THE INTERSECTION project began as a one-off piece that project director David Boyer produced for KALW. As the latest boom heated up in early 2014, he grew frustrated with the media’s increasingly myopic narrative: Story after story cast techies as the enemy and everyone else as their helpless victims. He went looking for other slices of San Francisco that didn’t fit that simple storyline. His research led him to the corner of Third Street & Jerrold Avenue in Bayview. The people, sounds and stories that he found were clearly touched by the latest boom, but there were other forces at play: A predominantly black Baptist church is losing members not only because black residents are being priced out of the neighborhood but also because there are more churches and less people interested in attending them. The non-profit that helps neighborhood kids prepare for college was founded by Steve Jobs’ widow, but it is run by a man who grew up in the nearby housing projects. The combination KFC/Taco Bell across the street is a makeshift but vibrant community center. And then there’s a new organic pizza place, which opened on a formerly abandoned lot and now has a homeless artist-in-residence who spends hours there every day making sculptures out of soap. After Boyer’s piece aired, KALW received incredibly positive feedback from Bayview residents and community leaders. They appreciated hearing authentic voices from their neighborhood and a story that presented a more nuanced, realistic view of their community. That was just one corner in one neighborhood. Boyer began to think about the stories other intersections might tell and started envisioning this larger, more ambitious series.

BOYER_The Intersection_CDP_WIP Sample

THE INTERSECTION: 6 MIN Sampler

Sometimes it’s something very specific and seemingly frivolous that brings a subculture and spirit to vivid life. This radio piece about a Castro-based dance class captured the sassy, joyous and rebellious heart of a community that exists at the intersection of the queer and performing arts communities. And suggested the benefits of coming together and expressing one’s self. I plan to weave a sampling of these kinds of stories—fun, unexpected and ultimately profound—into the larger narrative of each intersection.   

Sample 3: Big Dreams. Bright Legwarmers. (CWF)

The piece chronicles the creation of an original opera by kids as young as six in San Francisco. Lead artist Boyer embedded himself in this community, visiting several times each month over the course of nine months. This excerpt includes the development of the opera, but not the actual dress rehearsal or performances. Much like The Intersection pieces (which will include a large body of raw audio), Boyer edited 30 hours of interviews into a relatively short audio story.

DAVID BOYER