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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 Methow Valley starts at the headwaters of the Methow Valley. A popular tourist and outdoor recreation area, the valley is regularly plagued by wildfire smoke.

    For the Methow Valley, wildfire smoke has created a 'fifth' season

    The Methow Valley starts at the east end of the Cascades, at the headwaters of the Methow River. It includes the towns of Twisp and Winthrop, as well as the unincorporated community of Mazama. Residents of the valley experience the same four seasons most of us do — spring, summer, fall, and winter. But in the last ten years, a fifth season has crept into Methow Valley life: smoke season.

  • caption: Mineral Creek trail cuts through the Alpine Lakes Wilderness on route to the Pacific Crest Trail. It hasn't been usable for more than five years, making it a priority for maintenance.

    It's peak hiking season in the PNW. But who takes care of all our trails?

    Washington state has more than 700 miles of hiking trails in it state parks alone, alongside hundreds more in its national parks and national forests. With so much room to roam, keeping up with trail maintenance is a daunting task, and organizations like the forest service are constantly fighting a backlog of trail maintenance. What goes into trail design and upkeep? And what happens when trails are left unattended?
  • caption: Cover Art from Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel

    D&D's "Radiant Citadel" changes the game for BIPOC players

    If you’re a fan of the hit Netflix show Stranger Things, then you know that the fantasy tabletop-role playing game Dungeons & Dragons has come roaring back into the mainstream in the past few years… But for most of its existence, D&D has had a problem.

  • caption: Washington state is home to three different species of marmot: the Olympic marmot, the hoary marmot, and the yellow-bellied marmot (pictured).

    Hear it again: The fauna that define us

    Washington state is no stranger to majestic and awe-inspiring wildlife. Think of the orca, the bald eagle, the mighty salmon. But hiding in the cracks of our mountains and our cities lie creatures big and small, loving and annoying. Today, Soundside looks back on our favorite animal stories and how Washington balances

  • caption: A More Perfect Union is a collaboration between KUOW, Spokane Public Radio, Northwest Public Broadcasting, and Humanities Washington on content exploring democracy and civic participation. It is funded in part by the Mellon Foundation.

    A More Perfect Union: facing challenges and seeing progress in Native communities

    “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

  • caption: Jason Lee works on getting his RV out of Woodland Park as the city of Seattle removed unhoused people and their belongings from the area on Tuesday, May 10, 2022, in Seattle.

    Pierce, King County announce new safe parking lot programs

    Roughly a third of those experiencing homelessness in the region live in their vehicles. Two new pilot programs will test the viability of supervised safe parking lots for those living in their vehicles, with aims to build a long term solution for homelessness around RVs and other vehicles.
  • caption: King County drop box.

    On the Ballot: Moving King County elections to even years

    The Metropolitan King County Council voted this week to change how we vote in King County. Here’s a hint: they want election years to be divisible by two. Voters will decide whether or not this change will be made this November, and Soundside invited Crosscut.com state politics reporter Joseph O’Sullivan and Political Science Professor Todd Donovan to discuss what this means for the county.

  • caption: The sun sets at Mike's Chili Parlor, located in the same building its been in since 1939.

    The chili dynasty that's lasted a century

    Ballard is a neighborhood in transition. There’s always a new townhouse going up, a restaurant calling it quits, a new, hyper-local apothecary moving in next door. But, among all that change, one establishment has remained for the last century.