KQED's Forum

Gabrielle Zevin’s most recent novel “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow” draws its title from what Zevin calls one of the bleakest speeches in all of Shakespeare, as Macbeth contemplates life’s monotony and meaninglessness. But to one of her characters, the soliloquy is hopeful, and it expresses the essence of a video game: “the idea that if you keep playing, you could win. No loss is permanent, because nothing is permanent, ever.” We talk to Zevin about the video games, art and friendships that animate the novel, and why California occupies a special place in it. Guests: Gabrielle Zevin, author, "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Comedy duo Cheech & Chong started doing improv theater together about 55 years ago, in an act they’ve called “hippie burlesque,” at a Vancouver strip club. Ten years later they invented the stoner buddy movie genre with Up In Smoke, introducing mainstream America to a lot of weed jokes and also a friendlier 70’s Chicano culture than had been portrayed on screen. We talk with Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong, who are part of the comedy festival SF Sketchfest, about their long careers, art, activism and whether legalization has made marijuana any less funny. Guests: Tommy Chong, comedian, actor and musician Cheech Marin, comedian, actor and musician and founding donor, The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Veteran journalist Judy Woodruff stepped down as the anchor of PBS NewsHour at the end of last month. Widely considered one of the most trusted figures in the media, Woodruff’s laureled career includes an Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award and the inaugural Peabody Award for Journalistic Integrity. Though no longer anchor, she plans to next report on America’s political divides — how we got here, how we heal and where we go next — in a series called "America at a Crossroads.” Woodruff joins us to share how she’s seen the country and its politics change over her 50-year career and what trust in the media really means. Guests: Judy Woodruff, former anchor, PBS Newshour; reporter, upcoming PBS project, "Judy Woodruff Presents: America at a Crossroads" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Francisco has just 815,000 residents. But its annual budget is nearly $14 billion. The budget covers the operations of both the city and county of San Francisco, and half of that is money earmarked for the airport, port, Muni, and public utilities, among other enterprise agencies. But that leaves nearly $7 billion in General Fund money for a city with less than a million people. And, the city is projecting a $728 million deficit over the next two years. Where does the money go and does San Francisco’s budget reflect the values of its citizens? We’ll talk about the budget, the looming deficit, and the financial state of San Francisco, which has had one of the slowest economic recoveries from the pandemic in the nation. Guests: Jim Wunderman, President and CEO, Bay Area Council - A regional business-sponsored public policy group JD Morris, City Hall reporter, SF Chronicle Michelle Allersma, director, San Francisco Controller's Office Budget and Analysis Division Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“[T]o Kevin McCarthy, the Intelligence Committee is just a political plaything.” That was how Los Angeles Congressman Adam Schiff last week characterized McCarthy’s stated intention to remove him from the committee he chaired in order to please MAGA Republicans. We talk to Rep. Schiff about how House Democrats will operate under McCarthy’s leadership, how he sees lawmakers resolve an upcoming debt ceiling fight and how he plans to keep momentum behind the work of the committee that investigated the January 6 insurrection. Guest: Congressman Adam Schiff, Democratic Congressman, representing California's 28th District, in Los Angeles County; former chair of the House Intelligence Committee and member of the select committee investigating the January 6 insurrection; author, "Midnight in Washington: How We Almost Lost Our Democracy and Still Could" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California has experienced extreme weather whiplash during the past year from bone dry summer days to a flooding wet January. This is our state’s new climate system fueled by global warming. The state is also going through one of the most severe droughts in history. We’ll talk about how the weather we’ve experienced in the past year has factored into our wildfire, drought and flooding issues as part of “Climate Fix: Rethinking Solutions for California,” a collaboration between KQED’s Forum and Science teams. This new, regular series on Forum will explore how climate change is affecting the golden state and the ways Californians are trying to reverse global warming. Guests: Danielle Venton, science reporter, KQED News Laura Feinstein, sustainability and resilience policy director, SPUR, a San Francisco policy and research organization Patrick Gonzalez, climate change scientist and forest ecologist Organization: University of California, Berkeley - Patrick is also executive director of the Institute for Parks, People, and Biodiversity Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In January 2020, Atlantic senior editor John Hendrickson wrote an article about Joe Biden’s stutter. Like Biden, Hendrickson has a stutter. And while stuttering wasn’t something that Hendrickson hid, it wasn’t something he liked to talk about either. But the viral response to his piece led Hendrickson to reconsider how to talk and think about his stutter. His relationship with stuttering and its impacts, both good and bad, on his life, are the focus of his new book, “Life on Delay: Making Peace with a Stutter.” We talk to Hendrickson, and hear from you: Has your life been affected by a stutter, yours or someone else’s? Guests: John Hendrickson , Author, "Life on Delay: Making Peace with a Stutter" - Hendrickson is a senior editor with Atlantic magazine. Courtney Byrd, Professor, Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, University of Texas at Austin - Byrd is also the founder and executive director of the Arthur M. Blank Center for Stuttering Education and Research Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The U.S. continues to grapple with poverty, economic inequality, and racial inequity more than 50 years after the death of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. In some lesser known speeches, King advocated for revolutionary ideas to eradicate poverty and provide economic justice such as a guaranteed basic income. We’ll look at King’s proposals for combating inequality, the evolution of those ideas over the decades, and current campaigns for economic justice in the Bay Area and nationally. Guests: Michael Honey, Professor of Labor and Ethnic Studies and American History, University of Washington, Tacoma Dorian Warren, Co-President, Community Change Tinisch Hollins, executive director, Californians for Safety and Justice - co-founder of SF Black Wall Street, Vice Chair of SF African-Americans Reparations Advisory Committee Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2022 MacArthur fellow Martha Gonzalez describes herself as an ‘artivista’ – at once an artist and an activist. The frontwoman of the East Los Angeles band Quetzal, Gonzalez focuses on the ways communities of color use music and creative expression as political tools toward social justice. From community fandango workshops to recording projects between women in L.A. and Veracruz, Mexico, Gonzalez makes music a conduit for conversation centering communities and their challenges. We’ll talk with Gonzalez about how her music practice and her activism influence each other. This segment originally aired Oct. 25, 2022 Guests: Martha Gonzalez, Associate Professor in the Intercollegiate Department of Chicana/o Latina/o Studies, Scripps/Claremont College Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last year, poet and writer Clint Smith wrote the book, “How the World is Passed,” exploring how the US has failed to come to terms with the reality and legacy of slavery. Now, for an Atlantic cover story, “Monuments to the Unthinkable” he’s traveled to Germany to see how that country has grappled with memorializing its own ugly history. On this Martin Luther King Jr day, we talk with Smith about history, memory, and the stories a nation tells itself. This segment originally aired Nov. 17, 2022 Guests: Clint Smith, poet, "How the Word is Passed;" staff writer, The Atlantic Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former content moderators for Reddit and TikTok filed class action lawsuits against the sites last month alleging they suffered trauma from the graphic and violent content they reviewed. Content moderators review everything from innocuous misreports to horrifying videos of abuse — and experts say that vacillating between the two can create an anxiety of its own. We’ll talk about what content moderators face both domestically and abroad, why the work can’t be automated and the moral questions raised by the industry’s current structure. Guests: Sarah T. Roberts, faculty director, UCLA Center for Critical Internet Inquiry; author, "Behind the Screen: Content Moderation in the Shadows of Social Media" Niamh McIntyre, reporter on the Big Tech team, The Bureau of Investigative Journalism Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The useful lifespan of items all over your home from clothes to kitchen gadgets to cell phones has been shrinking, according to a recent article in Vox. At the same time, manufacturers increasingly design products, especially tech devices and electronics, so that they are not easy or cost-effective to repair. “We buy, buy, buy, and we’ve been tricked — for far longer than the last decade — into believing that buying more stuff, new stuff is the way,” writes Izzie Ramirez of Vox. We’ll talk about the modern version of planned obsolescence and the “fix-it” movement that’s trying to combat it. Guests: Izzie Ramirez, deputy editor of Future Perfect, Vox Media; author of the recent article, "Your stuff is actually worse now" Kyle Wiens, co-founder and CEO, iFixit Matthew Bird, teaches industrial design, Rhode Island School of Design Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“If the storm had a theme, it was in the uprooted and broken trees that seemed to blanket the rain-soaked landscape,” writes California correspondent for the New York Times Shawn Hubler. All across the state, one of the most visible signs of destruction by California’s storms are uprooted trees, their curling roots violently airborne. They’ve smashed through roofs, toppled power lines and taken lives, affecting Californians across the state as we weather a series of Pineapple Express storms. We’ll hear why the state’s trees – already stressed by drought – are particularly vulnerable to storms and how the destruction they’ve caused has affected you. Guests: Shawn Hubler, California correspondent, The New York Times Karla Nemeth, director, California Department of Water Resources Paula Peper, retired U.S. Forest Service urban ecologist in Sacramento Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After 119 citizens in Oakland joined a class action lawsuit against the Oakland Police Department for vicious and sadistic beatings, evidence tampering, and other abuses by a notorious group of officers known as the Riders, the department was placed under a federally mandated consent decree in 2003. Now, two decades later, Oakland is finally nearing the end of federal oversight and meeting mandated reforms . “A half dozen police chiefs have come and gone. The reform program has outlasted four mayors, two judges, and two monitoring teams,” write reporters Darwin Bondgraham and Ali Winston in their extensive history of the Oakland police department and the efforts to fix it. “More has been done to reform the Oakland Police Department than any other police force in the United States,” they write. We talk with Bondgraham and Winston about why police reform, in Oakland and across the county, is so difficult and so often fails, and their book, “The Riders Come Out at Night: Brutality, Corruption, and Coverup in Oakland.” Guests: Ali Winston, Independent journalist covering law enforcement and criminal justice Darwin BondGraham, news editor, Oaklandside Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fatphobia takes an enormous physical and psychological toll on fat people, writes culture critic Evette Dionne, who says it “robs us of our joy, our ability to progress in our careers, and sometimes… our lives.” Dionne contends with heart failure and a rare type of hypertension, conditions that doctors overlooked because of her size. “Weightless” is Dionne’s new collection of essays exploring fatphobia in settings as diverse as doctors’ offices, schools, TV and film. She joins us to talk about how we can begin to dismantle society’s deep prejudices against those who are overweight and how self-love can counter fatphobia. Guests: Evette Dionne, author, "Weightless: Making Space for My Resilient Body and Soul" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

¡Hella Hungry! is a regular series from KQED food writer Alan Chazaro that profiles Bay Area foodmakers who help shape the region's culinary culture. Flor Martinez Zaragoza, a 27-year-old from San Jose, uses her Instagram account to advocate for farmworker rights and highlight how local produce makes it from the farm to the table. The Vegan Hood Chefs, a San Francisco duo, serve Southern-inspired comfort foods while “revolutionizing hood nutrition.” Joog co-founded SMAX, an East Bay pop-up and test kitchen, to reimagine Asian flavors and create artfully designed sandwiches and treats. We’ll talk about the series, the local food scene and what qualities make a restaurant, food truck or pop-up feel distinctly Bay Area. Guests: Alan Chazaro, food reporter, KQED; poet and educator Luke Tsai, food editor, KQED Arts & Culture Flor Martinez-Zaragoza, farmworker rights advocate; nonprofit leader and influencer, @flowerinspanish Joog, co-founder, SMAX, an East Bay pop-up and test kitchen Ronnishia Johnson, co-founder, The Vegan Hood Chefs, a food truck that offers Southern-inspired comfort foods Rheema Calloway, co-founder, The Vegan Hood Chefs, a food truck that offers Southern-inspired vegan comfort foods Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Our country has never before faced the kind of threat we documented. May it never again,” wrote Congressman Adam Schiff in the New York Times last month. His words came as the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol, on which he served, released its final, 845-page report. We’ll talk to Schiff and NPR senior political editor Domenico Montanaro about what happens next and how Republicans are setting up to lead the chamber, in the wake of last week’s chaotic election of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Guests: Domenico Montanaro, senior political editor and correspondent, NPR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As another atmospheric river batters California, the state finds itself in the midst of weather whiplash: Parts of the state are flooding even while California remains in a drought emergency. As of early Monday, despite historic amounts of rain, most of the state’s reservoirs had not reached capacity and experts say this current system of rainstorms does not guarantee an end to the drought. In 2022, the year began with a similar set of storms to be followed by an unusually warm and dry winter that melted off the snowpack early. We’ll talk about the impact the storms are having on our aging water system and what we can learn about how to avoid flooding and capture more water from extreme weather events like this as they become more frequent with climate change. Guests: Erica Gies, independent journalist; author, "Water Always Wins;" National Geographic explorer" - Gies wrote the recent New York Times essay "California Could Capture Its Destructive Floodwaters to Fight Drought" Karla Nemeth, director, California Department of Water Resources Jay Lund, vice-director of the Center for Watershed Sciences, University of California, Davis - Lund is also a professor of civil and environmental engineering. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How can we live the good life, one enlivened by joy, meaning and community? That’s the question UC Berkeley psychology professor Dacher Keltner has been exploring for the last 20 years, and he says he's found the answer: find awe. It’s the emotion we experience when we encounter vast mysteries -- in nature, in art and even in sport. We talk to Keltner about the science of awe and we'll hear what you find awe-inspiring. Guests: Dacher Keltner, professor of psychology and faculty director of the Greater Good Science Center, UC Berkeley; author, "Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transit agencies throughout the Bay Area are struggling with low ridership, funding shortfalls, and worker shortages. Office workers who used to pack light rail trains are still largely working from home, posing both financial and existential questions for various transit agencies. How can the region’s transit ecosystem survive in an uncertain future? And, how can the Bay Area support a robust transit system to reduce traffic and carbon emissions? We dive into how the Bay Area’s mass transit systems are faring and what the future could bring. Guests: Dan Brekke, editor and reporter, KQED News Therese McMillan, executive director, Metropolitan Transportation Commission and the Association of Bay Area Governments Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California Governor Gavin Newsom will be sworn into his second term on Friday, following a march to mark California's commitment to democracy on the anniversary of the U.S. Capitol insurrection. We'll look at the issues and events that defined Newsom's first term and how his administration plans to deal with challenges ahead, including gas prices, housing issues and a revenue shortfall. And we'll hear what you think the Governor's priorities should be in the next four years. Guests: Marisa Lagos, politics correspondent, KQED; co-host, KQED's Political Breakdown show Scott Shafer, senior editor, KQED’s California Politics and Government desk; co-host, KQED's Political Breakdown show Mike Gatto, former Democratic State Assemblymember from Los Angeles Nicole Nixon, politics reporter, CapRadio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We make them. We break them. We vow to restart. At least after one more cookie… They’re our new year’s resolutions. For some, they are an inspiration to live a better, more intentional life. For others, they are a list of broken promises. Why do we annually go through this exercise? And what does science tell us about how we can change our habits? We’ll talk all things resolutions, and hear from you: What are your 2023 resolutions and how do you plan to stick to them? Guests: Katy Milkman, professor, The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania; author, "How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be;" co-founder and co-director, the Behavior Change for Good Initiative at the University of Pennsylvania Marielle Segarra, reporter and host, NPR's Life Kit Elizabeth Lopatto, senior writer, The Verge; author, recent article "Some New Year’s Resolutions that Won’t End Up in Your Pile of Shame" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The U.S. birthrate is at its lowest since the 1970s, and that’s because more American millennials and Gen Z are deciding not to have kids than previous generations. Health journalist Jordan Davidson sought to find out why, and she interviewed more than 300 people about the factors they considered in deciding whether or not to become parents. They cited concerns ranging from the economy and environment to their relationships with their own parents. We’ll talk with Davidson about what she learned, and we’ll hear from you: are you — or were you — hesitant about having children? Guests: Jordan Davidson, health journalist and editorial director, Health - and author, "So When Are You Having Kids: The Definitive Guide for Those Who Aren’t Sure If, When, or How They Want to Become Parents" Van Ethan Levy, licensed marriage and family therapist and professional clinical counselor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Food banks and meal delivery programs are straining to meet the needs of Bay Area residents as costs rise and support dwindles. In Alameda County, an estimated one in four residents deal with food insecurity compared with 1 in five before the pandemic. We’ll talk about hunger in the Bay Area and the challenges faced by food assistance programs. Guests: Regi Young, executive director, Alameda County Community Food Bank Dana Cronin, freelance reporter - Cronin wrote the recent piece "‘It’s Not Enough.’ SNAP Recipients Struggle Amid High Food Prices" for Civil Eats Jim Oswald, director of marketing and communications, Meals on Wheels San Francisco Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to approve the experimental dementia drug Lecanemab as soon as this week, a move embraced by Alzheimer's disease researchers after trials showed it slowed the progression of the disease in some patients with mild cognitive impairment. The new potential therapy is also raising hopes that it could help those who are symptom-free but have brain changes -- detected by new blood tests -- that signal Alzheimer's. We'll talk about the latest advances in Alzheimer's research. Guests: Dr. Adam Boxer, endowed professor in memory and aging and professor of neurology, UCSF - He directs UCSF’s Neurosciences Clinical Research Unit and the Alzheimer’s Disease and Frontotemporal Degeneration Clinical Trials Program at the UCSF Memory and Aging Center. Dr. Kristine Yaffe, professor of psychiatry, neurology and epidemiology, UCSF - She also directs UCSF's Center for Population Brain Health. Dr. Michael Weiner, professor of radiology, UCSF - principal investigator of the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week’s record setting rains downed trees, flooded streets, and damaged numerous homes and businesses. Now our region is bracing for another massive storm that promises to re-drench the state’s coastal areas and dump even more heaps of snow on the Sierra Nevada. The National Weather Service issued a warning on Monday that this is “truly a brutal system that we are looking at and needs to be taken seriously.” We’ll talk about what you can do to get ready and what all this precipitation means for California’s ongoing drought. Guests: Daniel Swain, climate scientist, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at UCLA and The Nature Conservancy of California Brian Garcia, warning coordination meteorologist, National Weather Service SF Bay Area/Monterey Gerry Diaz, newsroom meteorologist, SF Chronicle Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gender inequality discussions tend to center the disadvantages women face. But as women make gains in education and in the workplace, policymakers need to pay attention to a gender gap that’s widening in the opposite direction, writes Brookings senior fellow Richard Reeves. Boys and men are struggling in school, the labor market and at home, with little guidance on what it means to be a good man in our current age. We’ll talk with Reeves about his new book “Of Boys and Men,” his own experience raising three sons and what a positive vision of masculinity encompasses. Guests: Richard Reeves, senior fellow, Brookings Institution - where he directs the Future of the Middle Class Initiative; author, "Of Boys and Men" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On a stretch of lonely highway, the only people you might see are the long haul truckers whose 18-wheel semis form the backbone of the American economy. In trucking, the hours are long, but it’s a profession that has long offered those with a hankering for the open road a chance at independence and autonomy. But according to author Karen Levy, today, more truckers find themselves subject to data surveillance in the name of highway safety. Those rules have opened the door to invasive technologies that allow companies to exert more control on their employees who are never far from a watchful eye. We’ll talk to Levy about her book “Data Driven” and what she’s uncovered. Guests: Karen Levy, author, "Data Driven: Truckers, Technology, and the New Workplace Surveillance;" associate professor in the Department of Information Science, Cornell University Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

True crime. Gossip. Niche sports. Deep-dive history. The podcasts that have critics and podcasters hooked in 2022 vary. But what makes a good podcast in today’s saturated and corporate-shaped landscape? We’ll hear from a panel of podcast lovers about the shows that made them turn on episode notifications. And we want to hear from you: Whether your Spotify Wrapped called it your top podcast of 2022 or it’s what you play when you can’t sleep, we hear about your favorite podcasts this year. This segment originally aired Dec. 2 Guests: Wil Williams, CEO, Hughouse Productions. Ronald Young Jr. , audio producer and storyteller, Senior Producer/Owner, ohitsBigRon studios; host, "Leaving the Theater" podcast. Skye Pillsbury, author, The Squeeze newsletter which reports on the podcast industry Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonathan Escoffery’s debut book, “If I Survive You,” presents a series of connected stories about an immigrant family from Jamaica trying to acclimate to life in America. The characters tackle racism, belonging, natural disasters and generational divides. A native of Miami now based in Oakland, Escoffery joins us to talk about storytelling and his decades-long journey to publishing a book. This segment originally aired Sept. 30 Guests: Jonathan Escoffery, author, his debut short story collection, "If I Survive You," was released in September of 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What in our lives sets us up to experience joy? And how does joy make us act and feel? Those are the the central questions poet and essayist Ross Gay explores in his new book, “Inciting Joy,” an ode to skateboarding, gardening, pick-up basketball and other practices and rituals that can make joy more available to us. We talk to Gay about the connections between joy and sorrow -- and joy and solidarity -- and why he says that joy, which gets us to love, is a practice of survival. This segment originally aired Nov. 14 Guests: Ross Gay, poet and essayist, "Inciting Joy," "Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude" and "The Book of Delights" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Acclaimed poet and novelist Erika L. Sanchez’s memoir, “Crying in the Bathroom,” presents a series of poignant essays about growing up in Chicago in a working-class Mexican neighborhood, her rise to literary fame and her struggles with mental illness. Her book details many moments when she was successfully achieving her dreams and, simultaneously, considering ending her life. Sanchez is also author of the poetry collection, “Lessons on Expulsion,” and the young adult novel, “I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter,” that is being adapted into a movie. She joins us to talk about making it as a Mexican-American writer, sex and shame, Buddhism, and crying in the bathroom. This segment originally aired Jul. 19 Guests: Erika L. Sanchez, poet, novelist, essayist and professor at DePaul University. Her new memoir is "Crying the Bathroom." Her other books include the poetry collection, "Lessons on Expulsion," the young adult novel, "I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Come 2027, Californians will have a new post-death option: to become human compost. A law signed by Governor Newsom this month made California the fifth state to legalize “natural organic reduction,” which lets human bodies decompose into a cubic yard of soil. While green burials — the process of wrapping the deceased in a shroud and placing them in the ground — are already legal, composting doesn’t require a dedicated portion of land. And though it’s more expensive than cremation, it’s also less carbon-intensive. We’ll talk about the new law and hear whether you’d want to become human compost. This segment originally aired Sept. 27 Guests: Courtney Applewhite, doctoral candidate studying environmental disposition ("eco-funerals"), UC Santa Barbara Cristina Garcia, assembly member, representing California's 58th Assembly District Katrina Spade, founder and CEO, Recompose Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When New Yorker writer Hua Hsu was growing up in Cupertino in the 1990s as the only child of Taiwanese immigrants, he created mixtapes and zines – homemade Xerox pastiches of writing, photos and collages – as a “way to find a tribe.” Hsu’s search for his people eventually led him to UC Berkeley where he, a lover of esoteric and undiscovered bands, forged an unlikely friendship with Ken, a Japanese-American frat boy whose love of the Dave Matthews Band, initially repelled Hsu. That friendship and Ken’s murder are at the heart of Hsu’s new memoir “Stay True,” which documents the profound and the mundane moments of a 90s kid seeking to forge his identity. This segment originally aired Nov. 3 Guests: Hua Hsu, author, "Stay True;" staff writer, the New Yorker; professor of Literature, Bard College Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There were worldwide box office hits and record-makers, like the follow-ups to “Jurassic World,” “Doctor Strange” and — of course — “Top Gun.” There were movies that quickly developed dedicated fan bases, like “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” “RRR” and “Tár.” And there are the year-enders: “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” has been number one at theaters these past four weekends, and the sequel to box office history-maker “Avatar” is releasing this month. We’ll talk about the 2022 films that captured audiences and hear your favorites of the year. This segment originally aired Dec. 7 Guests: Kristen Meinzer, co-host of the podcast Movie Therapy with Rafer and Kristen Jackson Kim Murphy, associate news editor, Variety Dave Schilling, contributing writer, LA Times Image This segment originally aired Dec. 7 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In her new memoir, “The Man Who Could Move Clouds,” Ingrid Rojas Contreras tells the story of a journey she took with her mother to her native Colombia to exhume her grandfather’s remains. She intricately weaves family histories involving her curandero grandfather, her mother who could appear in two places at once and her own magical inheritance sparked by a bout of amnesia. Rojas Contreras, who now calls the Bay Area home, joins us to talk about infusing magic into story telling and how memory is both a burden and a treasure. This segment originally aired Aug. 8. Guests: Ingrid Rojas Contreras, author, "The Man Who Could Move Clouds" This segment originally aired Aug. 8. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bumblebees can’t see red, but they can detect the ultraviolet hue, invisible to humans, at the center of a sunflower. A fly can taste an apple just by landing on it, and a rattlesnake can perceive the infrared radiation emanating from warm-blooded prey. Those are just some of the extraordinary animal senses that science journalist Ed Yong celebrates in his new book “An Immense World.” We’ll talk to Yong about what he learned and hear how humans can limit behaviors that endanger the sensory environments of other species. This segment originally aired Jun. 22 Guests: Ed Yong, science writer, The Atlantic; author, "An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When he was 9, poet Javier Zamora traveled 3,000 miles by bus, boat and on foot, without family or friends, from El Salvador to the United States. The trip was supposed to take two weeks. It took nine. Along the way, Zamora was embraced by fellow migrants and folded into a makeshift family. With them, Zamora encountered corrupt police officers and was robbed of the little money he had. He scrambled over mountains and under barbed wire fences that laced the desert border, all so he could be reunited with his parents who lived in Marin and who he had not seen in years. Thousands of immigrants, including children, have experienced similar journeys, but few have described them as eloquently as Zamora. We’ll talk to Zamora about those nine weeks to the border, which he recounts in his new memoir “Solito,” and his experience as an immigrant growing up in San Rafael. This segment originally aired Sept. 12. Guests: Javier Zamora, Author of the memoir "Solito," Zamora has been a Radcliffe Fellow at Harvard University and a Stegner Fellow at Stanford University. He is the recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts. His debut poetry collection, which focuses on the impact of war and immigration on his family, is titled "Unaccompanied." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The holidays can bring joy but also immense stress, as we host complicated family gatherings or worry about affording gifts or long for loved ones who have passed. But stress doesn’t have to dampen the spirit of the season. UCSF psychiatry professor Elissa Epel has studied stress, its effects and how to turn a stressful life into one of regenerative joy. We’ll talk with Epel about her new book “The Stress Prescription” and get tips on managing stress, especially during the holidays. Guests: Elissa Epel, professor and vice chair, Department of Psychiatry, UCSF; author, "The Stress Prescription." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Earlier this week, the Jan. 6 congressional committee concluded its tenth and final hearing by voting unanimously in favor of issuing criminal referrals for former President Donald Trump. “Ours is not a system of justice where foot soldiers go to jail and the masterminds and the ringleaders get a free pass,” declared Democrat Jamie Raskin as he outlined the committee’s conclusions that Trump had violated four separate federal statutes, including aiding and abetting an insurrection. A final report of the committee is due this week. We’ll look at the committee’s recommendations, which are now in the hands of the Department of Justice and discuss what might happen next. Guests: Ryan Goodman, professor of law, NYU; co-editor-in-chief, Just Security; former special counsel, the Department of Defense Sarah Wire, Justice Department and National Security reporter focusing on Jan. 6 and domestic extremism, the Los Angeles Times Shanlon Wu, criminal defense attorney; legal analyst, CNN; former federal prosecutor who also served as counsel to Attorney General Janet Reno Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The potent synthetic opioid fentanyl causes on average one death in the United States every seven minutes — more than die by car accidents, guns or suicide. Fentanyl is cheap and easy to mass produce and smuggle; when added to drugs like cocaine and heroin, it can cause people to overdose quickly, before they even realize they’ve ingested it at all. That’s all according to a new seven-part Washington Post investigation called “Cartel RX.” We’ll talk to the reporters behind the series about what’s driving fentanyl’s “catastrophic surge” in the U.S. and how experts think we can begin to turn the tide. Guests: Nick Miroff, reporter covering the Department of Homeland Security, Washington Post Scott Higham, investigative reporter, The Washington Post Sari Horwitz, investigative reporter, The Washington Post Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When people say publishing is a dying industry, Brad Johnson begs to differ. East Bay Booksellers, which Johnson owns, had its best sales in the store’s history during the past two years. So, it’s fair to say that in some pockets of the world, and particularly in Oakland, books are very much still a thing. And, as the world opened up, people are not only enjoying solitary reading time, but have returned to filling seats at literary readings and in-person book festivals. As the year comes to a close, we’ll talk to booksellers like Johnson, critics and writers about the books that we couldn’t put down. Guests: Brad Johnson, owner, East Bay Booksellers in Oakland Anita Felicelli, editor, Alta Journal‘s California Book Club; 2022-2023 fiction chair, the National Book Critics Circle board; author, "Chimerica: A Novel" and the short story collection "Love Songs for a Lost Continent" Vauhini Vara, author, "The Immortal King Rao;" former business editor, NewYorker.com; former reporter, the Wall Street Journal in San Francisco Carlos Lozada, opinion columnist, New York Times; author, “What Were We Thinking: A Brief Intellectual History of the Trump Era;" former nonfiction book critic, The Washington Post. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s tempting to discard a carton of milk or a loaf of bread once it’s passed its “best by” date. But that “expiration” date only means that food is no longer at its freshest – it’s still perfectly safe to eat. Every year, Americans toss millions of pounds of edible food into landfills, contributing to climate change and exacerbating food insecurity issues. We’ll talk with food waste experts about how to interpret expiration dates and make the most of the surplus in our food system. Guests: Dana Gunders, executive director, ReFED; author, "Waste Free Kitchen Handbook" Yasmin Tayag, staff writer, The Atlantic Diana Lara, executive director, Food Finders Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For some committed couples, years of living in close quarters during the pandemic prompted a search for a different marital model: Living Apart Together. These couples want to stay together, just not in the same home. While the percentage of Americans who are married has declined from 2000 to 2019, the percentage of couples living apart has risen by 25%. Now, it’s estimated that nearly four million Americans are married but living in separate households. Sometimes it’s because of their jobs or other circumstances. But often, particularly for women and older couples, living apart together is a choice that allows for agency and autonomy. We’ll hear about how it works, and whether being apart is the solution for staying together. Guests: Kelly Coyne, freelance journalist, New York Times article "The Wife Left, but They're Still Together;" PhD candidate in the Department of Radio/TV/Film, Northwestern University; professor in the Department of English, Georgetown University Vicki Larson, journalist, Marin Independent Journal; author, "Not Too Old for That: How Women Are Changing the Story of Aging" and "The New 'I Do';" forthcoming book about Living Apart Together Sherrie Sims Allen, psychologist and relationship expert Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A sunset over the Bay, pregnancy news, a stroll through a flea market, and a conversation about the meaning of love. Those are some of the memories writers and editors from KQED Arts &Culture wrote about for the 2022 series called “One Beautiful Thing”. This year certainly had its hardships, including three years of living with the coronavirus pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, mass shootings, and of course, the mundane demands of life. And yet, it also held moments of beauty, resilience, and gratitude. We’ll talk about the KQED series and we want to hear from you about One Beautiful Thing you experienced in the past year. Guests: Pendarvis "Pen" Harshaw, columnist, KQED Arts & Culture; host, KQED's "Rightnowish" podcast Kristie Song, intern, KQED Arts & Culture - wrote the Fall Book Guide Gabe Meline, senior editor, KQED Arts & Culture Thea Matthews, poet, educator, and speaker of African and Indigenous Mexican descent born and raised on Ohlone land, San Francisco Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Soccer can unite a country, but in Iran women cannot even enter the national stadium. For decades they’ve been banned from attending games, and by extension, says podcast host Shima Oliaee, they’ve been banned from standing side by side as equal Iranians. We talk to Oliaee about her new podcast “Pink Card,” all about the women who’ve fought to take their stadiums back and the profound connections between soccer, feminism and freedom. Guests: Shima Oliaee, host and creator, the podcasts "Pink Card," "Dolly Parton’s America," and "The Vanishing of Harry Pace." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Back when there was no TikTok, Instagram or social media, there was a concept known as “polite conversation” that defined what you could or should say in public. Now, many people feel freer to share stories about their lives. But has it gone too far? Where is the line between bringing our authentic selves into a conversation and “trauma dumping?” We’ll talk about why and how norms surrounding what’s okay to share have shifted and how to manage them. Guests: Thea Monyee, licensed marriage and family therapist; founder, MarleyAyo, a creative wellness consulting company. Michael Waters, freelance journalist, recent Atlantic article "The Decline of Etiquette and the Rise of 'Boundaries.'" Lizzie Post, a great-great-granddaughter of Emily Post; co-author, "Emily Post's Etiquette: The Centennial Edition"; co-president, The Emily Post Institute (Vermont). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 117th Congress concludes on January 3, and for lawmakers the race is on to broker deals and send bills to President Biden’s desk. This year, eyes are on the spending and defense bills, including proposals to reform the Electoral Count Act and streamline permitting for green energy projects. We’ll get the latest and analyze Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s run for House Speaker and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s party change, and we’ll hear what you think Congress should prioritize in this lame duck session. Guests: Catie Edmondson, congressional correspondent, The New York Times. Claudia Grisales, congressional correspondent, NPR. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Joe Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act this week in a flashy White House Ceremony that included performances by pop stars Sam Smith and Cyndi Lauper. The president called deciding who to marry “one of the most profound decisions a person can make.” But marriage equality has had a relatively short history in America. Gay marriage was legalized less than a decade ago and has come under attack this year with Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas indicating that it could be ruled unconstitutional in the future. We talk about the state of marriage equality in America and other rights the LGBTQ+ community continues to strive for. Guests: Andreana Clay, professor and chair, Department of Sociology and Sexuality Studies, San Francisco State University. Katherine Franke, professor of law and director of the Center for Gender & Sexuality Law, Columbia University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are you an AFOL who builds MOCs? If that sentence made sense to you, chances are you are an Adult Fan of LEGO who likes to build My Own Creations. About 80 million children around the world receive a LEGO set each year, but among LEGO fans, adults can be the most passionate. And it is adult consumers who propelled LEGO from near bankruptcy in the early 2000s to become the most profitable toy company in the world. We’ll talk to LEGO experts and artists and hear from you: whether it's car, a rainbow or a 4,103-piece Star Wars Death Star, what’s your best LEGO creation? Guests: Christine "Tacos" Blandino, founder, Powered by Tacos, which offers Lego engineering classes for students K-8 - Blandino was also a contestant on Season 3 of LEGO Masters, a competition show that airs on Fox and Hulu. Nathan Sawaya, artist, Sawaya uses LEGO in his contemporary art pieces, which can be seen in the Art of the Brick exhibit traveling across the country Daryl Austin, freelance journalist, Austin wrote the recent Wall Street Journal article "Companies are Building Camaraderie with Legos" Annemarie Conte, editor of Wirecutter, New York Times Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices