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 ForumRestaurants and Restaurant Critics Grapple with Their Role in Gentrifying Neighborhoods
When the first coffee shop or food truck rolls into a neighborhood, many locals have come to fear what might be coming next: rising housing prices and…
KQED's ForumDr. Anthony Fauci to Step Down After Decades of Public Health Service
Dr. Anthony Fauci, who guided the U.S. through the AIDS and Covid-19 pandemics, announced on Monday that he’s stepping down in December as director of the…
KQED's ForumDo Safe Injection Sites Have A Future In California After Newsom Veto?
California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill on Monday that would have allowed San Francisco, Oakland, and Los Angeles to test out supervised drug use…
KQED's ForumHow Climate Change is Escalating the Risk of a California Megaflood
It may seem a bit strange to be talking about [the] rising risk of a California megaflood amidst severe drought. But it’s not as paradoxical as it might seem,”…
KQED's ForumMichelle Tea on the Joys and Dramas of Queer Pregnancy and Parenting
As a queer young poet in San Francisco’s underground literary scene, Michelle Tea writes that she thought of pregnancy “the same way I thought of any STD, but…
KQED's ForumCaitlin Dickerson Investigates ‘Secret History’ of Family Separation
“Separating children was not just a side effect, but the intent,” writes The Atlantic’s Caitlin Dickerson in her recent investigation of the Trump…
KQED's ForumKaiser Strike Highlights State’s Mental Healthcare Crisis
Kaiser Permanente mental health workers across Northern California went on strike this week, calling for an increase in staffing. They say that crushing…
KQED's ForumGet In Loser, We're Going to the Mall
“The mall is personal,” writes design critic Alexandra Lange in her latest book “Meet Me by the Fountain: An Inside History of the Mall.” For denizens of the…
KQED's ForumRoadblocks to Resources for the East Bay’s Latinx and Maya Mam Immigrants
The pandemic has hit the East Bay’s Latino immigrant community disproportionately hard. And to make matters worse, many were unable to access services that…
KQED's ForumWhat We’ve Learned Since the FBI’s Search of Mar-a-Lago
Correction: This episode mentions a video of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sean Hannity that does not exist; the video was manipulated. We apologize for not…
KQED's ForumThe Battle for People's Park
In 1969, a group of students, activists and community members in Berkeley transformed a muddy abandoned parking lot into a park. They called it People's Park…
KQED's ForumAlec Nevala-Lee on Buckminster Fuller, ‘Inventor of the Future’
"From a modern perspective," writes biographer Alec Nevala-Lee, Buckminster Fuller resembles "a Silicon Valley visionary who was born a half century too soon."…
KQED's ForumHow to Come to Terms With Pandemic Purchases You Regret
During the pandemic, many people turned to shopping to adapt, cope or relieve stress. Now, some consumers are dealing with buyer’s remorse over items like air…
KQED's ForumSerena Williams’ Legacy, On and Off the Court
“This is it, the end of a story that started in Compton, California, with a little Black girl who just wanted to play tennis,” said Serena Williams in her…
KQED's ForumOne Year After Taliban Takeover, Bay Area Afghans Reflect on the Humanitarian Crisis and the Struggle to Resettle
It’s been a year since the United States’ chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, leaving the Taliban in full control of the country. Thousands of refugees fled…
KQED's ForumCoastal Californians of Color Feel Inland Empire's Lure
"My ideas about the Inland Empire have always been seeded with a prickly skepticism" writes Tyrone Beason in the latest installment of his L.A. Times series…
KQED's ForumMexican Singer Silvana Brings Her Genre-defying Music to San Jose Jazz Summer Fest
Mexican singer Silvana Estrada and the San Jose Jazz Summer Fest have at least one thing in common: they both defy genre. The 25-year-old singer from the…
KQED's ForumHow the Inflation Reduction Act Could Impact Your Prescription Drug Costs
Forty-eight million Americans use Medicare Part D to access their prescription medications, and according to a Department of Health and Human Services study…
KQED's ForumAre You Just Distracted or Is It Adult ADHD?
It’s estimated that over 8% of adults in the U.S. have ADHD, also known as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. For many adults, life during the pandemic…
KQED's ForumFBI Search of Trump Residence Prompts Republican Outcry
The FBI executed a search of Donald Trump’s Palm Beach, FL residence on Monday, suggesting that the Department of Justice could be edging closer to bringing…
KQED's ForumCold Soup and Hot Tea: What We Eat When Summer Heats Up
Temperatures have been reaching what passes as warm in and around San Francisco, and in other parts of the Bay Area it’s legitimately hot. We’ll talk about…
KQED's ForumWhat Makes a Summer Movie?
“Top Gun: Maverick,” the Tom Cruise-starring sequel to the 1986 Tom Cruise-starring classic, is topping this summer’s domestic box office — and it’s now the…
KQED's ForumWhat the Massive Climate Change Bill Could Mean for You and the Planet
After decades of attempts to enact climate change legislation, the Senate passed a massive bill this weekend. The Inflation Reduction Act directs nearly $370…
KQED's ForumCatherine Ceniza Choy on The Multiplicity of Asian American Histories
Americans of Asian descent are commonly lumped together under the broad identifier of “Asian American.” But such a general term can overlook powerful histories…
KQED's ForumIngrid Rojas Contreras’ New Memoir Explores Amnesia, Family History and Ghosts
In her new memoir, “The Man Who Could Move Clouds,” Ingrid Rojas Contreras tells the story of a journey she took with her mother to her native Colombia to…
KQED's ForumOakland Museum’s “Hella Feminist” Asks Visitors to Challenge, and Expand, Meaning of Feminism
The Oakland Museum’s new exhibit, Hella Feminist, was scheduled to open two years ago to mark the 100th anniversary of women gaining the right to vote. The…
KQED's ForumBirth Mothers Share Their Adoption Experiences
Adoption is frequently cited, particularly among those opposed to abortion, as a solution to an unwanted pregnancy. But in fact, fewer than one in ten people…
KQED's ForumAs Cases Rise, Gov. Newsom Declares State of Emergency to Address Monkeypox
California reported more than 1,100 probable or confirmed cases of monkeypox on Tuesday, a day after Governor Newsom declared a public health state of…
KQED's ForumLocal Grocers Break Down the Impact of Inflation on Your Shopping List
Inflation has driven prices skyward for all kinds of goods from gas to home goods. Even grocery store staples like cereal, milk and eggs have seen price hikes…
KQED's ForumHow to Replace Your Water-Intensive Lawn
Landscape irrigation accounts for about half of residential water use in California, according to state data. That’s leading some drought-conscious residents…
KQED's ForumEthiopian Community in Bay Area Agonize As Humanitarian Crisis, Civil War Largely Ignored
A violent civil war has raged in Ethiopia for nearly two years, claiming 500,000 lives and displacing millions. Despite the current ceasefire, humanitarian aid…
KQED's ForumHow Has the Crypto Crash Affected You?
Popular cryptocurrencies have plunged in 2022: both Bitcoin and Ethereum have lost about half their value since the first of the year, and Dogecoin has fallen…
KQED's Forum'Losing It' Investigates Myths and Realities of Dieting
Polls show that roughly a quarter of Americans are dieting. That’s despite research showing that very few people succeed in losing weight and keeping it off…
KQED's ForumThe Future of Sex Education in a Post-Roe America
Researchers estimate that as many as half of pregnancies in the United States were not planned and roughly one in five pregnancies ends in an abortion. With…
KQED's ForumThe Future of Storytelling, as Charted by Disabled Artists
Even as we’re seeing more on-screen depictions of disability in films like “CODA” and “Sound of Metal,” the number of disabled people behind the camera remains…
KQED's ForumWhat Would Your Ideal Third Party Stand For?
Former presidential candidate Andrew Yang together with dozens of other Democratic and Republican politicians announced on Wednesday that they're launching…
KQED's ForumLogging in to The World of Collegiate Esports
While the concept of spectators packing an arena to watch competitive video gaming at a college level may be perplexing to more traditional sports fans, the…
KQED's ForumFamily Heirlooms — Unexpected and Traditional — And What They Mean to Us
For New Yorker staff writer Hua Hsu, they’re cardboard cutouts that decorated his parents’ wedding, “each the size of a 45-r.p.m. single: an orange Snoopy and…
KQED's Forum“80 over 80” Celebrates San Franciscans in Their 9 Decade and Beyond
After seeing yet another ‘30 under 30’ and ‘40 under 40’ list celebrating the achievements of young people, San Francisco geriatric doctor Anna Chodos decided…
KQED's ForumYour Long Covid Questions, Answered
A study published in the journal Nature this week documented yet more symptoms – including hair loss and sexual dysfunction – associated with long covid, a…
KQED's ForumSamosas and Pasta, Carne Asada and Hot Cheetos: The Bay Area’s Culinary Mash-Ups
The sizzler, a popular dish in Mumbai, is an over-the-top melange of pasta, paneer, grilled onions and peppers, samosas, cabbage and shredded Mexican cheese –…
KQED's ForumJudith Butler and Roxane Gay on Gender-Inclusive Language
“Pregnant people,” a phrase to include those who can bear children, but don’t identify as women, has been used more often in the wake of the Supreme Court’s…
KQED's ForumAs Pandemic Renter Protections Expire, Wave of Evictions Could Follow
Millions of renters could face evictions now that rental relief programs and bans on evictions have expired, or will soon. Those government programs targeted…
KQED's ForumAlec Wilkinson on his Quest to Learn Calculus At the Edge of Old Age
By his own account, journalist and author Alec Wilkinson was a terrible math student -- and passed his high school math classes only by cheating. But at age…
KQED's ForumPolitics in a Post-Recall San Francisco
Thanks to a series of recalls, resignations and re-shuffles, San Francisco has a new district attorney, new school board members, and a new city attorney, all…
KQED's ForumJan. 6 House Committee Details Trump’s Links to Insurrection
The Jan. 6 House Committee is wrapping up its summer hearings this week with testimony from two former Trump staffers who both resigned the day of the…
KQED's ForumCalifornia Tackles Teen Sleep Deprivation As New School Start Times Take Effect
Kids aged 14 to 17 should get a minimum of eight hours of sleep a night, according to the National Sleep Foundation. But more than three-quarters of U.S. high…
KQED's ForumThank You for Being My Friend. . . At Work
In life, friends come in many buckets: school friends, teammates, neighbors. And then there is the work friend: the co-worker who understands how you spend…
KQED's ForumPickleball Gaining Popularity One Dink at a Time
If you overheard someone shout, “nice dink in the kitchen!” you probably just walked by a pickleball court. Pickleball, the fastest growing sport in the United…
KQED's ForumShortage of Monkeypox Vaccine Sparks Protest and Fear in Bay Area
Many Bay Area residents are scrambling and traveling long distances to get a monkeypox vaccine. Public health officials are warning of the serious shortage of…
KQED's ForumCould Abortion Providers Become Conscientious Objectors?
In 1973, not long after the Supreme Court decided Roe v. Wade, Congress amended the Public Health Service Act to allow medical professionals to refuse to…
KQED's ForumErika L. Sanchez’s Memoir Takes On Mental Illness, Motherhood, and “Crying in the Bathroom”
Acclaimed poet and novelist Erika L. Sanchez’s memoir, “Crying in the Bathroom,” presents a series of poignant essays about growing up in Chicago in a…
KQED's ForumMalcolm Nance on The Insurgents Who Want to Kill Americans
By the end of the summer of 2020 -- after a violent militia group plotted to kidnap Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer and after Proud Boys members attacked…
KQED's ForumLaguna Honda Hospital Has 60 Days to Move Over 600 Patients Before It Shuts Down. It’s Only Placed 48 So Far.
Laguna Honda Hospital opened up in 1866 to care for the city’s poor and indigent. Now over 150 years later, federal officials have threatened to shut the…
KQED's ForumShould Biden Run Again in 2024?
President Biden’s approval rating is below 40%, and a poll this week from the New York Times and Siena College found 64% of Democratic voters would prefer a…
KQED's ForumThe Snappers, Clackers, Ka-chunkers and Sha-shonkers That Make Movies Sound Great
When E.T. walked across the screen and into the hearts of moviegoers everywhere, that lovable space alien who wanted to “phone home” needed a sound for its…
KQED's ForumWould You Leave the United States If You Could?
“Where else can we go when this country turns on us?” That’s the question author Wajahat Ali wrestles with in his recent column for the Daily Beast, “Is It…
KQED's ForumThe James Webb Telescope Reveals the Edges of the Universe
A nursery of stars. Galaxies 13 billion light years away. The Carina Nebula. These are some of the spectacular images captured by the James Webb Telescope from…
KQED's ForumCalifornia Aims to Be an ‘Abortion Sanctuary’ Post-Roe. Is it Prepared?
The day that the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Gov. Gavin Newsom affirmed that California would be a sanctuary for those seeking abortion care and…
KQED's ForumJan. 6 Committee Hearing Details Trump’s Ties to Violent Extremist Groups
The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol held another hearing Tuesday revealing more details about how former President Trump…