The California Report Magazine

KQED
The California Report Magazine

Every week, The California Report Magazine takes you on a road trip for the ears: to visit the places and meet the people who make California unique. The in-depth storytelling podcast from the California Report.

  1. JUN 27

    She Survived Transphobic Backlash and Made History; How AI Saved One Woman's Voice

    88-Year-Old Audio Engineer Sandy Stone Survived Transphobic Backlash and Made History Audio engineer Sandy Stone got her start working alongside Jimi Hendrix, the Grateful Dead and Crosby, Stills & Nash. When she joined the California lesbian music label Olivia Records, some feminists wanted to kick her, and all trans women, out of women’s spaces. But Stone went on to become the first openly transgender woman inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame. KQED Arts Editor Nastia Voynovskaya brings us this profile of Stone, who became a world-class academic and paved the way for the field of transgender studies.  Cancer Stole Her Voice. Curse Words, Children’s Books and AI Saved It You can hear AI-generated voices when you call into a customer service line, read news articles online, and watch movies. Now some tech companies are starting to use the technology to help people who’ve lost the ability to speak due to ALS or oral cancer.  KQED’s health correspondent April Dembosky has the story of one woman’s journey to find her natural-sounding voice again. Hidden Gems: The Pirate Ship on Big Bear Lake Set in the San Bernardino Mountains, Big Bear Lake is a popular tourist destination for Southern California families looking for lakeside recreation in the summer. One of the attractions? A pirate ship called the Time Bandit. In this story from our Hidden Gems archives, reporter Amanda Font set sail on this historic vessel.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    30 min
  2. MAY 23

    Composer Reena Esmail's Multicultural Music; The Professor Confronting Division With a Vision for Belonging

    Sitars and Symphonies: LA Composer Reena Esmail Fuses Indian Ragas with Western Rhythms We continue our California composers series with Reena Esmail. Her childhood in Los Angeles had two soundtracks: the Western classical music her parents loved, and the old, scratchy Bollywood tapes her paternal grandparents would play over and over. Those multicultural influences shaped what would become the driving question of her work: how do you invite people from different cultures onto the same stage to build a relationship and create music together? Composing is how Esmail has made her mark — by putting Western classical musicians in conversation with Indian artists, building bridges between violinists and sitar players, tabla drummers and western singers. She's an artist in residence with the Los Angeles Master Chorale, has composed with unhoused singers from Skid Row, and her music has been performed by major orchestras and choirs all over the world. How a UC Berkeley Professor Confronts Division With a Vision for Belonging Professor john a. powell spent much of his early life feeling like he didn’t belong. At just 11 years old, he became estranged from his deeply religious family. After questioning church doctrine and not getting the answers he was looking for, powell — who spells his name in lowercase — left the church, and his father did not speak to him for five years. But that pivotal moment was the beginning of the path that led him to his life’s work. powell is the director of the Othering and Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley, where he’s also a professor of law, African American studies and ethnic studies. He’s the author of two recent books, “Belonging Without Othering,” and “The Power of Bridging.” powell spoke with host Sasha Khokha as part of our series on Californians and resilience.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    30 min
4.6
out of 5
127 Ratings

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Every week, The California Report Magazine takes you on a road trip for the ears: to visit the places and meet the people who make California unique. The in-depth storytelling podcast from the California Report.

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