cocktail
1
The Year in Review: A Special Episode of Civic Cocktail
57:23
57:23
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
57:23
Converge Media’s Omari Salisbury, Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison, Plymouth Housing CEO Karen Lee and Rep. Jamila Taylor share highs and lows of the year. Twists and turns defined 2022 in Seattle and beyond. On the national level, inflation surged as pandemic cases waned and the overturning of a landmark abortion law helped fuel a surprising resu…
O
Out & Back with Alison Mariella Désir
1
All Paces, All Faces with Ashley Davies and David Jaewon Oh
33:47
33:47
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
33:47
Meet the Club Seattle Runners Division, the group that helped Alison Mariella Desir find her place and her people in the PNW. Housing discrimination and restrictive covenants shaped Seattle in ways that are still being felt today. The most obvious of these is the neighborhood segregation it created and the way that it affected Black people’s abilit…
O
Out & Back with Alison Mariella Désir
1
Meaning Through Movement: An Introduction
31:38
31:38
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
31:38
Meet host Alison Mariella Désir as she tells her story of reclaiming the outdoors in New York before she and her family moved to the PNW. Désir is a runner, an activist, a mother and an author; a lover of the outdoors; and a student of history. And now, with a new video series and this accompanying podcast, she gets to highlight other BIPOC folks i…
Pundits and politicians were hyper-focused on this electorate leading up to the midterms. Now that the dust has settled, we explore what actually happened. By the time the polls closed in Washington state on the evening of Nov. 8, the narrative was set. The “Red Wave” predicted by many pundits and politicians did not materialize. And, as often happ…
M
Mossback
1
Frank Waldron and the Jackson Street Jazz Scene
25:33
25:33
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
25:33
Before there was Ernestine Anderson, Ray Charles and Quincy Jones, there was Frank Waldron. The unfortunate irony of Seattle’s storied jazz scene of the early 20th century is that there are many stories but not much jazz to account for it. While recording technology existed at the time, it wasn’t being used to capture much of the music being create…
C
Civic Cocktail
1
The Power of Politics: How to Win the Game and Get Things Done
59:20
59:20
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
59:20
As the midterms draw to a close, two strategists and an elected leader discuss how our two major parties gain — and wield — political control. As the region and the nation continued counting votes from the midterms, a brief period of reflection has descended on local and national politics. Candidates and incumbents who won must decide what forward …
M
Mossback
1
Emily Carr’s Mysterious and Majestic Forests
24:11
24:11
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
24:11
The Canadian artist created landscapes unlike her contemporaries’, intuiting the web of life beneath the canopy and putting it on canvas. As a painter in early 20th-century British Columbia, Emily Carr approached her subject matter through a colonial lens and expressed what she saw with a modernist style developed in the studios of London and Paris…
He was invited to the city to talk about his storied past, but the Nez Perce chief had his eye on the future of his people. When Chief Joseph arrived in Seattle in 1903, he had a message to deliver and a public interested in hearing it. He had become a kind of celebrity, though the nature of his renown was complicated. A leader of the Wallowa band …
C
Crosscut Reports
1
Up for Grabs Pt 1: A Young Latino Voter Decides
41:45
41:45
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
41:45
Jordan Chavez, an 18-year-old from Yakima, considers the influence of family, culture and party politics as he votes for the first time. In the months leading up to the midterm elections, one group of voters has received an inordinate amount of attention across the country and in Washington state: Latino Americans. This group of voters has seen its…
A border conflict between the U.S. and Britain, combined with the ambitions of a future Confederate general, almost turned the Salish Sea into a war zone. The so-called Pig War of 1859 may have been initiated by the killing of a boar, but other forces were at play that nearly elevated a neighborly conflict into an international conflagration. The c…
There was money to be had during the Klondike Gold Rush of the late 1890s. And the infamous lawman knew how to get it. Wyatt Earp was a man often on the move. In the two decades after his and Doc Holliday’s storied shootout at the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona, he spent time in San Francisco, Utah and Alaska, shading his reputation with turns as …
Three political journalists discuss how the economy, abortion and public safety might shape the state’s senate, congressional and secretary of state races. Ballots will begin arriving in mailboxes throughout the state of Washington this week. And voters have some big choices to make. Informing those big choices will be some big questions: How are m…
The accomplished actor, athlete and singer was an outspoken leftist, which made him a target in mid-1900s America. The reasons Paul Robeson was a beloved figure in the middle of the 20th century are many. He was a professional athlete, an accomplished actor and a sought-after singer. Yet for some in American government, his role as an outspoken act…
The famed Arctic explorer thrived when times were tough, and they were often tough. In the years that followed he would become the first person to successfully reach the South Pole and, later, would travel to the North Pole. Before that latter trip, Amundsen returned to Seattle and set up camp for six months, updating his gear and shoring up his fi…
The Seattle landmark is best known for its connection to the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II — but it has more stories to tell. The Panama Hotel in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District is best known for the role it played during the expulsion and incarceration of Japanese Americans after President Roosevelt issued Exec…
Newly discovered files shed light on the creation of the Seattle icon and the fight over who deserves the credit for its distinctive look. Hear all about it in this special preview of the new Crosscut podcast, Crosscut Reports. When the Space Needle rose quickly on the Seattle city skyline, the response was varied. Some loved it, some hated it. Som…
C
Civic Cocktail
1
Testing Education: Are We Ready for the New School Year?
51:13
51:13
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
51:13
We sit down with a teacher, a superintendent and a student to discuss how they plan to meet the challenges ahead. This month school is back in session in Washington after the most turbulent and disrupted years in our lifetimes. The pandemic is easing, we hope, but in its wake are gaps in academic achievement and opportunity, challenges with hiring …
C
Crosscut Reports
1
The Steinbrueck Files Pt 3: Saving the Soul of Seattle
47:05
47:05
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
47:05
New first-hand documents show how architect Victor Steinbrueck helped secure the future of the Pike Place Market while ushering in a new era of civic governance for Seattle. From the very beginning, the Pike Place Market was a hit. Opened in August 1907, it had been designed to efficiently deliver local products directly from farms to a growing cit…
C
Crosscut Reports
1
The Steinbrueck Files Pt 2: The Fight to Preserve Pioneer Square
43:19
43:19
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
43:19
In the ’60s, Seattle’s oldest neighbor was facing demolition. Newly discovered files show how Victor Steinbrueck helped stop the wrecking ball. In the mid-1960s, Seattle wasn’t known for historic preservation. Many believed that in a city so young and so forward-looking — that had progressed from log cabins to the Space Age in its 100 years — there…
C
Crosscut Reports
1
The Steinbrueck Files Pt 1: Who Designed the Space Needle?
41:29
41:29
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
41:29
Newly discovered files shed light on the creation of the Seattle icon and the fight over who deserves the credit for its distinctive look. When the Space Needle rose quickly on the Seattle city skyline, the response was varied. Some loved it, some hated it. Some likened it to a flower blossoming, others said it resembled a mushroom cloud. The Cold …
C
Crosscut Talks
1
Understanding Death to Understand Life with Andrew Steele and Carl Zimmer
52:31
52:31
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
52:31
Science can't fully explain what life is. Three experts try anyway in a conversation about life, death and our desire to push back the expiration date. Talking about life and death is tricky for anyone, even scientists. Despite considerable research over the course of generations, scientists still don’t fully understand what life is, what death is …
Happiness takes work. The host of The Happiness Lab podcast shares what social science says about making that work more manageable. Happiness can feel fleeting in even the best of times. In the midst of a pandemic shot through with personal and social upheaval, maintaining a sense of joy or contentment can be especially challenging. As if that were…
C
Crosscut Talks
1
How Billionaires Are Changing the Space Race with Tim Fernholz and Christian Davenport
51:02
51:02
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
51:02
A decade of advancement by private companies run by billionaires has transformed how humanity is approaching the final frontier. Some of the biggest news in recent space exploration has revolved around billionaires. Last year, for instance, both Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson actually traveled into space. Those very high-profile – and very brief – …
C
Crosscut Talks
1
Keeping Arts Alive in an Expensive City During a Persistent Pandemic
59:43
59:43
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
59:43
The city’s arts industry is returning to some semblance of normalcy. During a live Civic Cocktail event, four leaders survey the damage done and chart a path forward. In the spring of 2020, many artists and arts organizations were already struggling to maintain a place for themselves in Seattle. The future of creative expression in the city was unc…
C
Civic Cocktail
1
Keeping Art Alive: The Essential Role of Creative Culture in Seattle
58:43
58:43
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
58:43
The city’s arts industry is returning to some semblance of normalcy. Four leaders survey the damage done and chart a path forward. In the spring of 2020, many artists and arts organizations were already struggling to maintain a place for themselves in Seattle. The future of creative expression in the city was uncertain, but the challenges were well…
C
Crosscut Talks
1
How the Internet Changed Us with Pamela Paul
47:20
47:20
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
47:20
Author Pamela Paul recalls what the world was like before it was connected — and how privacy and personal memory have transformed since. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the internet was there to help much of humanity keep going while maintaining a social distance. The transition was not seamless, but the interconnected world that had been taking sh…
C
Crosscut Talks
1
Carl Bernstein on the Past and Future of News
29:49
29:49
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
29:49
The legendary journalist, who helped change the industry with his reporting on Watergate, talks about how journalism changed his life. Carl Bernstein is best known as one half of the investigative team that broke the Watergate scandal, which eventually led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon. Fifty years later, it is still regarded with r…
C
Crosscut Talks
1
Manipulating Nature to Save It with Elizabeth Kolbert
45:16
45:16
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
45:16
The New Yorker staff writer says human ingenuity may offer some solutions to the planet's biggest problems. The relationship between humanity and nature is complicated. People are a part of nature, but at the same time they are a force that acts upon nature … and usually to the detriment of the rest of nature. Climate change is the most high-profil…
C
Crosscut Talks
1
The Fight to Save Snake River Salmon with Dr. Helen Neville and Alyssa Macy
46:10
46:10
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
46:10
Salmon in the Pacific Northwest have been on the decline. Two advocates tell how breaching the dams along the river could restore the population. Salmon are integral to Pacific Northwest culture and have been for a very long time. Many generations before images of salmon filled Seattle gift shops, Native tribes relied on the fish for sustenance, an…
C
Crosscut Talks
1
The Politics of Your Dinner Plate with Eddie Hill and Robert Paarlberg
49:59
49:59
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
49:59
The food that Americans eat says a lot about the political culture they live in. An expert panel discusses what the country's diet is telling us now. Food is something that human beings think about every single day. It is the most intimate way we engage with the outside world – by ingesting parts of it – and the need to eat requires us to make choi…
