BOUNCE: How The Valkyries Changed The Bay

The Golden State Valkyries have electrified the Bay Area and are transforming the culture of women’s basketball nationwide. From record-breaking crowds to a new spirit of fandom, the Valkyries are shaping sports history right here at home.

Join KALW’s BOUNCE podcast team for a live conversation on how the Valkyries are changing the Bay, on and off the court. Hear from journalists, fans, and community leaders about the team’s impact on sports, culture, and identity, and what comes next as the movement grows.

Come for the stories, stay for the energy, and be part of the conversation about how women’s basketball is rewriting the playbook in the Bay Area. Come early for free Joyride Pizza, and stay til the end for special Listener Appreciation prizes!

This Month's Guests

Kristal Raheem is a sociologist, journalist, and poet from Oakland. Her work calls attention to health and educational disparities among systematically oppressed communities locally andaround the world. She has traveled to countries such as the Dominican Republic and South Africa to address issues of colonization and gender based violence. As a journalist, she writes for Oakland Voices and is a recent graduate of the KALW Radio Audio Academy.

This Month's Hosts

Erin Lim is Bay Area born-and-raised. She has called San Francisco home for two decades and has worked in various communication roles around The Bay. Erin started her career in local radio, then moved into newsrooms and cable TV productions, and then landed in PR/marketing. During her years in PR (hotel and film), she founded the award-winning culture podcast Bitch Talk and is producing a documentary called The Nomadic Family Project. Both creative projects continue to inspire her. Recently, Erin graduated from KALW’s Audio Academy and is the host of KALW’s BOUNCE, a podcast about the first season of the Golden State Valkyries.

Ben Trefny, BOUNCE executive producer, has been part of the KALW family since 2004. As Executive News Editor and then News Director, he helped our news department win numerous regional and national awards for long- and short-form journalism. He also helped create numerous training programs — for teenagers, incarcerated people, and early-career journalists — and have taught hundreds of audio producers. He served as interim Executive Director for nearly two years.

His work is currently focused on creating original live events, programming, and building partnerships with like-minded organizations. He oversees KALW’s community space at 220 Montgomery Street in downtown San Francisco where he organizes town hall conversations, film screenings, literature readings, concerts, and fundraisers. He also curates the 111 Minna Street stage for Downtown First Thursdays.

About BOUNCE

"BOUNCE: The Valkyries First Season in the Bay" is a 10-episode, sound-rich, biweekly podcast. It follows the nationally award-winning "BOUNCE: The Warriors Last Season in Oakland." It's tracing the origin and evolution of Ballhalla as it unfolds in real time. It also includes features contextualizing this historical moment in women's sports and what it means to people in the Bay Area.Episodes include:- Reviewing the history of women's team sports in the United States through the sound of its great moments.- Profiling Valkyries Head Coach Natalie Nakase, the first Asian American to lead a team in the WNBA.- Launching the Bay Area's first bar dedicated to women's sportsAnd many more.Subscribe to the podcast here.Let's see what happens.

Your RSVP includes admission to Open Decks: Community Art in Motion, a collaborative art exhibition and cultural program featuring original art by 100 Bay Area artists on skateboard decks. Open Decks is on view from July 24 - October 31, 2025.

There is a $10 - $20 sliding scale suggested donation for this event. Nobody will be turned away for lack of funds.

Please become a KALW member today and receive your first drink on us at all 220 Montgomery events.

📍 220 Montgomery St., San Francisco, 2 blocks from BART/MUNI

🚪 Reception doors open at 6:00

🗣️ Program begins at 7:00

🆓 The event is free with an RSVP — and you are welcome to donate what you want

Please note:

• The event space is just to the left of the main entrance to the Mills Building at 220 Montgomery Street
• We recommend taking BART/MUNI, exiting at Montgomery, and walking two blocks north
• Ride-shares can drop off and pick up directly in front of the venue
• If you drive, there are several garages within two blocks of the event location; free street parking is available across from the venue at 7:00 pm