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 ForumNational Mental Health Crisis Hotline 988 Marks 1 Year
For the last year, Americans in mental health crisis have been able to call or text the number 988 to receive immediate counseling, emotional support and…
KQED's ForumRise of the Robotaxis: How Autonomous Vehicles Could Reshape Transportation in San Francisco
Driverless vehicles from autonomous ride services Cruise and Waymo can already be found all over San Francisco, and they may soon become much more common if a…
KQED's ForumU.S. on 'Indictment Watch' as Trump Faces New Charges
Federal prosecutors added new charges against Donald Trump stemming from his willful mishandling of classified documents, alleging in a superseding indictment…
KQED's ForumClimate Fix: 2023 Is Setting Global Heat Records. 2024 May Be Worse.
The month of July is on track to be the hottest month on record for planet Earth. Three continents are blistering under heat domes. In parts of California…
KQED's ForumIs Life in Plastic so Fantastic?
Since Mattel launched Barbie into the world in 1959, the doll has been adored for her ability to show girls they can do anything and loathed for her abnormal…
KQED's ForumThe New Rules Bringing Life Back to the Old Ball Game
Major League Baseball has implemented a handful of controversial new changes this season that have shaken up America’s favorite pastime. But despite the…
KQED's ForumHow Has the Birth Control Pill Changed Your Life?
This month, the FDA approved the country’s first-ever daily hormonal contraceptive pill for sale without a prescription. The approval is a major milestone for…
KQED's ForumCalifornia State Youth Detention Facilities Are Closed. What Happens to Incarcerated Youth Now?
Plagued by years of abuse allegations, the California Department of Juvenile Justice and the youth facilities it ran, were shut down earlier this summer…
KQED's ForumWhat’s Your Favorite California State Park?
From coastal beaches to the High Sierra, from redwood forests to desert sand dunes, California’s state park system has nearly three hundred sites available to…
KQED's ForumAll You Can Eat: The Bay Area’s Favorite Sandwiches and Why We Love Them
The Bay Area may not have an official sandwich, but “our local sandwiches have an unparalleled layering of textures that can’t be found anywhere else,” writes…
KQED's ForumCan Air Conditioning Become Greener?
It’s been a sweltering July for large swaths of California, and that means air conditioners have been running on high in households lucky enough to have them…
KQED's ForumHow Will Stanford President’s Resignation Impact the University?
Following a months-long investigation into his published research, Stanford University President Marc Tessier-Lavigne announced his plan to resign from his…
KQED's ForumJoy Harden Bradford on how 'Sisterhood Heals'
When Black women convene, writes licensed clinical psychologist Joy Harden Bradford, there is a “cadence and rhythm to our gatherings… a natural sisterhood…
KQED's ForumImmersive Documentary "32 Sounds" Encourages Us to Feel the Noise
The hushed thrum of the womb. The warble of the last living species of a now-extinct bird. The fury and thrust of a jet engine in flight. These are some of the…
KQED's ForumAndrew Leland Chronicles His Own Vision Loss in “The Country of the Blind”
Writer Andrew Leland has been going blind since he was a teenager, which is when he was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa. Now in his forties, he reflects…
KQED's ForumCan A Life Hack Change Your Life?
“Show me the life hack you randomly saw one day, that is now an unconscious, standard practice in your life.” That’s the call to action Kelly Hurst posed on…
KQED's ForumHistoric Double Strike Shuts Down Hollywood
Hollywood productions have gone dark after TV and film actors, represented by SAG-AFTRA, joined members of the Writers Guild of America on the picket line last…
KQED's ForumAmerica’s Approach to Drug Addiction Isn’t Working, So What Should We Do?
In his latest article for The Atlantic, Sam Quinones writes that America’s shift toward treatment instead of jail time for drug abuse “is both well intentioned…
KQED's ForumHow Dementia Can Threaten Financial Health
Keeping on top of bills and finances can be a challenge for anyone. But for older adults suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, dementia and other cognitive…
KQED's ForumUS Women’s Soccer Team Looks to Defend Title in World Cup
The Women’s World Cup kicks off on July 20 in New Zealand and Australia, and the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team is fighting to maintain its title. The team…
KQED's ForumWhat’s Next for Student Loan Borrowers in California?
It has been a whirlwind few weeks for the tens of millions of Americans struggling with student loan debt. First, on June 30, the U.S. Supreme Court struck…
KQED's ForumWhy Is Rossmoor, A Senior Living Community, Such A Popular Place to Live?
The Rossmoor community in Walnut Creek has a population of nearly 10,000 people aged 55 and older, its own newspaper, bus service and over 200 local clubs…
KQED's ForumHow Can California Become Safer for Cyclists?
Riding a bike instead of taking a car is good for your health and for the planet. But in car-centric California, most people still rely on vehicles for daily…
KQED's ForumA Famous Tiger Automaton Animates the Novel “Loot”
One of the most prized objects in London’s Victoria and Albert Museum is a life-size wooden tiger automaton that bellows and roars as it chomps into the neck…
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Emily Hanford on 'How Teaching Kids to Read Went So Wrong'
Decades of cognitive science research has shown that children need to be taught to sound out words in order to read. But school districts across the country…
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How Blind Photographers Visualize the World
A new exhibit at the Bedford gallery in Walnut Creek challenges our assumptions about what it means to see. “Sight Unseen” features the work of 13 blind…
KQED's ForumHow California Became a 'Slave State'
More than a decade ago, historian Jean Pfaelzer was shown a photograph of a young Chinese woman, displayed for sale in a caged brothel in San Francisco in the…
KQED's ForumThe Pandemic Took a Number of Bay Area Movie Theaters. What’s Working for the Theaters That Survived?
The pandemic took a big toll on movie theaters nationwide, and the Bay Area continues to see closures of beloved theaters, like the Embarcadero Center Cinema…
KQED's ForumAomawa Shields on Searching For Life in Space, and at Home
Does it matter if life exists on another planet? To UC Irvine astrobiologist Aomawa Shields it matters in the same way that a mountain matters and screams to…
KQED's ForumWhat UCSF’s Statewide Homelessness Study Found out About the Causes of California’s Crisis
It’s a common belief about homeless people in California: they move here from other places because of the state’s tolerance, mild weather, and generous…
KQED's ForumYou Were Laid Off. Now What?
Being laid off is brutal. It can knock people off career trajectories, destabilize people’s sense of their worth, and cause problems in their personal…
KQED's ForumWould You Ever Leave California?
More than 70 percent of Californians say they’re happy living in the Golden State, but four in 10 are considering leaving. That’s according to a new survey…
KQED's ForumCalifornia Legislators Hope to Ban Caste Discrimination in the Workplace
A bill banning caste-based discrimination in California workplaces is moving through the state legislature after the emergence of several high profile…
KQED's ForumCould the Supreme Court’s Decision to Strike Down Affirmative Action Affect Workplace Diversity?
When the U.S. Supreme Court struck down affirmative action last month, its ruling was focused on college admissions. But some legal experts say that, in…
KQED's ForumForum from the Archives: U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón on Elevating and Promoting Poetry When America Needs Healing
California native Ada Limón is the new poet laureate of the United States. She plans on, “elevating and promoting the expansiveness of poetry.” Limón, who has…
KQED's ForumForum From the Archives: Dacher Keltner on Finding Awe
How can we live the good life, one enlivened by joy, meaning and community? That’s the question UC Berkeley psychology professor Dacher Keltner has been…
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Forum From the Archives: Bay Area’s Forgotten Histories and Oddities Abound in Bay Curious Book
Did you know that Rocky Road ice cream originated in Oakland? Or that Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera were once married in San Francisco City Hall? Or that a…
KQED's ForumForum From the Archives: Video Games, Friendship and Renewal Light ‘Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow’
Gabrielle Zevin’s most recent novel “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow” draws its title from what Zevin calls one of the bleakest speeches in all of…
KQED's ForumForum From the Archives: Freemont's Sid Sriram Fuses New Genres with Family Legacy of Traditional Indian Singing
Singer Sid Sriram was born in southern India, but his family moved to Fremont when he was just a year old. His voice and his sound are the product of his…
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Forum From the Archives: George McCalman Paints the Famous and Unsung in ‘Illustrated Black History’
“Black history,” writes award-winning artist and graphic designer George McCalman, “tends to mean the ten people who are lauded every Black History Month of…
KQED's ForumForum From the Archives: Comedian Jamie Loftus on Why America Loves Hot Dogs
In her new book, “Raw Dog: The Naked Truth about Hot Dogs,” author and comedian Jamie Loftus dials in on why America loves the hot dog: “They’re high culture…
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Forum From the Archives: Lizzie Stark Celebrates the Egg in Its Multitudes
The egg, writes Lizzie Stark, is a "universe in a shell." It’s an ingenious piece of tech that contains everything a developing embryo needs, and it’s a symbol…
KQED's ForumForum From the Archives: Picnicking with Samin and Luke: All You Can Eat
It’s just about summer and time to dig out the red-and-white checkered blanket for a picnic. From banh mi sandwiches at the beach or pork buns at a city park…
KQED's ForumForum From the Archives: Clint Smith Celebrates Complexities of Parenthood in ‘Above Ground’
“I experience your wounds as if they were my own,” reads the last line of Clint Smith’s poem “Nociception.” Directed to a child, it explains that just as a sea…
KQED's ForumSupreme Court Rules That Race-Based Admissions Programs Are Unconstitutional
The US. Supreme Court ruled Thursday that colleges and universities cannot consider race when admitting students – a decision legal experts say will have wide…
KQED's ForumElise Hu on South Korean Beauty Culture and the Quest to Be “Flawless”
It’s no secret that American beauty culture, driven by Hollywood and social media, preys on our insecurities and promotes unattainable standards around the…
KQED's ForumLake Tahoe Communities Depend On Tourism, But How Much is Too Much?
If Lake Tahoe was a national park, it would be the second-most visited, according to a recent analysis. The area has double the annual visitors of famously…
KQED's ForumHow “Bidenomics” and Trump’s Legal Issues are Shaping the Presidential Race
The GOP presidential race is heating up, with more than a dozen hopefuls vying to take on former president and frontrunner Donald Trump. On the Democratic…
KQED's ForumAn Immigrant Journey Told Through Memories of Food
Thien Pham’s new graphic memoir, “Family Style”, tells the story of his family’s journey, when he was a young kid, from Vietnam, to a refugee camp in Thailand…
KQED's ForumNoise. It Can Take Years Off Your Life
Noise can take years off your life. The louder the environment, the higher the risk of cardiac disease and death. We have long known that loud noises can…
KQED's ForumClimate Fix: Can Forcing Pension Funds to Divest from Fossil Fuels Help California Reduce Carbon Emissions?
A bill moving through the California Legislature would require CalSTERS and CalPERS, the nation’s largest pension funds, to pull billions of dollars they have…
KQED's ForumHow Ultra-Processed Food Came to Dominate Our Diets
“If it’s wrapped in plastic and has at least one ingredient that you wouldn’t find in your kitchen,” it’s an ultra-processed food, writes infectious disease…
KQED's ForumPeter Gleick on the History and Uncertain Future of the World’s Water
At a United Nations water conference in March, amid increasing global water conflicts and climate crises, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres sounded an…
KQED's ForumThe Making of the Supreme Court's Conservative 'Supermajority'
The Supreme Court radically changed the country in just three days last June when it eliminated Americans’ constitutional right to an abortion and weakened…
KQED's ForumWhy Summer Camp Is A Hot Mess for Parents
“School’s out for the summer!” is a rallying cry for students everywhere. But for working parents, summer poses a whole set of challenges, starting with – who…
KQED's ForumTaking a Pulse on California’s Labor Market
With huge layoffs in sectors like tech and media dominating the headlines, it’s easy to think that jobs are becoming scarce and that the “Great Resignation” is…
KQED's ForumIn the “Slow AF” Running Club, Anyone Can Be A Runner
When Martinus Evans began training for marathons, it took “delusional self belief” to keep running. He was over 350 pounds. As a kid, he failed the one-mile…
KQED's ForumNeed to Start a Revolution? Ask a Teen Girl
Sixteen-year-old environmental activist Greta Thunberg transfixed the world in 2019 when she condemned global leaders for their inaction on climate change…
KQED's ForumCalifornia Pushes Back on the Book Banning Movement
Earlier this month, amid a sharp rise in book bans across the country, Governor Gavin Newsom called on educators to preserve students’ access to books…
KQED's ForumHow Nurses Can Save the World
Nursing is a vocation as old as humankind, once practiced by men and women. But for many the word “nurse” conjures up an image of Florence Nightingale or a…