Shows / KQED's Forum
KQED's Forum
Forum tells remarkable and true stories about who we are and where we live. In the first hour, Alexis Madrigal convenes the diverse voices of the Bay Area, before turning to Mina Kim for the second hour to chronicle and center Californians’ experience. In an increasingly divided world, Mina and Alexis host conversations that inform, challenge and unify listeners with big ideas and different viewpoints. Want to call/submit your comments during our live Forum program Mon-Fri, 9am-11am? We'd love…
Episodes
KQED's ForumFirst Trump Criminal Trial Underway in New York
Opening arguments could take place as soon as next week in Donald Trump’s criminal trial in Manhattan, where he stands accused of covering up hush money…
KQED's ForumThe Beauty in Finding ‘Other People’s Words’ in Your Own
About ten years ago, two of journalist Lissa Soep’s closest friends died around the same time. In her grieving, she found consolation in the philosophy of a…
KQED's ForumWhat the 99 Cents Only Stores Closure Means to Californians
Dollar stores – the bargain chains prevalent in rural areas that sell miscellaneous merchandise at steeply discounted prices – have been blamed for…
KQED's ForumBay Area Diaspora Closely Watching India’s Upcoming Election
India’s general election will begin on Friday, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeks a third straight term in power. The election is set to be the biggest in…
KQED's Forumare u addicted to ur phone
New York Times tech reporter Kashmir Hill last year found that each day she was picking up her iPhone more than 100 times and looking at it for an average of…
KQED's ForumJosé Vadi’s “Chipped” Looks at Life from a Skateboarder’s Lens
A chipped skateboard — one where a piece has come off the nose or tail — is the symbol of a boarder who is dedicated to their deck, held together by nothing…
KQED's Forum‘The Notorious PhD’ on How Hip Hop Made America
To USC professor Todd Boyd, hip hop has so permeated American life that what was once a musical subculture now informs entertainment, fashion, sports and…
KQED's ForumSan Francisco Voters Face a Crowded and Contentious Mayor’s Race
This November San Francisco voters will get to decide whether to give London Breed another four years as mayor. Polls show voters are dissatisfied with how…
KQED's ForumSo You Want to Be a DJ?
There was a time when being a DJ meant hauling heavy crates of vinyl LPs, sound equipment and lights from one gig to the next. Now with a computer and a…
KQED's ForumRFK’s a Spoiler – But for Which Party?
Polls this month suggest that between 9 and 12 percent of Americans support independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. But it’s unclear whether…
KQED's ForumLegendary Stanford Women’s Basketball Coach Tara VanDerveer Announces Retirement
Stanford women’s basketball coach, Tara VanDerveer – the winningest coach in the history of college basketball – has announced she’s retiring after 45 years…
KQED's ForumWhy Trees Contain Multitudes
“The quiet cousin, the rowdy daughter, the bookish aunt, the brash sister. Some are short and busy; others tall, quiet and stately,” writes environmental…
KQED's ForumDoing Democracy: Should America Adopt a Parliamentary System of Government?
Constitutional law professor Maxwell Stearns doesn’t think the U.S. is headed for a constitutional crisis…he thinks we’re already deeply in one. And it’s our…
KQED's ForumIs Biden’s Approach to Israel Changing?
President Biden called the humanitarian crisis in Gaza “unacceptable” during a call last week with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and said an…
KQED's ForumAnne Lamott 'Somehow' Finds the Love
“I wish the moment of love in our lives more closely resembled the grace of a ballerina, but no, love mainly tromps and plops, falls over and tiptoes through…
KQED's ForumAre the SAT and ACT Making a Comeback?
Reversing pandemic-era admission policies, more universities, including MIT, Yale, Dartmouth and Brown, are again requiring that applicants submit SAT or ACT…
KQED's ForumFrom Beyoncé to Lil Hardin, 'My Black Country' Celebrates the Undersung Black History and Future of Country Music
Beyoncé’s new album, “Cowboy Carter,” pays tribute to country music’s greats while reflecting on her own connection to the genre. As she sings on the opening…
KQED's ForumComedian Kristina Wong on Crafting a Community During COVID
When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the performing arts world, comedian Kristina Wong found herself adrift. But dozens of frantic calls and one Facebook group…
KQED's ForumAnna Shechtman Decodes the Crossword Puzzle in 'Riddle of the Sphinx'
Can you think of a seven-letter word for “complex character?” If your mind flows to “Oedipus,” you’re probably comfortable among the wonderful, nerdy world of…
KQED's ForumHow Safe Are Our Bay Area Waterways?
Traveling across one of the bay’s many bridges, it’s normal to see a massive container ship heading to port or back out to sea. The recent crash of a cargo…
- KQED's Forum
Controlled Access to Methadone Fuels ‘The War on Recovery’ in California
The specter of the opioid epidemic has shadowed life in California for nearly three decades, and opioid deaths in the state are rising precipitously…
- KQED's Forum
Why Do Animals Like to Play?
Why do monkeys belly flop, elephants mud-slide and rats play-fight? In his new book, “Kingdom of Play,” science writer and professor David Toomey set out to…
- KQED's Forum
KQED's 'On Our Watch' Uncovers Corruption and Abuse at California’s New Folsom Prison
California State Prison, Sacramento – also known as New Folsom Prison – is considered one of the state’s most dangerous. It’s one of several facilities in…
KQED's ForumCalifornia Fast Food Workers Get Minimum Wage Increase
This week, California implements a minimum wage of $20 per hour for fast food workers. Proponents of the measure believe that it will not only allow workers to…
KQED's Forum'The Alternative' Describes More Ethical Economic Practices
Our current growth-based economic systems do not take into account their human cost, argues journalist Nick Romeo. And while there are economic initiatives and…
KQED's ForumThese Israelis and Palestinians Look Beyond War to 'A Land For All'
As fighting between Israel and Hamas continues, what will happen after the war ends? The so-called two state solution has long been one of the most prominent…
KQED's ForumWhat’s Your Favorite Flavor?
Culinary scientist Arielle Johnson describes flavor as “the thing that drives us to drop serious money on heirloom tomatoes. The reason we don’t just subsist…
KQED's Forum'Jazz Hero' Jesse 'Chuy' Varela on the History of Latin Jazz in the Bay Area and Beyond
Radio host, journalist, musician, and musicologist Jesse “Chuy” Varela has been a treasured fixture of the Bay Area jazz scene for more than 40 years. When the…
KQED's ForumHow to Climb Mt. Everest Sustainably and Ethically
Adrian Ballinger, a mountain guide based in California, has reached Mt. Everest’s peak 8 times – including once without supplemental oxygen. Now that China has…
KQED's ForumDOJ Targets Apple in Latest Anti-Monopoly Action against Big Tech
The Department of Justice, along with 16 states including California, filed a sweeping antitrust lawsuit against Apple last week. The government alleges that…
KQED's ForumAccelerating Climate Change to Force Mass U.S. Migration
“As the planet slowly cooks, people will do what they have done for thousands of years in response to climate change in their environment,” writes journalist…
KQED's ForumGraphic Novelist Raina Telgemeier Taps into Adolescent Anxiety, Zeitgeist
You might not think that 224 pages devoted to a sixth grader’s tricky journey with braces would make for a bestseller, but since its publication in 2010, Raina…
KQED's ForumLove in the Digital Age: Navigating the Pitfalls of Modern Romance
The explosion of online dating apps has made meeting new people radically convenient. But more of those looking for love complain that the platforms take the…
KQED's ForumWhat Will the Realtors’ Settlement Mean for the Bay Area Housing Market?
The rules that guide real estate transactions could soon change dramatically. As part of a $418 million legal settlement, the powerful National Association of…
KQED's ForumBeth Linker’s Book ‘Slouch’ Recounts History of ‘Posture Panic’
There was a time when the nation was gripped by an epidemic that leaders felt went to the moral core of the country: bad posture. In her new book, “Slouch,”…
KQED's Forum'Who’s Afraid of Gender?' According to Judith Butler, Nearly Everyone.
When Judith Butler wrote the pioneering book “Gender Trouble” in 1990, they introduced us to the nascent field of gender theory. Now, more than three decades…
KQED's ForumDon’t Call It a ‘Superbloom,’ But CA’s Blooms This Year Sure Seem Super
A drenching rainy season that isn’t over yet has given California another gift, besides a big snowpack and gnarly skiing: a “superbloom.” A superbloom is not a…
KQED's ForumSFMOMA Chiura Obata Exhibit Captures “Grand Nature” of California
Chiura Obata had a promising career when he left Japan for California in 1903. But the pull of this new country was compelling. A long-time arts professor at…
KQED's ForumWhy More Boys Are Developing Eating Disorders
For decades, it’s been primarily women and girls who tend to be diagnosed with eating disorders. But recent research shows that adolescent boys are prone to…
KQED's ForumGaza on Brink of Famine, U.N.-Backed Food Experts Warn
Famine is imminent in the northern Gaza Strip, according to a report released this week by United Nations-backed food experts. The analysis by the Integrated…
KQED's ForumCrumbley Convictions Could Signal Expanding Parental Liability for Mass Shootings
James and Jennifer Crumbley are set to be sentenced next month after separate juries convicted them of involuntary manslaughter for failing to prevent their…
KQED's ForumThe Ninja Loop, the Dipsea Trail and Other Popular Bay Area Trail Runs
The Ninja Loop is a 12-mile trail that starts in the Marin Headlands and climbs 2,000 feet to a crest from which runners can witness the rising sun if they…
KQED's Forum‘Soldiers and Kings’ Investigates the World of Human Smuggling
Anthropologist Jason De León has spent a career documenting the stories of migrants making their way across the Sonoran Desert at the Southern US border. But…
KQED's ForumBerkeley Returns Long Contested Ohlone Land
The City of Berkeley will soon return sacred land to an Indigenous trust, in what Berkeley’s mayor has called the largest urban land give-back in California…
KQED's ForumWhen Doctors Tell Women It's 'All in Her Head'
Heart disease is by far the leading cause of death for women in the United States. Yet, women with heart conditions are less likely than men to receive…
KQED's ForumWarden Ousted as FBI Raids Federal Women’s Prison In Dublin
The warden of the troubled federal women’s prison in Dublin was ousted last Monday amid an FBI raid of the facility. Art Dulgov was removed just months into…
KQED's ForumNight of Ideas: Deepfakes and the 2024 Election
Deepfakes are already affecting the 2024 election, and the technology is only becoming more convincing. UC Berkeley computer scientist Hany Farid shared the…
KQED's ForumNight of Ideas: How Our Racial and Ethnic Identities Connect – and Divide – Us
Earlier this month we brought some of our favorite Forum guests – a poet, a novelist, a sociologist and a musician – who all work with themes of cross-cultural…
KQED's ForumNegotiation Expert William Ury on Why Conflict Is Good For Us
For many of us, conflict is something to be avoided, but according to longtime negotiation and mediation expert William Ury, we actually need more conflict in…
KQED's ForumYouth Violence Researcher Explores His Own Family’s Tragedy in 'Sito'
Laurence Ralph is a Princeton professor who studies gangs and youth violence. Five years ago it all became very personal when a family member, 19-year old Luis…
KQED's ForumMeet the San Francisco Chronicle’s New Lead Restaurant Critic
After a yearlong wait, the San Francisco Chronicle has a new lead restaurant critic, MacKenzie Chung Fegan. She grew up in San Francisco, has deep roots in its…
KQED's ForumHistoric Dam Removal Along Klamath River Nears Completion
For the first time in over a century, the 250-mile Klamath River will soon flow freely as the nation’s largest dam removal project in history nears completion…
KQED's Forum‘The Unclaimed’ Spotlights the Stories Behind the Abandoned Dead of LA County
Every year a ceremony is held at Evergreen Cemetery in Los Angeles for the county’s unclaimed deceased; the most recent ceremony, held in December, honored…
KQED's ForumDoing Democracy: What We Get Wrong About Political Misinformation
Americans famously hang on to false ideas about politics, even after being presented with the facts. Part of the problem, of course, is misinformation. But…
KQED's ForumIn Transit: How California is Addressing EV Charging Infrastructure Woes
Electrical vehicle purchases in California dropped significantly in the second half of last year, for the first time in a decade. It’s unclear if this is a…
KQED's ForumPope’s Right-Hand Man on Ecology Reflects on the Moral Imperative to Fight Climate Change
In 2015, the Vatican published Pope Francis’ landmark encyclical Laudato Si’, which took a firm stance on climate change and urged people to “hear both the cry…
KQED's ForumWhat Did We Learn from President Biden’s State of the Union?
President Biden is expected to call for lower healthcare costs and higher taxes on corporations and the wealthy in his State of the Union Address on Thursday…
KQED's ForumAll the Reasons We Love to Read
Author Shannon Reed is aptly named because she absolutely loves to read. As a child with hearing difficulties, reading was a reliable way for her to take in…
KQED's ForumKara Swisher’s “Burn Book” Recaps a Career Reporting on the Tech Industry
“Even if it was never the intention,” writes Kara Swisher, tech companies have become “key players in killing our comity and stymieing our politics, our…
KQED's ForumNew Memoirs Take a Fresh Look at Divorce, American Style
From Leslie Jamison’s Splinters to Lyz Lenz’s This American Ex-Wife, a number of high-profile recent books explore womens’ experiences with divorce. We’ll talk…