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Libby Denkmann

Host, Soundside

About

Libby Denkmann has covered veterans' issues, homelessness, and local politics during her radio journalism career. She became the host of KUOW's Soundside in November 2021. Previously she was a producer, reporter, anchor, and host for stations KIRO, KFI, and KPCC in Seattle and Los Angeles. During a yearlong hiatus from journalism in 2011, she worked as a congressional staffer in Washington, D.C.. Libby was born in Seattle, grew up on the eastside, and graduated from the University of Washington. Her favorite things include soccer, video games, and her dog, Monty.

Location: Seattle

Languages: English, limited Japanese and Portuguese

Pronouns: she/her

Podcasts

Stories

  • caption: The first free-standing tsunami refuge in North America is now open in Tokeland in Pacific County, Washington.

    Exploring North America's first free-standing tsunami tower

    If you spend any time driving along the coast of Washington, you’ll see Tsunami Escape Route signs leading the way to higher ground. Tokeland, WA is one of the communities in a tsunami risk zone, it's about 30 miles southwest of Aberdeen on the Washington Coast. It's ALSO home to a brand-new tsunami tower.

  • caption: The CHIPS and Science Act authorizes $250 billion in federal funding for semiconductor research and manufacturing here in the United States.

    What a new manufacturing act could mean for Washington state

    Today, President Biden signed the CHIPS and Science Act. It authorizes $250 billion dollars to subsidize domestic production of semiconductors, and fund research into new semiconductor technology. Supporters of the Act say it will help deal with those supply chain issues, and make the US more competitive against foreign manufacturers. But not everyone's so sure.

  • caption: The Neuroscience of You: How Every Brain is Different and How to Understand Yours

    Understanding how our brains work through the Neuroscience of You

    According to Dr. Chantel Prat, "The point of the brain is to take in as much information in the world around the being that it's driving, and use this information to guide that being through life in a way that maximizes its success." But how individual brains work comes down to a fascinating combination of factors, with each person's experiences changing how they engage with the world.

  • caption: A voter drops off ballots on Tuesday, November 5, 2019, at the NewHolly Neighborhood Campus on 32nd Avenue South in Seattle.

    An update on the race in the 3rd Legislative District

    Election workers are still processing and counting ballots from last week's primary election, and some of the early results we saw on election night have shifted. Right now one of the Washington Republicans who voted to impeach President Trump is staring down defeat.

  • school class books generic

    The books that bind us -- your favorite Washington books and authors

    Summer is a great time to curl up in the park with a good book. It's also a time when we start to thaw a bit from our Seattle freeze and head out to explore everything Washington has to offer. From the Palouse to the Peninsula, we have a lot of landscapes to explore. Those landscapes -- and their histories -- have inspired many of our local authors. Today Soundside speaks with some of your favorite authors about what makes Washington a literary wonderland.

  • forest trees northwest oregon

    Listen again: What federal reforestation plans mean for Washington state

    Last Monday the Biden Administration announced plans to plant more than one billion trees across the western United States to restore forests damaged by climate change. Washington State is already facing a tree seed shortage, and our state's forest nursery is racing to ramp up production.

  • caption: Isaiah McDaniel bags groceries into a customer's cloth bags at PCC Natural Market Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2008, in Seattle.

    Hazard pay is the latest casualty of the 'waning pandemic phase'

    Seattle grocery store workers will soon see less money in their paychecks after the Seattle City Council voted to no longer require hazard pay. The move is part of a broader trend in Seattle; even as COVID continues to spread in the community, the city is moving away from some pandemic era policies that have helped people get by.