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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

Stories

  • caption: "Holding Fire" charts Bryce Andrew's journey from Seattle to the ranges of Montana, and the tools that make life in the American West possible.

    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.

  • caption: The Washington State Capitol in Olympia.

    WA Legislature ends 2023 session without Blake fix

    Lawmakers in Olympia took on big issues this session like housing, abortion access, and gun control. The 2023 session will also be remembered for a major piece of legislation that unraveled at the last minute. As the clock ticked down, the State House failed to pass a new drug possession law.

  • caption: "Missing Addresses" is a posthumous collection of poems from Beth Bentley.

    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.

  • peter blecha stomp and shout book

    Searching beyond grunge to the rock 'n' roll heart of the 'Northwest sound'

    But long before the region made its mark through indie rock and hip hop, there was another golden era of music here in the Pacific Northwest. From the 1940s to the 1960s, cities like Seattle, Olympia, and Tacoma were developing a distinctly Pacific Northwest flavor of R&B and rock and roll.

  • caption: A snow covered calf and its mother feed on hay dropped on top of snow.

    Calves born during Spring blizzards face an uphill battle

    NW News Network correspondent Anna King joins Soundside host Libby Denkmann to talk about the newest issue troubling NW ranchers - Freezing temperatures well into Spring that kill calves before they're able to get up off the ground.

  • caption: The M/V Walla Walla is towed away at high tide around midnight, April 16, 2023, after the ferry boat ran aground at south Bainbridge Island.

    Could an aging WA fleet lead to more ferry mishaps?

    The M/V Walla Walla has been running for 50 years and Seattle Times transportation reporter David Kroman says aging boats are having cascading effects on the state’s ferry system.