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
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Sound it out: messages from listeners
At its core, Soundside is about connecting with our listeners and bringing you stories you care about and that impact those of us living here in the Pacific Northwest. Each week we ask for your thoughts about our stories -- where they've succeeded and where they can improve. Here's what you told us.
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Tabletop Gaming joins the ranks of unionized workers in Western Washington
Amazon. Starbucks. The Seattle Art Museum. All local companies with workers fighting to unionize. And now that list also includes gaming companies. Employees at Redmond-based Paizo Inc., which publishes tabletop RPGs like Pathfinder and Starfinder, recently voted to form a union, and the company has voluntarily recognized it. That's relatively unique in the gaming industry, which doesn't have a history of labor organizing. The Seattle retail store Card Kingdom is trying to do the same. Members of United Paizo Workers are now tackling the tough work of bargaining for a contract.
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Former Seattle police chief admits deleting texts in wake of 2020 Capitol Hill protest
Two years ago, the Seattle Police Department abandoned the Capitol Hill East Precinct, leading to the creation of the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest (CHOP). At the time, former Police Chief Carmen Best distanced herself from that decision. Whether Best approved the move remains an open question that is difficult to answer due to missing text messages. In a deposition obtained by Axios, Best said she deleted texts she sent during the 2020 protests.
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A tech dystopia in Puget Sound: Vauhini Vara's "The Immortal King Rao"
The fictional tech company at the center of the new book, “The Immortal King Rao,” is called “Coconut.” It’s a rough amalgamation of Apple and Microsoft of the 1980s and 1990s, driving a personal computer revolution, and later it morphs into a Google, Amazon and Facebook avatar in the way it gobbles up peoples’ data and monetizes human interaction.
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How are Washington's parks feeling the effects of climate change?
Last month, Metro Parks Tacoma announced the closure of the popular Five Mile Drive to vehicles, after a geotechnical assessment found that the erosion of the bluffs posed a safety risk. The report did not explicitly link the erosion to climate change, but park officials say they believe there is a connection. So how are Washington's parks responding to the effects climate change is having on our coastlines, forests, and mountains?
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Three Washington forests are part of the biggest carbon credit purchase in U.S. history. Is that a good thing?
Western Washington has three urban forest sites that have been included as part of a carbon offset credits package, in a record setting one million dollar deal... But, what does that mean?
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Searching for his father and finding his family - a conversation with Nabil Ayers
What's the meaning of the word "family?" For musician, record label President, and Sonic Boom Records co-founder Nabil Ayers, this question has followed him throughout his life.
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Is a proposed light rail station in the International District good news or bad?
New Sound Transit light rail lines are on the way - connecting to Ballard and West Seattle thanks to a ballot measure voters approved in 2016. But plans for a new station in the neighborhood of Chinatown International District have raised alarm with community groups and local businesses
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Internal SPD memo raises questions about public safety priorities
An internal memo sent to the Seattle Police Department's interim police Chief Adrian Diaz is raising new questions about the agency's priorities.
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What's going on with the escalators at the light rail stations?
Broken elevators and escalators have been a common headache for Sound Transit riders, and have plagued the Seattle area light rail system for years. While the agency aims to have 95 percent of escalators, and 97 percent of elevators running on a given day, the current outages are roughly twice that rate. We talk with Sound Transit about these issues, but first wanted to get the perspective of the people most negatively affected when an elevator or escalator is out of service.