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 ForumElection 2024: California Super Tuesday Results
California voters finish casting their ballots on Tuesday to choose their top two candidates for U.S. Senate and decide the fate of Proposition 1, the mental…
KQED's ForumElection 2024: Bay Area Super Tuesday Results
With a predicted anemic turnout, what lessons can be gleaned from voters in this March primary? Issues that crowd the headlines like public safety and…
KQED's ForumEverything You Wanted to Know About The Oscars Craft Categories
The 96th Academy Awards are in less than a week, and a lot of ink has been spilled comparing contenders for best actor, best director and best picture. But…
KQED's Forum‘Tough Broad’ Caroline Paul on the Importance of Outdoor Adventures While We Age
Caroline Paul is 60 years old and she rides a one-wheel, paddle boards wherever she pleases, and as the endurance swimmer Diana Nyad put it, is “the toughest…
KQED's ForumCan Science Explain a Broken Heart?
More than a year after a very bad breakup, LA Times journalist Todd Martens struggled to understand why he was still so stuck on his ex. He doodled her name…
KQED's ForumElection 2024: Key Races and Ballot Measures in the March Primary
Tuesday is the final day to cast ballots in this year’s primary election. Voters across the Bay Area will decide on key races for county supervisor seats…
KQED's ForumBarbara McQuade on the Disinformation That's 'Sabotaging America'
By early January 2021, 61 courts and the U.S. Justice Department under Donald Trump had rejected the former president’s claims that he’d lost the 2020 election…
KQED's ForumAfter Closure Announcement, a Look at Macy’s Heyday…and Union Square’s Future
Macy’s announced this week it would be closing its flagship Union Square store, among 150 other underperforming stores across the country. The news is just the…
KQED's ForumPolitical and Legal Fallout Continues After Alabama IVF Ruling
Lawmakers in Alabama this week are scrambling to limit the effects of a Feb. 16 state Supreme Court decision holding that frozen embryos are human and that…
KQED's ForumSF’s Prop F Would Cut Cash Aid for People Who Use Drugs and Refuse Treatment
San Francisco is in the midst of a devastating drug crisis with a record number of overdose deaths last year. In an attempt to address the problem, Mayor…
KQED's ForumThe Explosion of Beirut’s Port Told Through the Lives of Women in “All She Lost”
In the summer of 2020, Lebanon was trying to contain both a global pandemic and an internal economic crisis when, on August 4th, a warehouse full of ammonium…
KQED's ForumConcerns about Joe Biden Focus Spotlight on Kamala Harris
As some Democrats become increasingly frantic about the chances of 81-year old President Joe Biden winning reelection, there have been high-profile calls for…
KQED's ForumPerformance Reviews are Underperforming. What Should Replace Them?
For years, observers of workplace culture have predicted the death of the annual performance review, calling it ineffective, unpopular and often biased. But…
KQED's ForumTommy Orange’s ‘Wandering Stars’ Examines the Legacy and Consequences of Cultural Erasure
In his latest novel “Wandering Stars,” Oakland writer Tommy Orange traces the stories of the Native Americans who populated his celebrated debut, “There…
KQED's ForumUCSF’s Gretchen Sisson Spotlights Experiences of Birth Mothers in ‘Relinquished’
We like to think of adoption as an unmitigated social good – a practice that UCSF sociologist Gretchen Sisson says “makes possible the maintenance of both the…
KQED's ForumCharles Duhigg's “Supercommunicators” Breaks Down How to Talk Better and Forge Connections
Have you ever encountered someone you felt like you could share your life story with, even if you just met? In his latest book, “Supercommunicators,”…
KQED's ForumU.S. to Impose Major New Sanctions on Russia After Death of Alexei Navalny
Global outrage persists after high-profile Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny died last week in an Arctic penal colony. His death — and the two-year…
KQED's ForumWhen a Friendship, Not a Romantic Partner, is the Center of Your World
Oprah and Gayle. Bert and Ernie. All four of the Golden Girls. For many people (and puppets), their soulmate is often their friend. We don’t have a good word…
KQED's ForumElectronic Music Composer Suzanne Ciani Celebrates Groundbreaking Career
If you were watching TV in the 1980s you’re probably familiar with the sounds of electronic music pioneer Suzanne Ciani, whose synthesizer compositions became…
KQED's ForumBumpy Financial Aid Rollout Worrying Students, Colleges
With the soaring cost of college tuition, which at some private universities can hit over $80,000 a year, it’s not surprising that over 85% of American…
KQED's Forum'Why We Remember' with Neuroscientist Dr. Charan Ranganath
Have you ever wondered why you keep forgetting where you put your keys? Or the name of a stranger you met at a party? It’s easy to dwell on our everyday…
KQED's ForumWhat’s Driving Brazen Retail Theft and What Should We Do About It?
In this era of dramatic videos of smash and grab robberies going viral and drug stores locking up many of their shelves, retail theft is getting a lot of…
KQED's ForumU.S. Military Struggles to Fill Its Ranks
Enlistment in the U.S. military has been in continuous decline since its peak during the Vietnam War. Evolving societal attitudes towards military service, as…
KQED's ForumThe Future of Wine At Center of Napa County Supervisors Election
Three of five seats on the Napa County Board of Supervisors are up for grabs this year. The results could have major implications in a county known worldwide…
KQED's ForumThe 'Extremely Hardcore' Story of Elon Musk's Twitter Takeover
When Elon Musk bought Twitter in 2022, he envisioned remaking the company into what he thought should be a “free speech platform.” What ensued was chaos, mass…
KQED's ForumJulie and John Gottman on How to ‘Turn Conflict into Connection'
According to relationship experts, Drs. Julie and John Gottman, it is perfectly OK to go to bed angry. Sometimes a couple needs time to calm down and reset. As…
KQED's ForumConservative Mothers as a Political Force in California
Grass-roots groups like Moms for Liberty have turned school boards into battlegrounds in California and nationwide, fighting for control over kids’ classroom…
KQED's ForumCan San Jose Show Us The Way to Creating Dense, Vibrant Urban Neighborhoods?
San Jose, the Bay Area’s largest city, grew at the peak of car-heavy, sprawling urban planning. Most of its nearly one million residents live in single-family…
KQED's ForumWe Take the Plunge on Cold Water Therapy
Cold water therapy has been around for a long time, as part of spiritual traditions and physical recovery programs for athletes. But a commercialized version…
KQED's ForumIs Crowdfunding a Public Good or a Sign of Society’s Failures?
According to a recent report from GoFundMe, the site has raised $30 billion, since 2010, for fundraising campaigns around the world. Crowdfunding, as a…
KQED's ForumWhat Have You Learned from Re-Reading Your Diary?
“A little more than 10 years ago, I began looking back at the diaries I had kept over the previous decade. I wondered if I’d changed. So I loaded all 500,000…
KQED's ForumBrontez Purnell on his Memoir in Verse and a Life of Making Transgressive Art
Oakland’s Brontez Purnell is so many things. As he writes in “Ten Bridges I’ve Burnt,” his new memoir in verse, “I am a troubled Negro youth in his 40s…
KQED's ForumTrump's Legal Jeopardy Mounts as He Racks Up GOP Primary Victories
The Supreme Court is expected to rule soon on whether Colorado can keep former President Trump off of the state primary ballot for his actions on January 6…
KQED's ForumSonoma County’s Staffing Shortage Crisis Hurting Residents, Workers
Sonoma County’s airport, jail, and social services office, among other county services, are suffering from severe understaffing. According to a six-month…
KQED's ForumInvestigation: California’s Claremont Institute Leads Anti-D.E.I. Movement
Last year, more than 20 states considered or approved legislation to limit or ban diversity, equity and inclusion programs in higher education. These efforts…
KQED's Forum49ers Head to Super Bowl 58
The 49ers faithful are gearing up for another Super Bowl appearance facing the Kansas City Chiefs – a rematch from 2019 when the Chiefs won. The stakes are…
KQED's ForumCalifornia’s Proposition 1 Would Overhaul Community Mental Health Services
There’s only one proposition on California’s March 2024 ballot, but it deals with some of the state’s biggest challenges: homelessness, substance abuse, and…
KQED's ForumRabbi Sharon Brous on Saying 'Amen' to Each Other's Joy and Pain
The human longing for connection – to be heard and understood – is what Rabbi Sharon Brous calls the “amen effect.” It’s the idea that we can awaken our shared…
KQED's ForumAll You Can Eat: Ringing in the Lunar New Year with Asian-American Desserts
In many Asian families, the highest compliment you can offer a dessert is, “it’s not too sweet!” Bringing in flavor profiles from Asian cultures like pandan…
KQED's Forum‘The Blinding Future of Nuclear Weapons’ with Journalist Sarah Scoles
The United States is in the middle of a massive modernization effort of its nuclear weapons, as tensions rise globally, from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to…
KQED's ForumAlameda County DA Pamela Price on a Progressive Approach to Rising Crime and the Recall Against Her
Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price was elected into office in 2022 on a reform platform to root out racial and socioeconomic disparities in the…
KQED's ForumHybrid Work is Still a Giant Experiment
“The vibes around the return to office are not good,” says the New York Times’ Emma Goldberg, a business reporter covering workplace culture. Tens of millions…
KQED's ForumHow The Nation’s Biggest Peach Grower Went Bankrupt. And An Update on the Damage from the Storm
Hundreds of thousands of people lost power in the Bay Area, streets were flooded and trees were uprooted, crushing houses and cars as winds gusts reached as…
KQED's ForumHow Cable TV Shaped Our Viewing Habits, Industries – and Identities
More and more TV households are cutting the cord and moving to streaming. In 2023 alone, pay-TV providers lost more than 5 million subscribers. But now that…
KQED's ForumJournalist Investigates her Hidden Family History, from Chinatown Gangs to the Hollywood Screen
On a visit to her grandmother’s house, journalist Maya Lin Sugarman unexpectedly discovered a trove of screenplays written by her uncle Galen. She was shocked…
KQED's ForumPalestinian Journalists on Reporting in a War Zone
Wearing blue vests labeled “Press,” journalists in Gaza risk their lives to document and publicize a war that’s killed more than 28,000 people. At least 85…
KQED's ForumHow Should We Memorialize COVID 19
San Francisco resident Kristin Urquiza has spent the past two years advocating for a national Covid memorial for the million-plus people who died from the…
KQED's ForumThe Culture and Future of Youth Tackle Football in California
Governor Gavin Newsom pledged this month to veto a bill that would ban tackle football for children under 12. Sponsored by Sacramento assemblymember Kevin…
KQED's ForumGodmother of the Parklet, Artist Bonnie Ora Sherk Celebrated in Retrospective
Bonnie Ora Sherk began her career as a landscape painter, but then realized she wanted to be in the landscape herself. From the nucleus of that idea, her 1970…
- KQED's Forum
SF Chronicle Investigates Mixed Record of California Voting Rights Act
In 2002, California became the first state to pass its own voting rights act with the aim of increasing minority representation at the local level. But as a…
KQED's ForumWhat’s Killing – and What Could Revive – Journalism in America
Journalism in America was a highly profitable business for more than a century until the internet – and other factors – disrupted the traditional business…
KQED's ForumSimon Shuster on the ‘Showman’ Who Became Ukraine’s President
When Russia invaded Ukraine nearly two years ago, President Volodymyr Zelensky knew that the Russian military would be hard to defeat – not only because of its…
KQED's ForumVisiting Ukrainian Officials Seek Rebuilding Support, Expertise
Nearly 1.5 million homes have been destroyed in Russia’s war on Ukraine, and rebuilding the country could cost more than $400 billion, according to the United…
KQED's Forum‘Wastewater to Tap’ Could Become Reality for Californians
California regulators approved new rules last month to enable water suppliers to treat wastewater and redistribute it as drinking water. The state says that…
KQED's ForumBerkeley Perfumer Mandy Aftel on the 'Curious and Wondrous World of Fragrance'
“You don’t just smell an aroma; you fall into it,” writes artisan perfumer Mandy Aftel. And entering her exquisite small museum, the Aftel Archive of Curious…
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How to Forage for California's Mushrooms
As winter rains descend, mushrooms are blooming across California — in oak and conifer forests, along riverbanks and even in your own garden. You can forage…
KQED's ForumWe’re Living in ‘Filterworld,’ a Cookie Cutter Culture Created by Algorithms
Millennial writer Kyle Chayka longs for the good old days of the Internet, when online forums and MP3 piracy helped him define his own personal sense of style…
KQED's ForumBrutality of Philippines’ War on Drugs Laid Bare in ‘Some People Need Killing’
In most of the world, “salvage” is a hopeful word, writes journalist Patricia Evangelista. But in Philippine English, to salvage is also to execute a suspected…
KQED's ForumIsrael-Gaza Fallout Sparks Fears of Wider Middle East War
The U.S. expanded its bombing campaign of Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen this week, as the group continues to attack ships in the Red Sea. But Yemen is just one…
KQED's ForumCalifornia's US Senate Candidates Meet On Stage in Los Angeles Debate
The top four candidates for Dianne Feinstein’s senate seat face off in a televised debate on Monday evening. Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff, Katie Porter and…