KQED's Forum

When does memory begin? That’s the question Pulitzer Prize-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen poses in the first lines of his new book “A Man of Two Faces,” which he calls at once a memoir, a history and a memorial. Memory for Nguyen begins in part when at age four he fled Vietnam with his parents and his brother, stopping at a chain of American military bases abroad and then being placed in the homes of American sponsors in Pennsylvania, temporarily separated from his family. But Nguyen also likens memory to a sandcastle and a flickering single frame of a film, highlighting the fragility of the stories we tell about ourselves and our country. We talk to Nguyen about the intersection of art, memory and displacement, both physical and metaphysical. Guests: Viet Thanh Nguyen, author, "A Man of Two Faces." His previous books include the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel "The Sympathizer" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pockets. They are something you don’t notice, until you don’t have one to stash your phone, wallet, keys, or the random Walgreens receipt. Invented in the 16th century, pockets have had a unique trajectory in fashion. Men’s clothes are full of practical pockets. Women’s clothing, not so much. In her new book “Pockets,” design professor Hannah Carlson explores all the ways this “humble component of dress” reveals how we live. We’ll talk with Carlson about the origins of pockets, what their contents say about us and the gender politics at play in their design. Could you live without a pocket? Guests: Hannah Carlson, senior lecturer of apparel design, Rhode Island School of Design; author, "Pockets: An Intimate History of How We Keep Things Close" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nursing homes aren’t generally equipped to care for the seriously mentally ill, who require specialized treatment and services. But a new investigation by LAist found that in the past year, 25 percent of California nursing home residents had bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or psychotic disorder. And that percentage has increased over the past decade. Some advocates say the mentally ill are effectively being “warehoused” in nursing homes, a practice they say could violate the Americans with Disabilities Act and other federal laws. Guests: Keris Jän Myrick, vice president of partnerships, Inseparable - a mental health advocacy organization. She was referred to a nursing home after being hospitalized Debbie Toth, executive director, Choice in Aging - which works to create opportunities where people can learn, grow, and age independently with dignity in community Elly Yu, senior reporter, LAist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Broc Cellars, an under the radar Berkeley winery, had a solid Japanese following. But when its Zinfandel “Vine Starr” was featured in the beloved manga “Drops of God,” its sales took off. You’ll often find loving descriptions of comfort food favorites like curries, ramens, and rice balls featured in mangas and animes. And cookbooks have been written about dishes featured in their plotlines. In the next All You Can Eat, a collaboration with the KQED Food Team, we’ll talk about the influence of manga and anime on food and vice versa. What are your favorite food anime and manga? Guests: Luke Tsai, food editor, KQED Arts & Culture Deb Aoki, journalist specializing in comics; co-host, "Mangasplaining" - She previously had a comic strip, "Bento Box" in the Honolulu Star Advertiser Cesar Hernandez, associate restaurant critic, San Francisco Chronicle Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Empress date. The Burbank tomato. The Sebastopol Gravenstein apple. Halali’i sugar cane. These are among hundreds of foods grown in the United States on the “Ark of Taste,” a list of endangered foods curated by Slow Foods International. For her new book “Endangered Eating,” culinary historian Sarah Lohman journeyed across the country to study some of the rare foods on the Ark, interviewing the farmers, activists, and scientists pioneering their resurgence. We talk to Lohman about the American heirloom crops and culinary traditions that are disappearing and what we can all do to help preserve them. Guests: Sarah Lohman, culinary historian; author, "Endangered Eating: America’s Vanishing Foods" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The stay at home orders of 2020 and the shift to remote work drastically changed how people commute. Now, more than three years after the onset of the pandemic, ridership on most public transit still hasn’t recovered, and in some cases is consistently hovering below half of pre-pandemic levels. But car traffic has rebounded, and then some. Bay Bridge data shows that some mornings, congestion heading into San Francisco is even worse than in 2019. This comes at a time when experts agree we should be transitioning away from solo car trips. We’ll discuss how local transit agencies are adapting to these new transportation trends, and hear about efforts to get more people out of their cars and onto buses and trains. Guests: Dan Brekke, editor and reporter, KQED News Joe McConnell, former traffic reporter, KQED - Joe recently retired after more than 36 years with the station Rebecca Long, director of fegislation and public affairs, Metropolitan Transportation Commission Daniel Rodriguez, director, Institute of Transportation Studies UC Berkeley Janice Li, president, BART's Board of Directors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An under-studied segment of our country’s homeless population are those who are experiencing “vehicular homelessness.” These are people who sometimes choose, but are often forced, to call their cars their home. The reasons are manifold, including unmanageable rents, bad credit, too much debt, and often just bad luck. For her new article, “I Live In My Car,” New York Times reporter Rukmini Callimachi went to the outskirts of Seattle to spend a few days with a family living out of their sedan in a church parking lot. We’ll talk to Callimachi about the dozens of people she met, both car dwellers and those trying to help them. And then we’ll speak to a researcher from UCLA to find out how they’re studying the topic in Los Angeles. Guests: Rukmini Callimachi, correspondent, The New York Times Madeline Brozen, deputy director, UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When infrastructure works, it’s a marvel. A soaring bridge. A sewer system that spirits away waste. Underground pipes that bring water, electricity and the internet to wherever we want it.. As engineering professor Debbie Chachra argues in her new book, infrastructure is an expression of our society’s values and our ability to work together. But we often take infrastructure for granted and we aren’t doing enough to care for it and build more of it. She’ll join us to help us pay attention to the things that undergird our world. Guests: Debbie Chachra, author, "How Infrastructure Works: Inside the Systems that Shape Our World"; professor of engineering, Olin College of Engineering in Massachusetts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Catch up on the our most compelling interviews of the week in 30 minutes or less! This episode MSNBC Host, author, podcaster, and more, Rachel Maddow joins Mina to talk about her new book "Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism" and Alexis interviews Emily Galvin-Almanza, co-founder of Partners for Justice, about a new approach to criminal justice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rotten Tomatoes, the site that rates movies according to how a tomato decomposes – from Certified Fresh to rotten – turns 25 this year. And its origin story isn’t only one of the dot-com boom: It began with Jackie Chan movies, a martial arts club and three UC Berkeley undergrads. The trio went on to found a website that changed the way we choose the movies we watch. We’ll talk with them about the Rotten Tomatoes’ beginnings and we’ll hear from you: How do you use Rotten Tomatoes? Does the tomatometer make or break whether you see a film? Guests: Senh Duong, creator and founding COO, Rotten Tomatoes Patrick Lee, founding CEO, Rotten Tomatoes Stephen Wang, founding CTO, Rotten Tomatoes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When someone calls your cell phone are you filled with dread, or even anger? Is it better to call or leave a text? And how long should a voicemail be, if you leave one at all? As our relationships with our mobiles and each other evolve, so do the goalposts of communication norms. The meanings of emojis seem to change with the seasons, and generational conflict can ensue when a parent ends a text to their teen with a period. We’ll talk with experts about why you should text before you call and how to avoid sounding passive aggressive over DMs. And we’ll hear from you – what are your communication pet peeves? Guests: Heather Kelly, technology reporter, The Washington Post Carlos Cabrera-Lomeli, community engagement reporter, KQED Lee Humphreys, professor and chair, department of communication, Cornell University Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In his new book, “Fear is Just a Word,” Azam Ahmed chronicles the years-long journey of Miriam Rodriguez, who took it upon herself to find justice for her daughter after she was kidnapped in 2014 by one of the most violent gangs in Mexico. Rodriguez would eventually lead law enforcement to arrest nearly a dozen cartel members, doing much of the investigation and research herself, despite great risk to her and her family. Ahmed, a global investigative correspondent for the New York Times, shares that story with us, and explains how the cartels came to hold so much power in Mexico. Guests: Azam Ahmed, international investigative correspondent, The New York Times Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An estimated 80 percent of criminal defendants in state courts in the US are represented by public defenders, who typically have huge caseloads. And their clients often need more than just legal help, many are dealing with poverty, homelessness, mental illness and other challenges. Operating in Alameda County and other places around the country, the non-profit Partners for Justice supports the work of public defenders by helping to connect clients to wrap-around social services. Embedded in public defenders’ offices, PFJ’s specially-trained advocates also work with clients to tell their own life stories and put their alleged crimes in context. The approach is known as “holistic defense” and advocates say it lowers incarceration rates and helps defendants rebuild their lives. We’ll talk with PFJ’s founder and a client advocate about their work. Guests: Jamir Graham, advocate, Partners for Justice Emily Galvin-Almanza, founder and co-executive director, Partners for Justice Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On October 3 the House of Representatives ousted California Congressman Kevin McCarthy as House Speaker. After the withdrawal of initial GOP nominee Steve Scalise, their next nominee, Jim Jordan, failed to receive a majority of votes in an election held Tuesday. The House leadership vacuum becomes increasingly problematic as President Biden continues to pledge U.S. support for Ukraine and Israel. We talk about the dysfunction in the House and how it might resolve. Guests: Julian Zelizer, professor of history and public affairs, Princeton University - His most recent books include "Fault Lines: A History of the United States Since 1974" and "Burning Down the House: Newt Gingrich, the Fall of a Speaker, and the Rise of the New Republican Party" Lee Drutman, political scientist; author; senior fellow, Political Reform Program at New America Joan Greve, senior political reporter, The Guardian US Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For more than 35 years, British comedian Eddie Izzard built a career as an openly trans woman, winning Emmy awards, acting for both film and TV and performing in one-woman shows on Broadway. Now, she’s juggling a campaign for a seat in Parliament while making stops in North America for her Remix Tour, which revisits some of her favorite comedy sets. Ahead of her San Francisco shows, we’ll talk with Izzard about getting into politics and what it means to “remix” her old comedy. Guests: Eddie Izzard, comedian; author. Izzard is currently running to be the Labour candidate for a seat in Parliament Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Contemporary efforts to undermine democracy, spread disinformation and subvert elections are not without precedent in American politics, according to Rachel Maddow, the longtime MSNBC host, author and podcast creator. Rather, they’ve got a “prequel,” a period of American history before and during World War II when an “ultra-right authoritarian movement, weirdly infatuated with foreign dictatorships” planned to attack government targets to sow chaos and ultimately overthrow President Franklin D. Roosevelt. We’ll talk to Maddow about what we can learn from the Americans who beat back the domestic authoritarians of the 1930s and 1940s. Her new book is “Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism.” The U.S. Supreme Court’s latest term is underway with another round of big cases to watch. The future of an entire federal agency – the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau – is expected to be decided, along with cases about whether someone under a domestic violence restraining order can possess a gun, and the legality of the abortion medication mifepristone. We’ll look at the Court’s docket and what’s at stake with Ian Millhiser, senior correspondent at Vox who covers the Supreme Court. Guests: Rachel Maddow, author, "Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism"; host, "The Rachel Maddow Show" on MSNBC. Maddow's other books include “DRIFT: The Unmooring of American Military Power” and “Blowout: Corrupted Democracy, Rogue State Russia, and the Richest, Most Destructive Industry on Earth” Ian Millhiser, senior correspondent, Vox - His books include "Injustices: The Supreme Court's History of Comforting the Comfortable and Afflicting the Afflicted" and "The Agenda: How a Republican Supreme Court is Reshaping America." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Next month will mark one year since the public release of ChatGPT, the AI-enabled chatbot. The technology immediately sent shockwaves across college campuses: Would it revolutionize higher education, or simply lead to widespread cheating and plagiarism? We’ll look at how chatbots and AI are impacting higher ed, from college essays to classroom teaching. Guests: Francesca Caparas, professor of english, De Anza College Beth McMurtrie, senior writer, The Chronicle of Higher Education Jenae Cohn, executive director, UC Berkeley Center for Teaching and Learning Andrew Yu, senior, UC Davis Jennifer Tran, sophomore, UC Berkeley; student representative, Committee on Teaching, Academic Senate Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Literary translators are why we can read poems, novels and essays written in languages we don’t speak, exposing us to otherwise inaccessible ideas and worlds. But even though translators wrestle page by page, paragraph by paragraph, line by line, to convey meaning,humor and pathos, their names don’t always appear on book covers. And translators say their industry is mired in problems of inequitable pay, a lack of diversity and an undervaluing of heritage speakers. We’ll talk with a panel of literary translators about the joys and challenges of their work. Tell us: Have you ever attempted to translate a literary text? What did you notice? What’s your favorite work in translation? Guests: Bruna Dantas Lobato, translates from Portuguese; advocate for translators not working into their first language; novelist and author of the forthcoming novel, "Blue Light Hours" - she has just been longlisted for the National Book Award; Jennifer Croft, author, the forthcoming novel "The Extinction of Irena Rey"; translator for Polish Nobel Laureate Olga Tokarczuk; advocate for translators Soje, translates from Korean; poet; creator of Chogwa - which presents multiple translations of the same poem in each issue Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Slamming a bedroom door is one of the first signs a young person is entering puberty. Then come the physical changes, first periods, wet dreams, acne, mood swings and many other shifts. But, today’s young people are experiencing puberty in different ways than their parents’ generation. It starts sooner and lasts longer, making a complex stage of life even more challenging. The authors of a new book, “This is So Awkward: Modern Puberty Explained,” will join us to lay out how puberty has changed and how families can navigate this tricky time in kids’ lives. Guests: Cara Natterson, co-author, "This Is So Awkward: Modern Puberty Explained" - Natterson, a pediatrician and podcaster, is the author of ten books including the New York Times bestselling series "The Care and Keeping of You" and “Guy Stuff” Vanessa Kroll Bennett, co-author, "This is So Awkward: Modern Puberty Explained" - Bennett is co-host of the "Puberty Podcast" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we smash the patriarchy with interviews with multidisciplinary artist, poet, and author Mimi Tempestt on her new collection of poetry, "The Delicacy of Embracing Spirals" and writer and researcher Cat Bohannon on her book “Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution.” Catch up on the week's most compelling interviews in 30 minutes or less. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Glynn Washington hosts the podcast Spooked, which features stories about the supernatural – told by the people who experienced them first-hand. We talk with Glynn about spirits, ghosts, and the stories that make us question what we know. Whether you’re a believer or a skeptic, we invite you to join us as we discuss stories from the Spooked archive, contemplate our relationship with spirits and the afterlife, and explore the cultural roots and value of ghostly tales. Guests: Glynn Washington, host and executive producer, Snap Judgment and Spooked podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Solar eclipses happen roughly every six months, but they are rarely visible. This weekend, however, Bay Area residents will be able to see the moon pass in front of the sun in an annular eclipse. Another one, a total eclipse, is expected to cross our skies in April 2024. The celestial spectacles will be the last events to appear over the continental U.S. until 2045. We’ll dig into the science of solar eclipses, how to safely view an eclipse and hear the latest in space exploration. Guests: Andrew Fraknoi, astronomer and professor, Fromm Institute at the University of San Francisco and the OLLI Program at SF State; author of many textbooks and popular books about astronomy Marina Koren, staff writer, The Atlantic. Koren covers space for the magazine Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Leonard Leo, the powerful and well-funded leader of the Federalist Society who prevailed on the Trump Administration to nominate a slate of conservative, anti-abortion jurists to the Supreme Court, is now the subject of “We Don’t Talk About Leonard,” a new Pro Publica investigation and podcast. Now that he has created a right wing supermajority on the Supreme Court, “Leo has grander ambitions,” according to Pro Publica, “which include fighting against ‘wokism’ in education, ‘one-sided’ journalism, and ideas like environmental, social and governance policies” in corporate America. We learn what Pro Publica’s reporters have uncovered. Guests: Andrea Bernstein, creator of "We Don't Talk About Leonard," a podcast from On the Media and ProPublica; author of "American Oligarchs: The Kushners, the Trumps, and the Marriage of Money and Power" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Political corruption. Government shutdown battles. Legislative gridlock. Sometimes, it seems like ordinary citizens picked at random might do a better job governing than elected officials. In fact, that’s exactly the kind of lottery-like political system that is now gaining traction in academia. As part of Forum’s “Doing Democracy” series, we’ll talk about “lottocracy” and other ideas that seek to improve democracy and put ordinary citizens at the center of political power. Guests: Alexander Guerrero, professor of philosophy, Rutgers University - New Brunswick; author of the forthcoming book, "Lottocracy: Democracy Without Elections" Hélène Landemore, professor of political science, Yale University; author, "Open Democracy: Reinventing Popular Rule for the Twenty-First Century" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Communities across California with connections to Israel and Gaza are bracing for more violence, death and devastation after President Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday officially declared war on Hamas, the militant group that controls Gaza. On Saturday Hamas unleashed a deadly attack that Israel characterized as the “worst massacre of Israeli civilians” in history. Now almost 2,000 people are dead and thousands more wounded after Israel in turn launched unrelenting retaliatory strikes in the Gaza strip. We’ll learn more about what’s happening and how Jewish and Arab communities in California are responding to and processing the conflict. Guests: Manny Yekutiel, owner of Manny’s in San Francisco; currently in Israel visiting his family Janine Zacharia, visiting lecturer, Stanford University; former Jerusalem Bureau Chief and Middle East correspondent for the Washington Post Steven Erlanger, chief diplomatic correspondent in Europe, New York Times; reporting from Israel Wael Buhaissy, Palestinian American who lives in San Ramon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Curating a well-stocked pantry can feel like a never-ending grocery list. Where to draw the line between different types of oil or salt? And what about recipes from countries around the world, with ingredients you may use once and never again? For our next installment of All You Can Eat, our collaboration with the KQED Food Team, we talk to chefs and recipe magicians about how to make the most of your pantry space — whether in the cupboard or the freezer — and how to maximize your food budget without sacrificing the flavor and authenticity of the cuisines you love. Guests: Ali Slagle, creator, the newsletter "40 Ingredients Forever" on Substack; author, the cookbook "I Dream of Dinner (so You Don't Have To)"; contributor, New York Times Cooking Luke Tsai, food editor, KQED Arts & Culture Linda Tay Esposito, chef; teacher, 18 Reasons, Milk Street Kitchen, and The Civic Kitchen - Esposito specializes in Southeast Asian cuisine Viola Buitoni, author, "Italy by Ingredient: Artisanal Foods, Modern Recipes" Sarah Kirnon, chef; former owner of Miss Ollie's Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every wildfire has at least two stories, according to writers Justin Angle and Nick Mott. One story is about the devastation exacted on humans, their lives and property. The other story, sometimes at odds with the first, is about fire’s positive impacts on ecosystems. Fire is “something we need to suppress and control,” they write, “yet it’s a natural force we need more of.” Angle and Mott’s new book “This is Wildfire” is about reconciling those perspectives and finding practical ways to live healthily and sustainably in an increasingly fire-prone world. We’ll learn about advances in U.S. forest management and get tips for protecting yourself, your home and your community. Guests: Justin Angle, professor, University of Montana College of Business; co-author, "This is Wildfire: How to Protect Yourself, Your Home and Your Community in the Age of Heat" Nick Mott, journalist; podcast producer; co-author, "This Is Wildfire: How to Protect Yourself, Your Home, and Your Community in the Age of Heat" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In her new collection of poems, Mimi Tempestt wrestles with both intensely personal struggles and injustices across the globe. In one of the poems in “the delicacy of embracing spirals” she writes, Every day i wake up & watch my old renditions steal my heart away from my mother’s wildest dream you keep asking me to tell my story i’m too busy creating the world Tempestt, who grew up in Los Angeles and now lives in Berkeley, is known for poetry that blurs convention and questions everything from gender to gentrification. We’ll talk with Tempestt about how she employs poetry to reclaim her identity and live out loud. Guests: Mimi Tempestt, multidisciplinary artist; poet and author "The Delicacy of Embracing Spirals" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From oat milk at coffee shops, to cashew cheese at Target, to McDonald’s McPlant burger, it’s becoming easier to consume fewer animal products. That’s a win for the environment, given a livestock sector that’s responsible for about 15 percent of global greenhouse emissions, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. But simply offering substitutes to the American diet won’t be enough to stop climate change or the exploitation of food workers, land and animals, argues food and culture writer Alicia Kennedy’s new book “No Meat Required.” Kennedy joins us to share how the counter-cultural history of veganism, vegetarianism and plant-based eating can help us rethink American food norms and still uphold the cultures, flavors and joys of food. Guests: Alicia Kennedy, food and culture writer; author, "No Meat Required: The Cultural History and Culinary Future of Plant-Based Eating" - Kennedy also has a popular food newsletter on Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In September, Alameda County declared a state of emergency on homelessness to address growing numbers of unhoused people. Suburban and rural areas throughout California are seeing more homelessness, according to a recent study from UC Berkeley’s Terner Center for Housing Innovation. Homelessness outside of big cities can be less visible and requires a different approach since towns and suburbs often lack the resources and infrastructure that larger cities have to help unhoused people. We’ll talk about what’s driving homelessness in Bay Area suburbs and what’s being done about it. Guests: Kerry Abbott, director, Office of Homeless Care and Coordination for Alameda County Ryan Finnigan, associate research director, Terner Center for Housing Innovation - helping design and execute the center’s research agenda. His research has focused on homelessness in California, and poverty and social policy both in the United States overall. Jennifer Loving, executive director, Destination: Home - a public-private partnership focused on ending homelessness in Santa Clara County. Aubrey Merriman, CEO, LifeMoves - a homeless services provider for San Mateo County Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Each week we bring you a selection of interviews we don't want you to miss - in 30 minutes or less! This week Mina Kim speaks with comedian Keegan-Michael Key and writer/director Elle Key about the couple's new book "The History of Sketch Comedy: A Journey Through the Art and Craft of Humor," and we hear Alexis Madrigal's conversation with Oakland-based graphic novelist, Daniel Clowes on his new book "Monica." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Romantic crushes: we’ve all experienced that feeling of intense yearning for someone we know we’d never end up with. But while crushes may bring heartache, they also carry benefits, according to Atlantic editor Faith Hill, author of the article “A Crush Can Teach You a Lot About Yourself.” Hill says crushes can offer a happy escape from reality, help us figure out what we like in our partners and make us feel more alive. We’ll talk about crushes and the biology that underlies them, and we’ll hear about the crushes you’ve had, and what you’ve learned from them. Guests: Faith Hill, senior associate editor, The Atlantic; author of the article "A Crush Can Teach You a Lot About Yourself" Helen Fisher, biological anthropologist and senior research fellow, The Kinsey Institute at Indiana University. Her books include "Why We Love" and "Anatomy of Love" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 sounds that populate filmmaker Sam Green’s immersive documentary “32 Sounds.” The movie is not just a collection of sounds, but rather a meditation on the strange power that sound has on us, whether it is voices, music, the natural world or sounds that we are trying to tune out. Watching the movie, even on a tiny screen, can be a full-body experience in which you’re encouraged by Green, who narrates the film, to feel the sound. We’re bringing this segment out of the Forum archives as 32 Sounds returns to Bay Area theaters later this month for more screenings at: Roxie Theater, San Francisco, Oct. 28 Rialto Cinemas Elmwood, Berkeley, Oct. 29 Rialto Cinemas Sebastopol, Sebastopol, Oct. 30 Guests: Sam Green, filmmaker, "32 Sounds" Mark Mangini, Sound designer, "32 Sounds." Magini has won two Oscars in sound design for his work on the movies "Dune" and "Mad Max Fury Road. He has received multiple Academy Award nominations for his sound design work on films including, "Blade Runner 2049" and "Star Treks I, IV and V." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What does it really mean biologically to be a woman? That’s one of the central questions Cat Bohannon explores in her new book “Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution.” Bohannon makes the case that until recently scientists have effectively ignored women: the majority of subjects in clinical drug trials are male, and too many researchers still mistakenly assume that sex differences are mainly about sex organs, rather than a panoply of biological and physiological features that evolved in the female body over millions of years. We talk to Bohannon about her new book, at once an evolutionary history and a call to action to “tear down the male norm and put better science in its place.” Guests: Cat Bohannon, researcher; author, "Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More than 75,000 Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers in five states —including 22,000 in the Bay Area — went on strike Wednesday after the company and unions failed to resolve a dispute over wages and staffing levels. The union says the strike, set to last three days, is the largest in the healthcare sector in U.S. history. We’ll look at how the walkout is affecting patient care and how it fits into the recent trend of labor actions targeting a range of industries across the country. Guests: Jeannifer Key, licensed clinical social worker at Kaiser Oakland; member, SEIU-UHW Ken Jacobs, chair, Center for Labor Research and Education at UC Berkeley Farida Jhabvala Romero, reporter, KQED Dr. Robert Pearl, former CEO, The Permanente Medical Group; author, "Uncaring: How the Culture of Medicine Kills Doctors and Patients" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most histories of social media focus on Big Tech: the inventors, the investors and the innovations they made. But Washington Post columnist Taylor Lorenz writes in her new book “Extremely Online” that “tech founders may control the source code, but users shape the product.” Providing a “social history of social media,” Lorenz looks at how influencers — the content creators, bloggers and uploaders who amassed followings just from their online posts — drove change on the platforms we use and guide how we post today. We’ll talk with Lorenz about the influence of influencers. Guests: Taylor Lorenz, columnist covering technology and online culture, The Washington Post; author, "Extremely Online: The Untold Story of Fame, Influence, and Power on the Internet" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In September, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors reviewed a 400-page report outlining more than 100 recommendations on how to provide reparations for the city’s African-American residents. Proposals include establishing a city office dedicated to reparations, programs to support Black-owned businesses, and cash payments to individuals, a suggestion that has stirred controversy. A city commission developed the plan after nearly three years of work, which mirrors a statewide reparations study that is ongoing. We’ll talk about San Francisco’s recommendations, the harms they are meant to repair and what San Franciscans think about it. Guests: Otis R. Taylor Jr., managing editor of news, KQED Don Tamaki, member, California Reparations Task Force; partner, Minami Tamaki LLP Eric McDonnell, chair, San Francisco African American Reparations Advisory Committee Alison Ford, Bay Area native; descendant of people who were enslaved Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Governor Gavin Newsom has appointed Democratic strategist Laphonza Butler to the U.S. Senate seat formerly held by Dianne Feinstein, who died on Thursday. Butler is the president of Emily’s List, a political action committee that helps elect women who support abortion rights. She’s also a former labor leader, advisor to vice-president Kamala Harris, and University of California regent. When she is sworn in, Newsom will have fulfilled his promise to appoint a Black woman, and Butler will be the first openly LGBT senator from the state. We’ll learn more about Butler – who tweeted Monday that she is “ready to serve” – and what her appointment means for the U.S. Senate race currently underway. Guests: Aimee Allison, founder and president, She the People - A national organization dedicated to building the political power of women of color Marisa Lagos, politics correspondent, KQED; co-host, KQED's Political Breakdown show Melanie Mason, senior political correspondent covering California politics, Politico Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Steinhart Aquarium in the California Academy of Sciences turned 100 this fall. It’s just eight years older than Methusaleh, the 92-year-old lungfish that arrived in 1938. The aquarium is home to 60,000 animals representing 1,000 species. Steinhart was the first public aquarium to display flashlight fish and coconut octopuses and found innovative ways to showcase the ocean’s mysterious “twilight zone.” As the Steinhart celebrates its century mark, questions remain about the role aquariums play in wildlife research, conservation, and education. We’ll talk to the aquarium’s director about its history and future. And we hear from you: what’s your favorite aquarium memory? Guests: Bart Shepherd, senior director, Steinhart Aquarium at the California Academy of Sciences Rebekah Kim, head librarian, California Academy of Sciences Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The new book “The History of Sketch Comedy,” based on Keegan-Michael Key and Elle Key’s award-winning podcast of the same name, explains how sketch comedy works and how we arrived at the sketch comedy landscape we enjoy on our phone, laptop and TV screens today. Weaving in the authors’ own history — from watching sketches to scripting jokes themselves — the book analyzes why we love the Monty Python and late-night sketches we do, where the greats drew inspiration and why unexpected escalations can make us laugh so hard we need to leave the room. We’ll talk about the sketches that make us giggle days, months, years and decades after watching them — and why and how they work. Guests: Elle Key, author, producer, writer co-creator of "The History of Sketch Comedy" podcast and book Keegan-Michael Key, actor, producer, writer and co-creator of "The History of Sketch Comedy" podcast and book Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Daniel Gumbiner’s latest novel, “Fire in the Canyon,” wildfire acts as a plot catalyst and a character. The story follows Ben Hecht, a former pot farmer turned grape grower in California’s Gold Country, who is just getting by when wildfire sweeps through. Both the Hecht family and the land they live on exist in a “state of fragile equilibrium,” in which security is both hard-earned and precarious. We’ll talk to Gumbiner about the emotional costs of climate change and wildfire in California. Guests: Daniel Gumbiner, author, "Fire in the Canyon" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Senator Dianne Feinstein died Thursday night. Her death was confirmed by family members Friday morning. The Senate’s oldest serving member, and California’s first female senator, Feinstein had announced that she would retire at the end of her term. Her long and storied political career began in San Francisco. She came to national prominence in the midst of tragedy: as the president of the Board of Supervisors, it was Feinstein who announced to the world that Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk had been assassinated. Feinstein served as mayor of San Francisco for 9 years. Feinstein was elected to the Senate in 1992. During her tenure she championed the 1994 assault weapons ban and in 2014, as chairperson of the Senate Intelligence Committee, issued a damning report on the use of torture by the CIA post 9/11. We’ll talk about Feinstein and her legacy. Guests: Jim Lazarus, longtime aide to Senator Feinstein Jackie Speier, former Democratic Congresswoman who represented California's 14th Congressional District (parts of San Francisco and most of San Mateo County) and served on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the House Armed Services Committee, and the House Oversight committee Jerry Roberts, author of "Dianne Feinstein: Never Let Them See You Cry" and former managing editor of the San Francisco Chronicle Barbara Boxer, former Democratic Congresswoman who represented California's 6th Congressional District and also served as California Senator Willie Brown, former San Francisco Mayor Scott Shafer, senior editor, KQED’s California Politics and Government desk and co-host of Political Breakdown Marisa Lagos, politics correspondent, KQED and co-host of KQED's Political Breakdown show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

School is back in session and that means a daily struggle for many parents to figure out what to pack their kids for lunch. As palates have evolved so have school lunches. Nowadays, bento boxes are all the rage, largely replacing paper sacks as the container of choice. Kids are as likely to dine on sandwiches as they are wraps, musubi, and salads. We’ll dish on healthy and tasty options that kids will want to eat and hear your tips on how parents can manage the load. Guests: Luke Tsai, food editor, KQED Arts & Culture J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, a cookbook author, children’s book author, New York Times columnist, and restaurateur. He's also host of "Kenji's Cooking Show" on YouTube. His books include "The Food Lab," "The Wok: Recipes & Techniques" and "Every Night is Pizza Night." Namiko Hirasawa Chen, founder and CEO, Just One Cookbook, a web site and video series focused on Japanese cooking Monique Lopez Feybesse, chef and owner, Tarts de Feybesse Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Seven candidates vying for the Republican presidential nomination take the stage on Wednesday in Simi Valley for the second debate of the 2024 campaign. They’re expected to take questions on the looming government shutdown, the economy and the war in Ukraine – and make the case to donors and supporters that they can take on Donald Trump. The former president, who’s under four indictments and leads the primary field by a wide margin, will again skip the debate and plans instead to speak to an audience of current and former autoworkers in Detroit. We’ll recap the debate and hear your reactions. Guests: Phillip M. Bailey, national political correspondent, USA Today Lanhee Chen, GOP policy advisor; research fellow, the Hoover Institution; former candidate, CA State Controller; former policy director, Mitt Romney’s 2012 Scott Shafer, senior editor, KQED’s California Politics and Government desk; co-host, Political Breakdown Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“If Steve Earle weren’t a living, breathing person, he’d be a character in a blues song,” observed a reviewer. Earle is foremost a musician, one who started out in Nashville as a songwriter. Along the way, this self-proclaimed “hardcore troubadour,” has been married seven times, conquered drug addiction, did a stint in jail, and lost nearly everything as he fed that addiction. But in the end, the power of music won through. Today, Earle is known for his accomplished musicianship, his way with lyrics, and his outspoken politics. He’s won buckets of awards, including three Grammys, recorded 22 albums, and his song, “Copperhead Road,” has become the official state song of Tennessee. Earle is in town for the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival which he will be headlining. We’ll talk to Earle about his songwriting, his music, and hear him sing some tunes. Guests: Steve Earle, singer, songwriter. Earle has received three Grammy awards for his folk albums. He will be appearing that Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival in San Francisco. Mick Hellman, drummer for the Go to Hell Man Band, the Wreckless Strangers and Marco & the Polos; founder and managing partner, HMI Capital. Hellman's father, Warren Hellman, founded the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Barbara Kingsolver says that she’s “drawn to characters who don’t feel they have a place at the table. They’ve heard too many conversations that begin: You poor backward soul, living in the middle of nowhere.” It’s that impulse that animates her 2022 episodic novel “Demon Copperhead,” which won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction this year. It’s the story of Demon, an orphan in Appalachia who’s beset by crushing poverty and neglect but whose hardships are structural, introduced to his community by the mining and pain pill industries and made worse by urban prejudice and disdain. We talk to Kingsolver about how she brought “Demon Copperhead” to life and the power of art – both her protagonist’s and her own – to give voice and change minds. Guests: Barbara Kingsolver, author, "Demon Copperhead," which won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Her other books include "Unsheltered," "The Poisonwood Bible," and "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Celebrated cartoonist Daniel Clowes is best known for his acclaimed 1997 graphic novel Ghost World— and the Oscar-nominated movie version that he co-wrote. For his latest work Monica, Clowes employs a mash-up of cartooning styles and genres, from war to romance to horror, to tell the story of the title character…and the mother who abandoned her. The Oakland-based author has said the book is in part an effort to understand and accept his own mother, who he lost while working on it. He’ll join us to talk about the book, and his career. Guests: Daniel Clowes, cartoonist; screenwriter - His latest graphic novel is "Monica" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“I’ve completed another year of delights. Or maybe I should say another year of delights has completed me.” So writes poet and author Ross Gay at the end of his new book, “The Book of (More) Delights,” which once again celebrates life’s daily joys, wonders, gifts and surprises, both small and all-defining. As he did in 2019’s New York Times bestseller “The Book of Delights,” Gay unearths the profound in his quickly written daily odes, each praising friends, everyday items, natural wonders and personal joys, like that of turning around before reaching a hike’s summit. We’ll talk with Gay about the pleasure of continuing this project and hear from you: Whether it’s a coworker’s pear tree or a compliment from a friend, what’s one recent delight from your life? Guests: Ross Gay, poet; essayist; author, "The Book of (More) Delights" - His previous books include "Inciting Joy," "Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude" and "The Book of Delights" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Everyday people share millions of photos on websites and social media networks. For decades, tech companies have been trying to figure out ways to make the faces in those photos searchable – and monetizable. While that technology has practical uses, it also raises serious privacy questions and has led to problematic cases of mistaken identity. In her book, “Your Face Belongs to Us,” New York Times tech reporter Kashmir Hill investigates the perils of facial recognition software. She chronicles the trajectory of Clearview AI, a company that prioritized speed and profits over ethics, putting millions of unsuspecting people at risk. We’ll talk with Hill about the rise of facial recognition and how to reduce its harms. Guests: Kashmir Hill, tech reporter, New York Times; author, "Your Face Belongs to Us" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For years, Solano County residents wondered who was secretly spending hundreds of millions of dollars to buy up family farms in their community. The rumors swirled: was Disney planning a new theme park? Was it some sort of Chinese government land-grab? In August, the mystery was solved: the New York Times reported that a group of tech moguls including billionaire venture capitalist Michael Moritz, philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs, and LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman and were making the purchases as part of a plan to build a city from scratch, on 50,000 acres of agricultural land. They’ve now gone public, under the name California Forever, and are promising to bring benefits like good paying local jobs, solar farms, and open space. But many questions remain. In this hour of Forum, we’ll talk to the group’s CEO as well as one of the local lawmakers raising concerns about the plan. Guests: J.K. Dineen, Bay Area housing reporter, San Francisco Chronicle Jan Sramek, Founder and CEO, California Forever Catherine Moy, Mayor, Fairfield Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices