The Hope & The Scope

Washington, D.C. Some 200 young people from across the nation aged 14-19 — aspiring poets, storytellers, MC’s, activists — are gathered in the nation’s capital for the 29th annual Brave New Voices Festival — four non-stop days of slam poetry competition, coaching, workshops, late-night freestyling and in 2024, voting information. Earlier in the summer, as the election loomed larger and larger we decided to turn our microphone to young people across America to hear their thoughts and feelings about the nation, about voting, about the election. Everyone always says young people are the future. But the truth is they are the present. And it is all on their plate.

Tupperware: An Homage and a Eulogy

It was 1980. We had just met. We had just named ourselves The Kitchen Sisters. And we had just bought our first cassette recorder, a Sony TC-D5M. We hadn’t even taken it out of the box or been trained on it when we were invited to a Tupperware party our friend was hosting. This was in Santa Cruz, a stronghold of the women’s movement. You just didn’t get invited to too many Tupperware parties back then.

Manny's: A Civic Gathering Space

As elections loom, we need to get involved, step up to the civic plate, take part in discourse. And that’s what Manny Yekutiel has been driven to do since 2018. He’s created a community-focused meeting place in San Francisco — a gathering space for people to watch presidential debates, meet people working on the front lines of social change, and discuss issues with policy makers in person. From community forums debating the new trash can designs in San Francisco, to town hall meetings with political candidates for the Senate and the Presidency, Manny’s is a place to commune, listen, and be heard.

Oprah, Kamala, and The New Orleans Four

There was a moment at the 2024 Democratic National Convention when Oprah took the stage — and the crowd went wild. She spoke boldly about Kamala Harris and her place in a long line of strong Black women who have paved the way. At one point she veered into the story of Tessie Prevost Williams, who recently passed away, and the New Orleans Four.

Linda Ronstadt Day

San Francisco has declared July 15 as Linda Ronstadt Day, in honor of the 78th birthday of this legendary singer. In her honor, we present this story about her memoir Feels Like Home: A Song for the Sonoran Borderlands, a musical, historical, edible memoir that spans the story of five generations of Linda’s Mexican American German family, from the Sonoran desert in Mexico to the Ronstadt family hardware store in Tucson to the road that led Linda to LA and musical stardom.

Support the Stories

Deep thanks to all of you who support the work of The Kitchen Sisters. Without your collaboration and contributions, our stories, internship, and mentoring program would not be possible.

The Kitchen Sisters Present… Stories from the b-side of history. Lost recordings, hidden worlds, people possessed by a sound, a vision, a mission. Each podcast episode tell deeply layered stories, lush with interviews, field recordings and music. Including stories from our NPR series Hidden Kitchens, The Hidden World of Girls, The Sonic Memorial Project, Lost & Found Sound, and The Keepers.

The Kitchen Sisters Present is proud member of Radiotopia from PRX, a network of the best story-driven podcasts on the planet.

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