A Ghost, a Songwriter, a Student and a Teacher: Voices of California
This week, we’re revisiting the stories of some of our favorite people (ghostly and living) we’ve profiled this year:
Songwriter in a Cage: Meet Glen Sherley, Johnny Cash’s Friend in Folsom
Fifty years ago, Johnny Cash gave a historic performance at a prison in Folsom. But his connection with Folsom went far beyond a triple-platinum release. At the prison, he began a deep friendship with Glen Sherley, a jailhouse songwriter. This is Peter Gilstrap’s story about Sherley.
How a Heroine Became a ‘Demon’ in Victorian San Francisco
Take a ghost tour in San Francisco, and you’ll learn about someone you’ve probably never heard of: Mary Ellen Pleasant. KQED’s Carly Severn went on this tour, and brings us the tale of this crusading heroine who somehow became a demon in her own lifetime.
In West Oakland School That Keeps Losing Teachers, She's Stayed Almost Five Decades
When Oakland students went back to school this year, they were heading back to a district that was still short some 30 teachers. That’s why the story of LuPaulette Taylor at McClymonds High School caught the attention of The California Report’s education reporter, Vanessa Rancaño.
Music Is the Spirit That Moves These Teens From Tonga
This spring, high school students took over our airwaves for a week. We especially loved this story, from two cousins, then seniors at Menlo-Atherton High. KQED’s Bianca Taylor interviewed them about their childhood growing up next door to each other in Tonga, and how music has shaped their lives.
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