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 ForumThe Bay Area’s New and Evolving Vegan Scene, with Luke Tsai
Vegan food has come a long way from sad side salads. Judging from the lines winding far down the block at Oakland’s Vegan Mob restaurant, vegan restaurants are…
KQED's ForumCeramics in the Bay: Edith Heath and Beyond
“Textiles and yarn did not have enough structure and volume, but clay I found was and is just right,” Edith Heath once said. The co-founder of Heath Ceramics…
KQED's ForumLaura Coates on How the Pursuit of Justice Can Create Injustice
“The pursuit of justice creates injustice,” writes CNN Senior Legal Analyst Laura Coates in her new book, “Just Pursuit.” Coates began her career as a federal…
KQED's ForumMerger with USF Charts New Direction for San Francisco Art Institute
The San Francisco Art Institute and the University of San Francisco announced this month that they’re planning to merge. Under the agreement, USF will acquire…
KQED's ForumOakland School Board to Vote on School Closures Amid Protests
Oakland’s school board is set to vote Tuesday on a highly controversial plan to permanently close or merge up to 15 schools over the next two years due to…
- KQED's Forum
How a High-Tech 'Deception Revolution' is Transforming the World of Espionage
Russia is planning to release a video of a fake Ukrainian attack that it would use to justify an invasion, U.S. officials said on Thursday. The Kremlin has…
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Militia Movement Appear Victorious in Shasta County Recall
In a victory for the extreme right, Shasta voters have apparently chosen to recall Leonard Moty, a longtime Republican county supervisor and former Redding…
- KQED's Forum
San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo on Gun Control, Housing and His Last Year in the Mayor’s Office
Sam Liccardo is in his final year as San Jose’s mayor and he has passed a first-in-the-country ordinance on an issue he cares fervently about – gun control…
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How We Can Be Less Weird About Money
“We are all weird about money,” writes Paco de Leon in her new book, “Finance for the People.” Getting a grip on your finances often means learning how to deal…
- KQED's Forum
After 65 years, Santa Rosa Press Democrat’s Gaye Lebaron Writes Last Column
The city of Santa Rosa is saying farewell to its bard. Santa Rosa Press Democrat columnist Gaye Lebaron has retired after a 65-year career at the paper and an…
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The Genius of Hip-Hop Producer J Dilla Shines in New Book 'Dilla Time' by Dan Charna
Jay Dee, J Dilla, Dilla — Detroit-born hip-hop producer James Dewitt Yancey went by many names, but his rhythmic brilliance was always the same, whether he was…
- KQED's Forum
Beijing Winter Olympics Begin in a COVID Bubble, and a Human Rights Cloud
This year’s Winter Olympics in Beijing, set to kick off on Friday, have been called “the most complex Games ever” by the Wall Street Journal. The Los Angeles…
- KQED's Forum
'Writing With Fire' Highlights Impact of India's Women-Led Grassroots Journalism
Early on in the award-winning documentary "Writing with Fire," a reporter named Meera Devi sits patiently before a police officer, demanding to know why he…
- KQED's Forum
Kitchen Sisters Audio Archive Acquired by Library of Congress
The Kitchen Sisters, the audio project of Davia Nelson and Nikki Silva, has been collecting stories from “the B-side of history” since 1979. These stories dive…
KQED's Forum‘Maus’ Among Latest Titles Banned in Some American School Districts
A Tennessee school board last week voted to remove the Pulitzer-prize winning graphic novel Maus from an 8th grade course on the Holocaust. And that’s just one…
KQED's ForumCalifornia to Close San Quentin’s Death Row
Three years after placing a moratorium on executions in California, Governor Gavin Newsom announced the closure of death row at San Quentin on Monday. More…
KQED's ForumEarly Findings in 'Baby's First Years' Study Shows Cash Aid Helps Brain Development
Early results of an ongoing clinical trial found that cash aid to low-income mothers increases brain activity in babies – a finding that could help shape…
KQED's ForumSingle-Payer Healthcare Bill Dies in State Assembly
A bill seeking to cover every Californian with state-financed health insurance faced a Monday deadline to make it out of the state assembly. But just before it…
KQED's ForumAuthor Amina Cain on Desiring More Stories About the 'Ambivalence of Motherhood'
In the film “The Lost Daughter” directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal, actor Olivia Colman plays Leda, a middle-aged college professor who encounters a young mother…
KQED's ForumJacob Ward on 'How Technology is Creating a World Without Choices and How to Fight Back'
An increasing portion of human life is structured by powerful and opaque technological systems. Getting a loan, parole hearings, resume sorting, the political…
- KQED's Forum
Your Gas Oven is Not Good for the Climate
A new study from researchers at Stanford University finds that on an annual basis, the methane leaking from residential gas ovens in the U.S. has the same…
- KQED's Forum
Militia Group Leads Recall of Shasta County Republican Supervisor
Voters in Shasta County will decide on Tuesday whether to recall Leonard Moty, a Republican county supervisor and former police chief from Redding. The recall…
- KQED's Forum
How a Surge in Private Equity is Transforming Healthcare
Private equity investment in healthcare has exploded in recent years, with companies trying to squeeze maximum profits out of doctor’s offices, hospitals and…
KQED's ForumGot Rejected? It Might Be Time to Celebrate
Rejection is normal and happens to all of us, but it still never feels good to get that email or call from an admissions officer or potential employer saying…
KQED's Forum49ers vs. Rams: Which California Team Will Make the Super Bowl?
Northern and Southern California are going to battle on Sunday when the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams face off for this year’s National Football…
KQED's ForumIsabel Allende Draws from Mother’s Life in Pandemic-Set Novel ‘Violeta’
Isabel Allende’s new novel, “Violeta,” opens in the midst of a pandemic, under quarantine conditions. Only it’s 1920 and the Spanish flu. Violeta has just been…
KQED's ForumSupreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer to Retire
After nearly three decades on the Supreme Court, Justice Stephen Breyer said on Tuesday that he will retire by the end of the current term. Justice Breyer, one…
KQED's ForumNew Report Spotlights Tech’s ‘Shadow Workforce’
A new report released this week details the experiences of Silicon Valley’s “shadow workforce” -- the temporary contract workers tech companies hire through…
KQED's ForumProposed Facility Opens New Battle Between Port of Oakland and Neighbors Over Air Quality
Port of Oakland commissioners will vote Thursday on whether to approve an open air rock and gravel storage facility at the port. The port says the Eagle Rock…
KQED's ForumWajahat Ali on How to Become an American when America Doesn’t Seem to Want You
“I believe America is simultaneously a riotous comedy and a heartbreaking tragedy,” writes Wajahat Ali in his new memoir “Go Back to Where You Came From.” With…
KQED's ForumThe Foods to Welcome the Year of the Tiger with Luke Tsai
Lunar New Year is only a week away, on February 1st, which means some of you could already be running behind in getting the spread ready. As part of our new…
KQED's ForumRemembering Bay Area Businesses Lost During Covid
More than 120 restaurants closed in San Francisco in 2021 — and many still-open places feel like they’re on their last legs. Dining simply has not come back…
KQED's ForumLiz Weil On Coming to Terms with the Trans-Apocalypse
Beset by a climate crisis that's creating ever more devastating wildfires, Californians may find it "easy, even comforting, to sit in despair," writes reporter…
KQED's ForumSan Francisco Shifts Its Approach to Covid
Last Thursday, San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced that the latest Covid surge in San Francisco, which was fueled by the highly transmissible Omicron…
KQED's ForumNYT’s Peter Goodman on “How the Billionaires Devoured the World”
In his new book "Davos Man," New York Times Global Economics Correspondent Peter S. Goodman exposes the role of elite billionaires in deepening global…
KQED's ForumThe Roots of America’s "Burnout Culture"
With historic numbers of people quitting their jobs, there’s no question that American workers are fried and fed-up. But according to author Jonathan Malesic…
KQED's ForumSalmon Swim in Some Bay Area Tributaries For First Time in Almost 20 Years
Endangered and rare forms of salmon are being spotted in surprising places around the Bay Area — some of which they haven’t visited in almost two decades…
KQED's ForumAfter Decades Working on James Webb Space Telescope, Astronomer Marcia Rieke on the Anticipation of its Orbit
After one month and 1.5 million kilometers of travel since its launch on Christmas, the James Webb Space Telescope is set to reach its orbit destination…
KQED's ForumFive Years Since Prop 64, California's Cannabis Industry Is in Disarray
It’s been five years since California legalized marijuana under Proposition 64 and opened the doors to a new legal market. Yet today, the majority of cannabis…
KQED's ForumMillennium Tower Engineers Propose New Fix as Building Leans by More Than Two Feet
In 2016, the public learned that Millennium Tower, a 60-story luxury condo highrise in downtown San Francisco, was tilting to the northwestby 16 inches. Fast…
KQED's ForumA Murder of Crows Is Bedeviling Sunnyvale
The city of Sunnyvale is at war with thousands of crows that have invaded downtown. To try and drive the birds away, city employees have been armed with $20…
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How the Movie ‘Encanto’ Became a Pop Song Powerhouse
You may not know who Bruno is, but you do probably know that we don’t talk about him thanks to a song from the animated film “Encanto.” The movie, about a…
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Assessing the Biden Presidency, One Year In
President Biden called his first year in office one of "enormous progress" in a press conference Wednesday, citing a successful vaccine rollout, record job…
- KQED's Forum
Kathryn Schulz’s Memoir ‘Lost & Found’ Contemplates When Joy and Grief Arrive at the Same Time
Writer Kathryn Schulz says her father’s death at 74, surrounded by people he loved, was “not a tragedy.” But it was still cataclysmic. “Popular wisdom will…
KQED's ForumThe Joys and Challenges of Parenting as an Immigrant
Raising children is a daunting task, but when you are an immigrant, there can be so many more obstacles and opportunities to navigate: Should you raise your…
KQED's ForumNew Frontiers in the Fight Against Depression
When patients with severe depression don’t respond to medication, psychiatrists sometimes turn to a treatment known as repetitive transcranial magnetic…
KQED's ForumJournalist Nikole Hannah-Jones on ‘The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story’
“Many historians have been seduced by the desire to manage the story of our founding, protecting our identity as an exceptional, fundamentally just nation,”…
KQED's ForumBattered by Omicron Surge, Schools and Youth Confront a Future with COVID
The fast-spreading omicron variant has snarled schools and made this return from the holidays particularly difficult. As record numbers of California children…
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How to Avoid Omicron— and COVID Fatalism
The highly transmissible omicron variant has resulted in a surge in COVID-19 cases across the United States, filling hospitals and contributing to worker…
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Stanley Nelson on the Art of the Documentary and His Latest Film, 'Attica'
When Stanley Nelson was growing up in 1950s New York, the award-winning documentary filmmaker had no idea he wanted to enter the profession because, he…
- KQED's Forum
Remembering Maya Angelou’s Groundbreaking 1968 KQED TV Series, ‘Blacks, Blues! Black!’
The U.S. Mint has issued a new quarter featuring writer Maya Angelou with her arms aloft, in front of a rising sun. It’s the first time a Black woman has been…
- KQED's Forum
Dorothy Lazard, Recently Retired Head Librarian of the Oakland History Center, on Shining a Light on a City's Untold Stories
Dorothy Lazard, who retired as head librarian of the Oakland History Center last month, has her own fan club, composed of grateful readers, patrons…
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Reparations Task Force Sheds Light on History of Slavery in California
Conversations about the history of slavery are often confined to the North and the South, with the West viewed as a free “promised land.” But California passed…
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Puzzle Me This: Why Are Puzzles More Popular Than Ever?
As the world around us has become more chaotic, puzzles have provided a moment of respite. The 9 x 9 grid of a Sudoku, the verticals and horizontals of a…
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Small Central Valley Town Sets Big Example for Electric Vehicle Use
Ridesharing has long been a part of farmworker communities, before companies like Uber and Lyft came along. So when faced with a lack of transportation options…
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False Positives the Norm for Some Prenatal Screening Tests
Modern prenatal blood tests that screen for a range of fetal abnormalities are billed by their Silicon Valley creators as reliable and accurate, designed to…
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Oakland’s Amy Schneider Is A Fan Favorite and the First Woman to Win A Million Dollars on Jeopardy
Clue: She’s an Oakland engineer, the first woman to win a million dollars on Jeopardy, the first transgender contestant to qualify for the show’s Tournament of…
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The New Mega Real Estate Projects Promising to Transform Bay Area Neighborhoods
Expect a lot of construction in the coming year around the Bay Area as developers move forward on various massive real estate projects - the kind of…
KQED's ForumIncreasing Share of U.S. Population Identifies as Nonreligious
A growing number of Americans say they do not have a religious affiliation, according to a recent Pew survey. Today, roughly 30% of American adults are…
KQED's ForumThe Best Comfort Meals When You’re Sick, with Luke Tsai
One of the smaller cruelties among the many tragedies of the COVID pandemic is that the virus’ attack on the sense of smell and taste has robbed us of one of…