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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Government
The fraught political battle over national monuments
The National Park System oversees more than 400 sites across the United States. These sites range from national parks to national forests, historical sites, and recreation areas. But the most fraught conflicts over our public lands often involve national monuments, which range from remote marine sanctuaries to millions of acres of red rock desert — all designated with a presidential signature.
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Environment
How communities persevere through climate catastrophe
It can be hard in 2022 to look at climate issues and not feel despair. But across the country, communities are persevering through our new climate reality.
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Arts & Life
Remembering August Wilson's Seattle legacy
August Wilson's "Century Cycle," comprised of 10 plays detailing and exploring the life of African Americans throughout the 1900s, is famously set in his hometown of Pittsburgh. But for the last 15 years of his life Wilson lived in Seattle, drawing inspiration from café windows and conversations at the local IHOP.
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Crime
Contract workers at Nintendo of America say they faced years of sexual harassment
A new investigation by Kotaku details a "frat house" experience for female game testers at Nintendo of America, testimony that runs against the company's image of family friendly gaming.
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Environment
Fishing vessel sinks off San Juan Islands, leaking fuel
At 2:00pm on Saturday the U.S. Coast Guard received a distress call from a commercial fishing vessel named the Aleutian Isle. The vessel was near the San Juan Islands and taking on water. The crew onboard evacuated to a small skiff before being picked up by a good Samaritan, and the Aleutian Isle eventually sank to the sea floor, where it remains today.
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Arts & Life
'It's an ongoing celebration:' Ruth E. Carter on her Afrofuturistic costume designs
The Marvel film Black "Panther" has a lot to amaze audiences — stunning CGI, a roster of A-List actors. But the finer details that make Wakanda what it is aren't acted, or computer generated. They're sewn together, stitch by stitch, by an entire team off-screen.
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Arts & Life
What's the line between innovation and cheating in professional baseball?
Professional baseball has long been a proving ground for new ways to fool crowds and umpires, From sign stealing to illegal hacking operations to a little extra spit on the ball to get the perfect curve in a pitch. But there's a fine line between innovation and cheating.
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Arts & Life
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.
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Environment
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.
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Arts & Life
After two long years, contemporary dance looks for a comeback
Dance is an intimate artform. When the pandemic hit, and in person interaction dwindled, choreographers, dancers, and producers went in search of what they could do without a dance floor, a stage, or an audience.