Alec Cowan
Producer, Soundside
About
Alec Cowan is a producer for Soundside. His interests have brought many eclectic stories to the program, and his segments gravitate toward history, technology, arts and culture, and the environment. Proud to be KUOW's unofficial "boat guy."
Prior to joining Soundside, Alec wore many hats at KUOW. He was a producer for The Record with Bill Radke and Primed seasons two and three . He also reported an episode of SoundQs detailing how prohibition forever changed Seattle policing and assisted with reporting a breakthrough cold case solved with the use of genetic genealogy.
Before joining KUOW Alec worked in NPR's Story Lab, where he helped pilot the Louder Than a Riot podcast, about hip-hop and mass incarceration, and assisted in producing a story on volunteerism in Iraq for Rough Translation. Originally from Grand Junction, Colorado, his roots in the Northwest begin in Eugene, where he studied English and philosophy at the University of Oregon and worked as a news reporter for NPR member station KLCC. He is likely neglecting his saxophone, growing book collection, and expanding personal project list in favor of boosting his online Xbox ranking.
Location: Seattle
Languages Spoken: English
Pronouns: he/him/his
Podcasts
Stories
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Health
Should we think of gun violence as a 'disease'? These epidemiologists do
For the first time ever, the Springer Handbook of Epidemiology has added gun violence to its pages. How does looking at gun violence as a disease change the way we view it?
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Government
Sponsor of WA bill on trans youth targeted by right-wing groups
Last month, onlookers gathered at the state capitol to protest Senate Bill 5599. The bill recently cleared the Washington legislature recently, and extends emergency shelter options for youth seeking reproductive or gender-affirming healthcare. But despite its specificity, the bill has been swept into a larger battle over transgender rights.
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Arts & Life
How have the Kraken gone from underperforming to unstoppable?
What a Game 7 it was in Denver. Kraken Right Wing Oliver Bjorkstrand slung a prayer of a shot and made one of the luckiest deflections you’ll ever see. The momentum from that goal led the Kraken to a 2-1 victory over the defending Stanley Cup Champions, The Colorado Avalanche.
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Arts & Life
Poet Raul Sanchez on finding a voice that transcends language and borders
Raul Sanchez's poetry reflects an influence of American culture tangled with Sanchez's Mexican roots.
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Arts & Life
Examining the role of guns and violence in the American West
Bryce Andrews grew up obsessed with the cowboy lifestyle. As a kid his parents would drive him from Seattle to Montana, where he shot his first guns on the prairie with his godfather. He eventually moved out to the Montana countryside, a city boy trying to fit in as a ranch hand.
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Science
The Abstract: Why is some of our snow turning pink?
How do bacteria communicate? And what's the deal with pink snow? Soundside spoke with two researchers exploring the worlds of bacteria and algae to gather some insight.
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Arts & Life
Remembering the intellectual clarity of the late Beth Bentley's poetry
Beth Bentley was a teacher and poet who, along with her husband — poet Nelson Bentley — left an indelible mark on Seattle's literary scene. When she died in 2021, she and her son Sean were working on her final poetry collection, titled "Missing Addresses," which is set to publish this month.
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Education
Washington schools need more deaf educators
Late last month, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously that a deaf student could sue his Michigan school system – under the Americans with Disabilities Act – for providing inadequate services. The family of Miguel Luna Perez says his constitutional rights were violated because he was provided an ASL aide who did not, in fact, know American Sign Language. Nationwide, there’s a shortage of qualified deaf education teachers for public schools, including here in Washington.
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Environment
Hear It Again: The fraught political battle over national monuments
With the news of new national monuments in Nevada and Texas, and a renewed push for a national monument around Grand Canyon National Park, we revisit our conversation with McKenzie Long about her book: "This Contested Land: The Storied Past and Uncertain Future of America's National Monuments."
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Arts & Life
Charting change in Beacon Hill with poet Roberto Ascalon
The Bureau of Fearless Ideas (BFI) is one large classroom on the ground floor of the Yesler Terrace complex, a multi-use housing development in Beacon Hill. The walls are packed with language – words, rhymes, and creative affirmations. It's here that Roberto Ascalon, the poet in residence, is a mentor to new poets.