KQED's Forum

Protests against Israel’s war in Gaza continue to grow and spread on college campuses in the Bay Area and across the country. The protests gained momentum earlier this month after more than 100 demonstrators were arrested at Columbia University in protests demanding the school divest from companies that do business with Israel. While the actions have been largely peaceful nationwide, there were scuffles between the protesters and pro-Israeli demonstrators at UCLA on Sunday, and hundreds of protesters were arrested over the weekend at other campuses. We’ll check in on what’s happening at UC Berkeley and other Bay Area schools, and talk with a historian about what past movements can teach us about student protests and social change. Guests: Malak Afaneh, law student, UC Berkeley; co-president, Law Students for Justice in Palestine Angus Johnston, professor and historian of American student activism, City University of New York Noah Cohen, law student, UC Berkeley Dan Mogulof, assistant vice chancellor of public affairs, UC Berkeley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The United Nations on Friday warned of a “dramatic escalation of tensions” among warring parties near El Fasher, North Darfur. The area is already on the brink of famine, according to the UN, and an attack on the city could have devastating consequences for civilians. The crisis in El Fasher comes as Sudan’s calamitous war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces enters its second year. The war has left more than 15,000 people dead and more than 8 million displaced, according to relief agencies. We look at conditions on the ground, the forces that are driving the conflict and how the global community is responding. Guests: Beverly Ochieng, senior journalist and Africa analyst, BBC Monitoring Ali Ali-Dinar, Sudanese scholar and senior lecturer in the department of Africana Studies, University of Pennsylvania Amb. Susan Page, professor of practice in international diplomacy, University of Michigan; former US ambassador to the Republic of South Sudan (2011-2014) Susan Stigant, director of Africa programs, United States Institute of Peace Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you walk into the historic, beloved City Lights in San Francisco’s North Beach, it’s easy to get lost in the winding shelves packed with thousands of titles from classic literature, poetry and philosophy to contemporary fiction. There’s a legendary man behind the careful curation. Chief book buyer Paul Yamazaki has worked at City Lights since the 1970’s and has dedicated his career to filling the shelves with titles that spark conversations between books and readers. “Any single book has a constellation of conversations, consequences, and causes,” Yamazaki says in his new book “Reading the Room: A Bookseller’s Tale.” We’ll talk to Yamazaki about independent bookstores and what he sees for the future of books. Guests: Paul Yamazaki, chief book buyer, City Lights Bookstore - In 2023, Paul won the National Book Foundation's Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community Melinda Powers, head book buyer, Book Shop Santa Cruz; president, California Independent Booksellers Alliance Stephen Sparks, owner, Point Reyes Books and Wayfinder Bookshop Hannah Oliver Depp, owner, Loyalty bookstore Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While covering Trump’s 2016 campaign, NPR political correspondent Sarah McCammon understood the white evangelical movement behind his political rise, because she grew up in that world. McCammon left the church troubled by the misogyny, homophobia and racism she witnessed. That experience is at the center of her book “The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church.” We speak to McCammon and hear from you: Have you left organized religion? Why? Guests: Sarah McCammon, National Political Correspondent, NPR; co-host, NPR Politics Podcast; author, "The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The WNBA is coming to the Bay Area! Fans will have a new women’s team to cheer for, at a moment when female superstars like Caitlin Clark have captivated basketball lovers of all ages. As part of KQED’s Youth Takeover week, high school athletes Mahi Jariwala, Jessie Lin and Olivia Ma bring together a sports journalist, a basketball coach and a Title IX attorney to talk about the impact of women’s basketball in the Bay Area – and the arrival of a new professional team. Guests: Mahi Jariwala, senior, Monte Vista High School Jessie Lin, senior, Woodside High School Olivia Ma, junior, BASIS Independent Fremont Marisa Ingemi, women's sports reporter, San Francisco Chronicle Kim Turner, co-CEO of the nonprofit Bay Area Women's Sports Initiative; Title IX attorney Jeff Addiego, vice president, Warriors Basketball Academy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You’d be forgiven for associating Rainn Wilson primarily with Dwight Schrute, the overbearing, mansplaining geek on “The Office.” And in his bestselling book “Soul Boom” the three-time Emmy Award-nominated actor acknowledges the connection: “Why is the beet-farming, paper-selling, tangentially Amish man-baby with the giant forehead and short-sleeved mustard shirts writing about the meaning of life?” But then again, why wouldn’t he be curious? Wilson joins us to talk about his own journey with faith, why big philosophical questions make life worth living and why we need what he calls a “spiritual revolution.” And we’ll also hear why he thinks “The Office” is such a cultural mainstay, informing TV mockumentary trends, cringe humor and Gen Z artists like Billie Eilish. Guests: Rainn Wilson, actor who played Dwight Schrute on the TV show, "The Office." His most recent book is "Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cecil Williams forever changed San Francisco, the Bay Area, and even the world. As the long-time pastor at Glide Memorial Church, known for serving the poorest, most vulnerable residents of San Francisco, he led a congregation that was infused with the spirit of care and social justice as well as love, joy and music. Cecil Williams died this week at the age of 94, to celebrate his life and legacy, we listen back to his interviews, a sermon and the music of Glide. Guests: Cecil Williams, founder and Minister of Liberation, Glide Memorial United Methodist Church in San Francisco Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We often think of film as a visual medium. But a carefully placed sound effect or a well crafted sonic atmosphere can evoke emotion just as profoundly. Can you imagine a movie like “Godzilla” without the monster’s signature roar? Or the terrifying silence of “A Quiet Place?” For Erik Aadahl, the Oscar nominated sound designer behind both of those films, sound is the human sense tied closest to our emotions. We talk with Aadahl about what his work entails, how he sources sound for his films and how he creates soundscapes both otherworldly and joyous. What movies stand out to you for their sound? Guest: Erik Aadahl, sound designer; co-founder of the studio, E Squared - credits include "Transformers," "Godzilla," "A Quiet Place," "Argo," "Kung Fu Panda," and "The Creator" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2020 and 2021, against a backdrop of the Black Lives Matter movement and Covid-19 pandemic, school districts across the country made the decision to remove police officers from their campuses. In the San Jose area, pressure from teachers and parents pushed several school districts to increase mental health support on campuses – hiring social workers and creating wellness centers – as an alternative to policing. As part of KQED’s Youth Takeover week, high school juniors Khadeejah Khan and Nico Fischer, and a panel of educators, will examine that decision, learn how different schools in San Jose have adapted, and discuss new issues around safety. And we’ll hear from you: how can we create safe, positive environments for students? Guests: Khadeejah Khan, senior, Santa Clara High School Nico Fischer, sophomore, Santa Clara High School Rachel Stanek, English teacher of thirty years Tomara Hall, special education teacher, equity leader and community organizer Michael Gatenby, teacher, East Side Union High School District Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Supreme Court heard arguments Monday in its biggest case on homelessness in decades. At issue is whether penalizing unhoused people for camping on public land violates the “cruel and unusual punishment” clause of the 8th Amendment — even if they refuse offers of shelter. The case, Grants Pass v. Johnson, could have massive implications for how California cities address homelessness. Nearly half of all unhoused Americans live in California, according to a report last year by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Affairs. We’ll discuss the arguments and how the Court might rule. Guests: Marisa Kendall, homelessness reporter, CalMatters Meghan Ryan, professor of law, Southern Methodist University (SMU) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In his new novel “James,” Percival Everett reimagines the story of Huck Finn through the eyes of the enslaved protagonist Jim. Where Twain used Jim as a plot device, Everett offers a fully realized portrait of the man who dreams of traveling “safely through the light of the world.” A prolific author and an English professor at USC, Everett’s earlier work inspired the film “American Fiction.” We talk to Everett about his writing, his faith in readers to understand difficult text, and this latest book, which is being lauded by critics as a new American classic. Guests: Percival Everett, author, "James"; English professor, USC - his other books include "I Am Not Sidney Poitier," "The Trees," "God's Country," and "Erasure," which was adapted for the film "American Fiction." "James" is his 34th novel Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the decades following the collapse of the Soviet Union, U.S. foreign policy coalesced around the idea that Russia – and later China – would integrate into a western world order, leaving American power “fundamentally unchallenged.” But in fact, the military, economic and technological threats posed by those countries have drawn the U.S. toward a new cold war era – one that New York Times reporter David Sanger calls “more complex and dangerous” than we have confronted in nearly 100 years. We talk to Sanger, who’s covered U.S. national security for decades, about why the U.S. misjudged threats to its power and how it might reshape its global influence. His new book is “New Cold Wars: China’s Rise, Russia’s Invasion, and America’s Struggle to Defend the West.” Guests: David Sanger, White House and National Security Correspondent, New York Times Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Politicians have historically relied on traditional media — like television — to get out their campaign messages and mobilize voters. Who can forget the infamous 1988 Willie Horton ad? But while traditional media still dominates political ad spending, politicians are spreading their messages on digital platforms once reserved for entertainment. Even TikTok is being leveraged by many politicians as the way to engage a digital generation. As part of KQED’s annual Youth Takeover week, high school juniors Ryan Heshmati and Kate Quach bring together a panel of media experts to talk about how political advertising works today and how we got there. Guests: Ryan Heshmati, junior, Saratoga High School Kate Quach, junior, St. Ignatius High School David Broockman, associate professor of political science, University of California-Berkeley Makena Kelly, senior politics writer; author, WIRED's Politics Lab newsletter Kyle Tharp, author, For What It’s Worth - a newsletter tracking digital strategy, spending and trends in politics Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alua Arthur is a death doula — someone who helps people prepare logistically, mentally and emotionally for the end of life. There are practical considerations, like memorial planning and medical directives. And then there’s the act of thinking how we’d ideally want to die — outdoors or indoors, surrounded by loved ones, arguments resolved — that shows what’s most important to us and can help us live in alignment with those priorities. Arthur’s new memoir, “Briefly Perfectly Human,” is an account of the relationships she formed with her dying clients and the reflections they shared with her — including regrets in romance and work, their vulnerabilities in a failing body and what brought them authentic joy. We’ll talk to Arthur about how to ease our transitions to death and hear how tending to the dying has shaped her own life and outlook. Guests: Alua Arthur, death doula, attorney, and adjunct professor; author, “Briefly Perfectly Human: Making an Authentic Life by Getting Real About the End"; founder, Going with Grace — a death doula training and end-of-life planning organization Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever walked by a lush, green space filled with pollinators and thought, “How can I create one of those?” Your answer might be found in the new book, “Garden Wonderland,” by Bay Area landscape and garden expert Leslie Bennett and her co-author Julie Chai. Their new book offers advice on how to create landscapes that include flowers, fruits and vegetables, healing plants, and gathering spaces that honor a gardener’s personal culture. In time for spring, we talk to Bennet and Chai as well as nursery owner Flora Grubb about your garden wonderlands. Guests: Flora Grubb, co-owner, Flora Grubb Gardens in San Francisco and Los Angeles, and Grubb and Nadler Nurseries Leslie Bennett, owner and creative director, Pine House Edible Gardens; co-author, "Garden Wonderland: Create Life-Changing Outdoor Spaces for Beauty, Harvest, Meaning and Joy" Julie Chai, co-author, "Garden Wonderland: Create Life-Changing Outdoor Spaces for Beauty, Harvest, Meaning and Joy" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 payments he made to adult film actor Stormy Daniels. The trial, which is expected to last for more than a month, is one of four criminal prosecutions the former president faces. Delay has beset some of those cases, as courts consider a host of pre-trial motions and interim appeals filed by Trump’s defense team. We’ll take stock of where the criminal cases against the former president stand and their impact on November’s election. Guests: Alan Feuer, reporter covering extremism and political violence, New York Times Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 20th century Russian literary theorist, Mikhail Bakhtin, and his theory of “double voicing” – the idea that our speech is “filled to overflowing with other people’s words”. Her friends had not disappeared, instead, they’d slipped into her own language, and that of the people around her. We talk to Soep about great friendships, the mysterious power of language to sustain conversations even with those who have died and her book, “Other People’s Words.” Guests: Lissa Soep, author, "Other People's Words: Friendship, Loss and the Conversations that Never End." She is also senior editor for audio at Vox Media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dollar stores – the bargain chains prevalent in rural areas that sell miscellaneous merchandise at steeply discounted prices – have been blamed for contributing to food deserts and pushing out smaller mom and pop grocers. But the 99 Cents Only chain stood for something different to its fans, according to LA Times reporter Andrea Chang, who says that people relied on the bright and well-organized spaces for good quality merchandise. The California-based company announced that it will be closing all 371 of its stores just as another prominent chain, Family Dollar, plans to shutter 1000 stores. We’ll talk about the history of dollar stores, the impact they have on communities across the country and what happens to the people reliant on them when they leave. Guests: Eliza Ronalds-Hannon, senior reporter, Bloomberg Andrea Chang, wealth reporter, Los Angeles Times Sara Portnoy, professor of Latinx food studies and food justice, USC; creator and executive producer of "Abuelitas on the Borderlands" film series Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 history, with nearly a billion Indians eligible to cast ballots. Modi remains popular in India but has been criticized for his human rights record and attacks on the media and judiciary. We’ll preview the election, which runs through June, and hear from members of the Bay Area’s Indian communities. Guests: Anita Manwani, president, The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) Silicon Valley Nikhil Inamdar, Indian business correspondent, BBC Milan Vaishnav, senior fellow and director, South Asia Program at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; host, Grand Tamasha podcast Raju Rajagopal, co-founder, Hindus for Human Rights Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 five hours — roughly “the equivalent of January, February and half of March,” she writes. Even though that discovery filled her with “queasy regret,” she couldn’t nix the habit. So she decided to downgrade to a flip phone for a one-month experiment – one she says rewired her brain. Hill’s dumbphone experiment came as research suggests smartphone users are reaching for their phones every time they feel bored or anxious, which can lead to hours unintentionally spent staring at a 5-inch screen. Are you concerned you’re spending too much time on your smartphone? Guests: Kashmir Hill, tech reporter, New York Times; author "Your Face Belongs to Us"; her recent NYT article is "I Was Addicted to My Smartphone, So I Switched to a Flip Phone for a Month" Anna Lembke, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, Stanford Universityl; author, “Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 but grip tape. It’s also a metaphor for lessons learned, observes José Vadi in his new memoir, “Chipped.” “No matter the age, being a skateboarder lends itself to caustic stares from passersby,” he writes. Vadi delves into skate culture, from its music to its videos, and what it means to identify as a skateboarder. We talk to Vadi about how that lens has shaped his views of public space, geography and his life as a writer. Guests: José Vadi, author, "Chipped: Writing from a Skateboarder's Lens"; Vadi's previous book is "Inter State: Essays from California" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 politics. In his recent book, “Rapper’s Deluxe: How Hip Hop Made The World,” Professor Boyd – also known as the Notorious PhD – traces the genre over the last 50 years from its humble beginnings in the Bronx, to its west coast ascent in the 1990s and through to the election of President Obama and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. We talk to Boyd and hear from you. What’s a defining moment of hip hop for you? Guests: Dr. Todd Boyd, professor of cinema and media studies, USC; author, "Rapper's Deluxe: How Hip Hop Made the World" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Breed has handled crime and homelessness, and her political weakness has invited several strong challengers into the race, from the political left, right and middle. Board of Supervisors’ President Aaron Peskin, Supervisor Asha Safaí, philanthropist Daniel Lurie and venture capitalist Mark Farrell are all making a run for the job, among others. We’ll talk about the candidates, San Francisco’s shifting politics and how the city’s ranked choice voting system could affect the dynamics of the race. Guests: Heather Knight, San Francisco bureau chief, New York Times - formerly a San Francisco Chronicle reporter since 1999. Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez, reporter and producer covering politics, KQED News Former San Francisco Supervisor Jane Kim, California chair, Working Families Party - a progressive advocacy organization Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 portable speaker, you can make any gathering a party. But just because you can make a playlist doesn’t mean you are a real DJ. To actually spin records and put together memorable sets requires skill, practice and talent. We’ll talk to the founder of a DJ school and DJs from around the Bay about what it takes to be a DJ, who in the words of Rihanna, can “pon de replay.” Guests: Nastia Voynovskaya, editor and reporter, KQED Arts Juan "Wonway Posibul" Amador, DJ and MC - Grammy-nominated DJ Wonway Posibul hosts a daily music show on KALW 91.7 FM that airs from 8-9 PM. Lamont Bransford-Young, DJ and founder of Fingersnaps Media Arts, a DJ school - Bransford-Young hosts "The Fingersnaps Salon" on KPOO. Victoria "Kiki" Fajardo, DJ - DJ Xulaquiles grew up in the East Bay and began her DJ career at 14. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 in a general election he and his California-based running mate Nicole Shanahan would draw more votes away from President Biden or Donald Trump. Kennedy, who’s gained political visibility as an anti-vaccine activist and anti-institutionalist, is petitioning to appear on the November ballot in all 50 states; at this point only Utah has confirmed his place. We talk about the impact of RFK’s candidacy and who’s likely to vote for him. Guests: Mike Madrid, Republican strategist; co-founder, The Lincoln Project. His forthcoming book is "The Latino Century: How America's Largest Minority is Transforming Democracy." <br /> Michelle Goldberg, op-ed columnist, New York Times. Her books include “Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism" and "The Means of Reproduction: Sex, Power and the Future of the World." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stanford women’s basketball coach, Tara VanDerveer – the winningest coach in the history of college basketball – has announced she’s retiring after 45 years leading the epic team. The news comes after a breakthrough NCAA women’s basketball season in which the women’s championship game drew a bigger television audience than the men’s title game for the first time. We’ll talk about VanDerveer’s achievements and legacy and her role in the ascension of women’s basketball. Guests: Michelle Smith, WNBA beat writer, The Next Jennifer Azzi, chief business development officer, Las Vegas Aces. She was a four-year starter at Stanford from 1987-90, leading the team to its first national championship in 1990. Charmin Smith, head coach, University of California Berkeley's women's basketball team; former player, Stanford women’s basketball team - She was key part of the team's three NCAA Final Four Appearances and three Pac-10 Championships between 1995 to 1997. She is also a former member of the WNBA and ABL. Val Whiting, player, Stanford women's basketball team from 1989-93 - She was part of teams that won two NCAA championships and went to the Final Four three years. She was also named Pac-10 Women's Basketball Player of the Year two years in a row. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“The quiet cousin, the rowdy daughter, the bookish aunt, the brash sister. Some are short and busy; others tall, quiet and stately,” writes environmental historian Daniel Lewis. He’s not talking about family members, though. He’s describing trees. In his new book “Twelve Trees,” Lewis urges us to look at trees with empathy and to understand them as beings with history and purpose. We’ll talk to Lewis about the trees he profiles -- including California's coastal redwoods and olive trees -- and why our survival is so closely linked to theirs. Guest: Daniel Lewis, Dibner senior curator for the history of science and technology, Huntington Library; faculty, Caltech; author, "Twelve Trees: The Deep Roots of Our Future" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 constitution itself that’s a big part of the problem. In his new book, Parliamentary America, he maps a way out of the crisis, calling for the country to adopt a parliamentary system of government, like most other democracies in the world. As part of Forum’s Doing Democracy series, we’ll talk to him about his plan, and why he says it would help ease political gridlock and prevent an authoritarian taking power in the U.S. Guest: Maxwell Stearns, professor of law, University of Maryland Carey School of Law; author, "Parliamentary America: The Least Radical Means of Radically Repairing Our Broken Democracy" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Biden called the humanitarian crisis in Gaza “unacceptable” during a call last week with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and said an immediate ceasefire was essential to protect innocent civilians, according to a White House statement. But the White House also reaffirmed its support for Israel and has not slowed military aid, approving new bomb shipments on the day that Israeli forces struck Gaza aid workers, killing seven. Meanwhile Biden faces mounting pressure from progressive and some mainstream Democrats who are asking for an immediate halt to weapons transfers, and from some voters who say they’ll withhold support for him in the November election unless he changes course. We’ll talk about the Biden Administration’s Israel policy and how it’s evolving. Guests: Erica L. Green, White House correspondent, The New York Times Yasmeen Abutaleb, White House reporter, The Washington Post Alex Ward, national security reporter, Politico; author, “The Internationalists: The Fight to Restore American Foreign Policy after Trump” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“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 our lives,” writes Anne Lamott in her newest book “Somehow: Thoughts on Love.” Lamott, a long time Marin County resident, has always been frank about the messy parts of her life from parenthood to addiction. We’ll talk with her about how and where love has shown up for her and its connection with grief, joy, disappointment and anger. Guests: Anne Lamott, author, "Somehow: Thoughts on Love" - Her other books include "Some Assembly Required," "Operating Instructions," and "Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Reversing pandemic-era admission policies, more universities, including MIT, Yale, Dartmouth and Brown, are again requiring that applicants submit SAT or ACT scores. Research has shown that high scores on the tests are a good predictor of college success, and proponents say that the tests are a more equitable metric than a student’s GPA. In California, public colleges – including the UCs and Cal State schools – remain “test blind” and will not consider a student’s scores, even if submitted. We’ll look at arguments on both sides and get tips for prospective students who are navigating testing issues. Would you like to see the SAT and ACT come back in California? Do you think the tests helped or hurt your college application? Guests: Anna Esaki-Smith, author, “Make College Your Superpower: It's Not Where You Go, It's What You Know;" co-founder, Education Rethink; contributor, Forbes Jeff Selingo, author, "Who Gets In & Why: A Year Inside College Admissions," "There is Life After College" and "College (Un)Bound: The Future of Higher Education and What It Means for Students" Eddie Comeaux, professor and associate dean of graduate education, University of California Riverside Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 track, “Used to say I spoke ‘too country’ / And the rejection came, said I wasn’t country ‘nough.” That rejection reflects the gatekeeping that’s long plagued country music – gatekeeping that determines who gets to be American and whose ‘country’ it is, says Alice Randall, a songwriter, author and Vanderbilt professor. Randall was the first Black woman to write a No. 1 country hit, and her new book “My Black Country” weaves memoir with the history and impact of Black artists in the genre. We’ll learn that history and Randall’s place in it — and listen to country music from DeFord Bailey, Linda Martell and, of course, Beyoncé. Guests: Alice Randall, Country songwriter and professor of African American and Diaspora Studies and writer-in-residence, Vanderbilt University - author, “My Black Country: A Journey Through Country Music’s Black Past, Present, and Future.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 later, she was overseeing a network of volunteers – the Auntie Sewing Squad – that churned out hundreds of thousands of homemade masks for those in need. The acts of service and communal care she guided and found are the inspiration for her one woman play “Kristina Wong: Sweatshop Overlord.” We’ll talk with Wong about crafting, community, social justice and the comedy show that brings them all together. Guests: Kristina Wong, comedian and performance artist - she's a Doris Duke Artist Award winner, Guggenheim Fellow and a Pulitzer Prize finalist in Drama. Her one woman show "Kristina Wong: Sweatshop Overlord" is playing now through May 5th at The Strand in San Francisco. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 crossword puzzle fanatics. Anna Shechtman has been making crosswords since she was 15, drawn to the idea that through riddles and puns a puzzle constructor can access “something foundational about language — a quasi mathematical code that could be rearranged and manipulated through brain power alone.” We talk to Shechtman, who now creates puzzles for the New Yorker, about the art, politics and history of crossword making. Her new book is “The Riddles of the Sphinx: Inheriting the Feminist History of the Crossword Puzzle.” Guests: Anna Shechtman, author, "The Riddles of the Sphinx: Inheriting the Feminist History of the Crossword Puzzle"; assistant professor, Department of Literatures in English at Cornell University Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 vessel into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key bridge, an accident which killed six people and spilled thousands of gallons of oil, might lead you to ask: could that happen here? For example, in 2007, a container ship hit a Bay Bridge tower, which spurred the adaptation of improved safety systems. We’ll talk to maritime experts about our waterways and the safety protocols we have in place to prevent and react to disasters. Guests: Scott Humphrey, executive director of the Marine Exchange San Francisco Bay Area Region; chairman of the San Francisco Harbor Safety Committee Captain Taylor Lam, captain of the Port for Northern California, US Coast Guard Tony Munoz, publisher and editor in chief of The Maritime Executive Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The specter of the opioid epidemic has shadowed life in California for nearly three decades, and opioid deaths in the state are rising precipitously. Physicians have long advocated the use of life-saving opioid medications methadone and buprenorphine to treat addiction. Despite methadone’s proven effectiveness, access to the drug has been blocked across the health care system – and California is among the most restrictive states in the nation. This week, new federal regulations take effect that could expand access to methadone treatment. STAT addiction reporter Lev Facher examined access to these medications in a recent investigation titled “The War on Recovery.” We’ll talk about what this shift at the national level means for addiction treatment in California. And we’ll hear from you: Has access to methadone had an impact on your life or recovery? Guests: Lev Facher, addiction reporter, STAT News Leslie Suen, physician and researcher, University of California San Francisco Jordan Scott, disabled drug user in recovery; organizing coordinator, Pennsylvania Harm Reduction network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 answer these questions. It’s an area of study that hasn’t gotten much attention, and Toomey dives into animal behavioral research looking at the neuroscience, and even dream study, behind it all. We’ll talk to Toomey and learn about what animal play can tell us about our own human behavior. And we hear from you: What animal play have you observed and have had questions about? Guests: David Toomey, author, “Kingdom of Play: What Ball-bouncing Octopuses, Belly-flopping Monkeys, and Mud-sliding Elephants Reveal about Life Itself"; english professor, University of Massachusetts, Amherst - his other books include “Weird Life” and “The New Time Travelers.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 California that house the most violent offenders, and corrections officers there use force at a rate that’s nearly 40% higher than in other prisons. It’s also a notoriously difficult environment for prison workers, who face high rates of work-related mental health issues, as well as hazing and abuse if they report official misconduct. A new season of KQED’s award- winning podcast “On Our Watch” looks at the pattern of abuse, cover-up and corruption at New Folsom and traces the stories of whistleblowers who tried to bring it to light. We learn more from the KQED reporters behind the investigation. Guests: Julie Small, criminal justice reporter, KQED; reporter, "On Our Watch" Sukey Lewis, criminal justice reporter, KQED; host/reporter, “On Our Watch”; co-founder, the California Reporting Project Valentino Rodriguez Sr., father of Valentino Rodriguez Jr. - a whistleblower who worked at New Folsom Prison Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 meet essential needs, but potentially move them up the economic ladder to greater financial security. Restaurant owners and operators contend that they may need to cut back on employee hours, eliminate jobs, and increase their prices. We’ll look at how this measure will impact the Bay Area. Guests: Saru Jayaraman, director, Food Labor Research Center at UC Berkeley; president, One Fair Wage; co-founder, Restaurant Opportunities Centers United Jeanne Kuang, reporter, CalMatters Scott Rodrick, founder, Rodrick Group; McDonald's franchisee in San Francisco Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 programs around the world that have been shown to improve local citizens’ lives, these are few and far between. Yet they provide models, like “true price” initiatives — price tags that account for human labor costs and environmental impacts. Or job guarantee programs, which ensure every member of a community has access to employment. In Romeo’s new book, “The Alternative: How to Build a Just Economy,” he calls for the return of ethics into economics and offers examples around the world — as well as some in California. We’ll talk to him about what works, what doesn’t and what we have to gain if economists take an alternative approach to structuring, teaching and thinking about our economy. Guests: Nick Romeo, journalist, The New Yorker; lecturer, UC Berkeley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 ideas, where independent states of Israel and Palestine exist side-by-side, but previous attempts to solidify an agreement have fallen short. We’ll talk with members of A Land For All, a group of Palestinian and Israeli leaders, activists and scholars who have a new political vision of how to live together with “pragmatic and viable solutions to the obstacles that have stymied prior negotiations, moving us from a paradigm of separation towards a future based on power sharing and shared interests.” We’ll talk about their vision for a road to peace and an intertwined future. Guests: Omar Dajani, professor of law, University of the Pacific's McGeorge School of Law; board member, "A Land For All"; former senior legal advisor, Palestine Liberation Organization's Negotiations Support Unit May Pundak, co-leader and executive director, the Israeli branch of “A Land for All” Rula Hardal, lecturer, Arab-American University; research fellow, the Shalom Hartman Institute; co-leader, "A Land For All" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 on Soylent. The town where Guy Fieri lives.” Flavor is also molecules, according to Johnson, whose new book “Flavorama” explores how the chemistry of flavor informs how we perceive foods as salty or herbal, sour or sweet. Johnson, who also co-founded the fermentation lab at the critically acclaimed restaurant Noma, joins us to talk about the science of flavor, the complex interactions between our senses of taste and smell and how to create intense and unexpected flavors in our everyday cooking. Guests: Arielle Johnson, food scientist; author, "Flavorama: A Guide to Unlocking the Art and Science of Flavor"; co-founder and fermentation lab and science director, Noma in Copenhagen - a three-Michelin-star restaurant considered the best in the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Jazz Journalists Association honored him with their “Jazz Hero” award last year they wrote that “his deep knowledge of Latin American and Caribbean music has nurtured the boundaryless nature of the Bay Area’s scene, in which musicians prominently collaborate across the jazz/Latin jazz divide.” The KCSM program and music director will join us to talk about the history of Latin Jazz, including the Bay Area’s role…and play some of his favorite tunes. Guests: Jesse "Chuy" Varela, program and music director, KCSM JAZZ 91.1; host, "The Latin Jazz Show” on Sundays at 2 PM Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 reopened the less-traversed north side route to foreigners, he’s headed back next month for the first time in four years. We talk to him about what draws hundreds of climbers to attempt to summit Mt. Everest every year, how to climb ethically and sustainably as ever more visitors descend on the mountain and what it feels like to be on top of the tallest peak in the world. Guests: Adrian Ballinger, mountain guide; founder, Alpenglow Expeditions Graham Cooper, member of Mt. Everest expedition team Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Department of Justice, along with 16 states including California, filed a sweeping antitrust lawsuit against Apple last week. The government alleges that the trillion-dollar company’s practices around its iPhone have quashed competition by limiting access to its app store, constraining the ability to send messages across different platforms and blocking alternative wallet payment systems. The suit is part of a suite of antitrust legal actions aimed at breaking alleged monopolies by tech behemoths including Google, Meta, and Amazon. We’ll talk about what these suits mean for Apple’s devoted user base and the tech industry. Guests: Aaron Tilley, reporter, Wall Street Journal Tim Wu, professor of law, science and technology, Columbia Law School; author, "The Curse of Bigness: Antitrust in the New Gilded Age" Margaret O'Mara, Scott and Dorothy Bullitt professor of American History, University of Washington; author, "The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“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 and author Abrahm Lustgarten, “they will move.” Less than one percent of the earth’s surface is now considered too hot or dry to support human civilization, but climate researchers estimate that by 2070 nearly one-fifth of the planet will be unlivable. The impact will be most acute in parts of Asia, Africa and Central America. But climate models also predict that tens of millions of Americans will become climate migrants during this century– moving to more temperate zones in response to wildfires, flooding, extreme heat and drought. We talk to Lustgarten about what a climate change-induced mass migration could look like in the U.S. and why Californians will be among the most likely to move. Guest: Abrahm Lustgarten, senior environmental reporter, ProPublica; author, "On the Move: The Overheating Earth and the Uprooting of America" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Telgemeier’s graphic novel “Smile” has remained hugely popular with the kid set. And her follow ups “Guts,” “Drama” and “Ghosts” have earned her rave reviews from kids, tweens, parents and librarians for the humorous, hopeful, and honest depictions of life as an anxious kid. We’ll talk to Telgemeier, a Bay Area native, about her work and how she taps into the zeitgeist of adolescence. Guests: Raina Telgemeier, author of "Smile," "Guts," and "Sisters," among other popular graphic novels for teens and kids Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 romance out of dating and turn it into nothing but a game of odds. Perhaps that’s why dating apps are losing their appeal, especially among Gen Z. According to one study, Gen Z-ers make up only 26% of dating app users. We’ll discuss how different generations find connections and why it still might be possible to find romance online. What’s been your experience with dating apps? Guests: Jeanne Proust, interim/acting director, the Center for Public Philosophy; lecturer of philosophy, UC Santa Cruz; philosophical counseling practitioner Myisha Battle, sex and dating coach; host, KCRW's "How's Your Sex Life" podcast; author, Time Magazine's Real Love column; author, "This Is Supposed to Be Fun: Finding Joy In Hooking Up, Settling Down, and Everything In Between" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The rules that guide real estate transactions could soon change dramatically. As part of a $418 million legal settlement, the powerful National Association of Realtors has agreed to eliminate the standard 6-percent sales commission. Under the settlement, subject to a judge’s approval, home listings will no longer automatically offer commission to buyers’ agents, requiring buyers to negotiate fees upfront. We’ll talk about what that might mean for realtors, consumers, and Bay Area home prices. Guests: Nicole Friedman, reporter, Wall Street Journal - where she covers the U.S. housing market and the home building industry Vanessa Gamp, president, San Francisco Association of Realtors Jenny Schuetz, senior fellow, Brookings - where her research focuses on improving housing and land use policies Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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,” University of Pennsylvania historian Beth Linker recounts how curved spines, rounded shoulders, and slumped backs were considered reflections of moral fitness, the ability to hold a job, and even intelligence. We’ll talk to Linker about this “posture panic” that contributes to the ableism we see today, and we’ll hear from you: How’s your posture? Guests: Beth Linker, author, "Slouch: Posture Panic in Modern America"; professor of history and sociology of science, University of Pennsylvania Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices