It’s our ongoing mission to create and curate a unique mix of informed public affairs, culture and arts that provokes thought and reaction on a complexity of issues facing our listeners. Expanding KPFA’s digital footprint with more on-demand programming gives us the opportunity and space to offer new and compelling voices from the community. Please give a listen to our growing podcast network.
Francine du Plessix Gray, who died on January 13, 2019 at the age of 88, was a writer of both fiction and non-fiction, and frequent contributor to the New Yorker Magazine. Born in Poland, the daughter of a French diplomat and Russian émigré from the revolution, she was raised in Paris and came, with her … Continued
Last week, the Jailhouse Lawyer Initiative convened a conference called Flashlights: Jailhouse Lawyers, Legal Empowerment and Building a Just World Together,” a historic convening of jailhouse lawyers in dialogue with justice allies that “illuminates the power and promise of legal empowerment to advance justice from the inside out.” We’re joined by Jhody Polk, the founder of the Jailhouse Lawyer Initiative which is … Continued
I recently attended Portola Music Festival, a massive two day event that is relatively new in the festival circuit. Starting out in 2022, it got off to a rocky start but has found it’s footing with the last two years. This is my first time attending. I went with Greg Garza, host of … Continued
Discussed in this episode: California now has 13 confirmed cases of H5N1 Avian Influenza in humans – an order of magnitude more than any other state. It might be possible to build a vaccine using virus-like particles that induces long-lasting B-cell immunity, by placing the spike proteins closer together. To send us a question in … Continued
KPFA theatre critic Richard Wolinsky reviews “Choir Boy” at Shotgun Players Ashby Stage extended through October 26, 2024.
Host Davey D gathers conversations at the Voter Registration Day in Detroit, Michigan. Community leaders, hip-hop artists, content creators, and national media personalities came together for Mobilize Justice’s “Vote or Else” event on Tuesday, Sept. 17, which is also Voter Registration Day. Hosted at Detroit’s Huntington Place convention center, Vote or Else is a full … Continued
Africa Today interviews Dr. Khalid Mustafa Medani, Director of the Institute of Islamic Studies and Chair of the African Studies Program at McGill University in Montreal Canada. Dr. Medani highlights the key developments of the ongoing civil war in his country of Sudan.
Hedges on the historical context of Israel/Palestine conflict from January 2024.
A Coney Island of the mind / written and read by Lawrence Ferlinghetti. Date Broadcast on: Oct. 6, 1956. And an interview with Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Dennis Bernstein of Flashpoints on Felinghetti’s time in Nagasaki after a few weeks after the dropping of the atomic bomb.
Davey D speaks with South African Hip Hop Activist, Teacher, B-boy, MC, Playwright, and Author Emile YX about Hip Hop in South Africa.
Anarcho*Entheo*Astro*Animist Equinox address by Caroline Casey, September 2023, in Viroqua Wisconsin, with music by Sound Play
Davey D speaks with Cheo Hodari Coker, Quency Phillips, Domingo Padilla, and Melissa Terra Makuriwa Ulto about the pros and cons to artificial intelligence.
Democracy’s Creation Story: The Tyrannicides and Other Tales
Peter Frase on four possible futures after capitalism. (Host: Sasha Lilley; air date: April 3, 2018)
Davey D discusses AfroFuturism with Ras Ceylon, Osa Tyehimba, Kwadro Deterville and Selena Wilson. Their conversation shares insight into what it is, how it’s showing up and where it’s headed.
Yay! We get to vote (again) on nuanced regulation of the kidney dialysis industry. The Debators: David Miller is SEIU-UHW’s Research Director and a member of the Yes on 29 campaign. DeWayne Cox is a dialysis patient and a member of the No on 29 campaign. Music credits: “T Shirt Weather” by Poddington Bear, used … Continued
Caroline hosts Kristin Ohlson, whose most recent invaluable book is Sweet in Tooth and Claw: Stories of Generosity and Cooperation in the Natural World – Full Moon Waxing, that humans be inspired by such to rejoin the collaborative dance. Quoting Darwin’s contemporary, the Russian scientist-anarchist Peter Kropotkin: “Who are the fittest: those who are continually at war … Continued
Dr. Joy DeGruy, the author of Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome process the Texas, and New York shootings the latest examples of targeted racial violence in America. She explored race, the rise of violence, and the loss of humanity.
Tim Wise gives a talk on racism and white privilege in America. The conversation was recorded in Oakland, California in 2017.
In a speech from back in 1973 that continues to be all too relevant today, Gloria Steinem, feminist and co-founder of Ms. Magazine, speaks about deep-seeded sexism and racism in America at the College of Marin. She instructs the audience on the importance of organizing, discusses the origins of political subjugation of women, and encourages … Continued
Malcolm X’s iconic speech given in Detroit: “The Ballot or the Bullet,” on April 12th, 1964.
Andrew Knoll, Fisher Professor of Natural History at Harvard, discusses A Brief History of Earth: Four Billion Years in Eight Chapters
Former Black Panther Party member Kathleen Cleaver and former United States Representative, Cynthia McKinney discussing COINTELPRO at the Congressional Black Caucus Legislative Conference.
Davey D speaks with Questlove. Ahmir Khalib Thompson, known professionally as Questlove, is an American musician, songwriter, disc jockey, author, music journalist, and film director.
Watch the video below, or download*/watch on Vimeo here. A recorded Trickster Training, at New Living Expo 2014 – yet completely pertinent to now! Themes of Trickster Ingenuity, crafting blessings, and partnering with what we love. “Oh spirit of the Compassionate Trickster Sacred Clown within each one of us, open the pathway before us that … Continued
Long time Flashpoints contributor and troubadour, Francisco Herrera, along with words by Dennis Bernstein brings us the song Free Julian Assange.
Neil Faulkner, author of A Radical History of the World.
Jennifer Stone with some poetry and words of wisdom for these dark times. Photo by Simon Berger on Unsplash
Watch Video Replay on Vimeo Saturnalia – a festival of dedication to wise leadership within and without. Inward dedication magnetizes outward opportunity. “Deliberate celebration of the change of season stirs the creative powers of the Psyche.” (Nor Hall) *Caroline W Casey For Bodhisatva Coyote Astro*Mytho*politico guiding narrative with *Seán Pádraig O’Donoghue For Celtic … Continued
Penn professor Paul Goldin discusses the Chinese philosophical text “Lao-Tzu,” also known as the “Tao Te Ching,” which has inspired and intrigued readers for more than two millennia. (June 21, 2021)
We speak with Marcella Runell and Martha Diaz about education.
On the heels of ‘Strike-tober’, more than 100,000 workers in the so called “United States” either participated in or prepared for strikes in one of the largest increases of organized labor in the twenty-first century. Striketober began amidst the Great Resignation, when people started to quit jobs due to low wages and oppressive working conditions … Continued
Caroline welcomes Hendrika de Vries, and her powerful pertinent memoir of growing up in Nazi occupied Amsterdam: “When a Toy Dog Became a Wolf and the Moon Broke Curfew.” “Hendrika de Vries, author of the memoir When a Toy Dog Became a Wolf and the Moon Broke Curfew, is a therapist, teacher and writer. A … Continued
Autumnal Equinox Council with Caroline W. Casey & Deborah Felmeth & Seán Pádraig O’Donoghue. Middle Eastern-Celtic-Sufi Voudoun syncretism plant lore, astro*mytho*guiding narrative, poetry, song… Where there be too much heat (uninitiated Mars hyper-yang death frenzy, war on life, war on Venus) – let’s align with Venus, with Mars providing back-up Woof! So that we may … Continued
Compilation of Pryor’s poetry and comments made during the Attica prison rebellion. | RICHARD PRYOR ON ATTICA / produced by Alan Farley. – Compilation of Pryor’s poetry he wrote about the Attica uprising and comments he made in one of his nightclub acts (recorded at Mandrake’s in Berkeley) and the comedy album he produced with … Continued
Host Max Pringle speaks with historian and author James Oakes about his latest book: “Crooked Path to Abolition: Abraham Lincoln and the Anti-Slavery Constitution.”
[This interview was recorded in 2019] Here in California, we are surrounded by the world’s most elaborate system for moving water from the places nature puts it, to the places it will make the most money. Mark Arax started a book on that topic trying to resolve a basic question: why, in the midst of … Continued
Mike Davis, author of City of Quartz, presents his analysis of the relationship between how Los Angeles is organized geographically to the relation of various racial and ethnic groups. At the center of the city lie banks and financial institutions. In the next ring property values decline dramatically, with working families occupying the third ring. … Continued
In this speech, Edward Said professor of literature at Columbia University and public intellectual explains how Israel cannot defeat the idea of Palestine. This was recorded, at the Town Hall in New York City, July 25, 1982. Professor Said describes the idea of Palestine as a desire for a community of people to be able … Continued
Guest: Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, author of the book An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States.
In March, the Washington Post reported that at least 250 new voter restriction bills were proposed in 43 states across the country. Now in April, the ACLU reports the number of bills has increased. Today over 350 voter restriction bills are in consideration. This wave of legislative action by the GOP follows in the wake … Continued
Part I of this newly digitized event recorded by KPFA on February 13th, 2000, in support of Leonard Peltier including: Winona LaDuke, Mumia Abu Jamal, Lawrence Ferlinghetti reading a selection from Ramsey Clark‘s preface to Leonard’s book, Prison Writings, Peter Coyote also reading from Prison Writings, Joy Harjo, Bobbie Castilo, Bear Lincoln, Agnus Patak, Brian Tripp, Gerald … Continued
Tune in to our sequel episode “Grieving, Zombies, & Power” with Dr. Lewis Gordon. Dr. Gordon is Professor and Head of the Department of Philosophy at UCONN-Storrs; & Honorary President of the Global Center for Advanced Studies. He previously taught at Brown University, where he founded the Department of Africana Studies, and Temple University, where … Continued
Yvette Buigues will be Caroline’s guest today as we honor Flora Fauna and deepen our participatory animism…. that we may be worthy of our kin… as all chauvinism and human cruelty, war on life, are on trial now. Whatever our rogue species does to our kin, will happen to our community – So let’s renew … Continued
Jack Hirschman has been SF Poet Laureate (2006 – 2008), founder of the ‘Revolutionary Poets Brigade’ and close friend of Lawrence over the last few decades. Jack honors his dear friend Lawrence Ferlinghetti with this poem.
Albert Hofmann in America: Celebration 50 years of Consciousness Research Dr. Albert Hofmann was a Swiss chemist who first synthesized LSD, lysergic acid diethylamide. Part 1 of this event features talks by Terence McKenna, Stanley Krippner, Dr. Andrew Weil and John Lilly exploring the goals of the Albert Hofmann Foundation in raising human consciousness through … Continued
On the complicated history of African-American and Latinx distrust of vaccines with Dr. Greg Carr (@AfricanaCarr), Associate Professor of Africana Studies and Chair of the Department of Afro-American Studies at Howard University.
Maya Angelou at the Calvin Simmons Theater in Oakland, September 8th, 1995 with her son poet Guy Johnson and poet Janice Mirikitani in an event titled As The World Rises.
Micah Nilsson, of Al-kemi, joins Caroline in “Stirring the Cauldron to conjure the Trickster Gods of Accountability!” That she may proffer the Al-Qemi of plant, mushroom allies to support the qualities most necessary for navigating now with aplomb. Click here for companion pdf with Micah Nilsson
Flowering Watering on The Buddhist Path, recorded and produced by Jane Heaven at the Berkeley Community Theater, 1993. In this talk, Thich Nhat Hahn discusses aspects of the Buddhist approach to life, explaining that the seeds of consciousness are made of peace, joy, hate, and war. These aspects grow when touched by positives and negatives. … Continued
Caroline welcomes the return of Eyak Native, and mega-effective advocate for Mother Ocean, Dune Lankard, with collaborative ally Bren Smith, executive director of Green Wave. Dune Lankard, Founder, President & Executive Director of Native Conservancy An Eyak Athabaskan Native of the Eagle Clan, Dune grew up in Cordova, in southcentral Alaska. Born into a … Continued
Alice Walker introduces a conversation between the Studs Terkel and Howard Zinn, produced by the brilliant Bob Baldock. Enjoy and thank you for your support!
The old Limerick that says, “Damn! For it certainly seems that I‘m a creature who moves in determinate grooves. I’m not even a bus I’m a tram”, is usually applied to the problem of fate and free will. It is equally applicable to another problem says Alan Watts which is the problem of searching for … Continued
The speech by Pastor Mike McBride was given the day the DA in Louisville Kentucky announced the Grand Jury ruling around the Breanna Taylor case. Pastor Mike was not only speaking about the case but talking directly to elected officials who refused to pass laws to reign in rogue police. This speech was part of … Continued
August 3rd to August 26th, 2022 When Flashpoints senior producer, Miguel Gavilan Molina–a yaki-Chicano, former child farmworker heard that the UFW was planning a 335 mile pilgrimage for workers rights, there was no question that Flashpoints and KPFA would be there for every step of the pilgrimage. The Flashpoints team, along with La Onda Bajita … Continued
Vijay Prashad joins Law & Disorder with host Jesse Strauss, to talk about the colonial impact of the British monarchy since Elizabeth was appointed Queen in 1952. It’s a world tour of decolonization movements since that time, as well as analysis of the Queen’s death and speculation about what’s to come in the transition of … Continued
In WHEN THEY CALL YOU A TERRORIST, a meaningful, empowering account of survival, strength, and resilience, the writers seek to change the culture that declares innocent black life expendable.
Thank you for supporting KPFA on our 73rd Birthday! Enjoy this historic recording of Paul Robeson interviewed by KPFA program director Elsa Knight Thompson & Harold Winkler (president of the Pacifica Foundation), on his life and work from 1958. Robeson speaks candidly with them about his life and work, growing up in Princeton, New Jersey … Continued
We begin the year with inspiring, effective kick butt protection of life, as Caroline welcomes the return of indefatigable, dedicated ally – Diane Wilson, Sea Drift Texas fisher-woman-activist, recently triumphant, “This feels like Justice!” legal victory over Formosa Plastics! “TRLA said the $50 million settlement is the largest in U.S. history involving a private citizen’s … Continued
Jack Hirschman (December 13, 1933 – August 22, 2021) Nina Serrano presents Jack Hirschman’s inaugural address as poet laureate of San Francisco at the San Francisco Public Library on April 4th, 2006. In this address, Hirshman recounts his life history. In the 1950s and 60s, Hirschman taught at Dartmouth College and the University of California, Los Angeles. The Vietnam War, … Continued
Herbie Hancock is an internationally famous American pianist, keyboardist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis’s Second Great Quintet, he was one of the primary creators of the “post-bop” sound. Hancock has combined a unique blend of jazz, blues, modern classical music (like Debussy and Ravel), and sheer funk. Throughout his explorations, he has … Continued
After the events that took place over the course of 2020, America remains more divided than ever. When faced with a global health crisis and widespread cries for racial justice, leadership crumbled and the Republican Party suffered defeat in the 2020 election. According to Keith Boykin, Republican leaders have responded with inciting white Americans in a last-ditch race against … Continued
A special program exploring the need for and examples of coalition and cooperation between the Asian and Black communities in neighborhoods where there might have been conflicts in the past. This panel includes Renard Monroe, founder and executive director of Youth 1st, a year-round after-school and summer program located in San Francisco’s District 11, and president and a founding member of Invest Black, a … Continued
Winter Solstice 2001 – Yet one of the best collaborative talks Caroline has ever conjured. With Stephen Kent on didgeridoo, and Ida Maxim singing- moaning beauty into the world. The beginning of the Scheherezade series – completely pertinent to now.
Scoop Nisker’s Earth Day Rant 2018
Instead of one long story, the 25th episode of East Bay Yesterday features four shorties. In one interview, a man reminisces about using very unusual bait while fishing with his grandpa at the Berkeley pier. In another, a longtime Oakland postal employee recalls his close calls with stray gunfire. From underground circuses to sideshows, this … Continued
We’ve all heard the story’s of refugees fleeing war and violence from their home countries into the West … but what happens to those who survive the dangerous journey away from home? The stories and experiences are as diverse the people seeking refuge themselves. Some are settled fairly quickly especially when they have family or … Continued
We Heal and Avert Disaster by Considering Beauty. Welcoming back Lily Yeh, among my favorite humans, and most inspiring radio guests, that Beauty be honored as the sine qua non of culture. ‘Tis art that weaves relationship into structure, that allows everything replenishing to then fill the community. Lily works with the broken parts of … Continued
