Kqeds Forum

In Miranda July’s new novel, “All Fours,” a 45-year-old artist embarks on a solo roadtrip to New York from her Los Angeles home. She makes it as far as Monrovia, a small town a half-hour from L.A., and waits out the rest of her trip in a motel room while pursuing an infatuation with a Hertz rental car employee. The novel, which shares similarities with July’s own life, explores themes of marital ennui, the fear of sexual irrelevance and the contours of the female midlife crisis. July grew up in Oakland and is known for her performance art, her films “Me and You and Everyone We Know” and “Kajillionaire,” and her fiction “No One Belongs Here More Than You” and “The First Bad Man.” We talk to her about her new novel and why she describes it as “closer to the bone.” Guests: Miranda July, actor, screenwriter, director and author - She’s known for her films “Me and You and Everyone We Know” and “Kajillionaire,” and her fiction includes “No One Belongs Here More Than You” and “The First Bad Man”. Her new novel is

What it means to be American and who gets to claim that identity are questions that animate Rachel Khong’s newest novel “Real Americans.” The book follows three generations of a Chinese American family, and grapples with not just race, but class and genetic identity. Khong is a former editor of the food magazine “Lucky Peach” and the founder of The Ruby, a work and event space in the Mission for women and nonbinary writers. We talk to Khong about her book and work. Guests: Rachel Khong, author, "Real Americans" - Khong is also the author of "Goodbye, Vitamin," which won the 2017 California Book Award for First Fiction. She founded The Ruby, a work space in San Francisco's Mission district for women and nonbinary writers.

Craig Foster may be best known for “My Octopus Teacher,” the Oscar-winning documentary about his tender relationship with a wild female octopus who inhabited the kelp forests off the coast of South Africa. He’s now written a new book called “Amphibious Soul,” which invites us along on his underwater excursions and shows us how, through techniques like tracking, we can connect with creatures and our wild selves. Is there a wild animal or place that you’ve built a connection with? Guests: Craig Foster, author, "Amphibious Soul: Finding the Wild in a Tame World," natural history filmmaker, creator, "My Octopus Teacher," co-founder, Sea Change Project

The gig economy, as it has been known, was built around a controversial idea — that an Uber driver, for instance, did not work for Uber. These apps, instead, were merely making a market for workers, which a user could access to hire someone. Many labor leaders rejected this idea, and it has led to fights in the legislature, courts and over Proposition 22 in 2020, when voters handed the gig economy a huge win. The constitutionality of Prop. 22 is now before the California State Supreme Court, and we’ll go over the arguments, which the court heard this week, and discuss how gig workers have fared since it became law. Guests: Levi Sumagaysay, economy reporter, CalMatters Ken Jacobs , co-chair, Center for Labor Research and Education at UC Berkeley John Mejia, rideshare driver and member of California Gig Workers Union David Lewis, dasher, Doordash Molly Weedn, spokesperson, Protect App-Based Drivers & Services coalition

“It’s difficult to think of a public health crisis more inevitable than the impending end of Roe v. Wade,” writes journalist Shefali Luthra, “and yet, on June 24, 2022, the country was profoundly unprepared.” Luthra argues that we’re now in the midst of that public health crisis, as millions of Americans seeking abortions face overwhelming obstacles to care, and as abortion providers reach a “breaking point to attempt to meet demand.” Luthra’s new book “Undue Burden” chronicles what she calls the human stories of abortion access — the patients with medically complex pregnancies who spend life savings on out-of-state care, the doctors who work under fear of legal reprisal and the lawmakers who struggle to respond. We talk to Luthra about the personal and systemic impacts of the loss of the constitutional right to abortion, nearly two years after Dobbs.

If you’re looking for a great meal after midnight, you’re unlikely to find a wealth of options in downtown San Francisco. But expand your search to the Bay Area’s suburban communities, and you’ll find a late-night dining scene that’s brimming with hot pot restaurants, noodle shops, taco carts, and 24-hour casino buffets. Nocturnal noms are the subject of a new collaborative series from KQED’s food editor Luke Tsai and illustrator Thien Pham, called “Midnight Diners.” On the next edition of All You Can Eat, we’ll talk about the local restaurants that keep us fed when we’re staying up late and whether the Bay Area deserves its early-to-bed reputation.

Longtime New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof has reported from war zones and humanitarian crises and has examined our own nation’s struggles with poverty, addiction and homelessness. And yet, in his new memoir, “Chasing Hope,” Kristof calls himself an optimist. Journalism, he says, is an act of hope in itself. We talk to Kristof about what he’s learned about the power of storytelling to make people care about issues near and far. Guests: Nicholas Kristof, columnist, New York Times; his new memoir is "Chasing Hope: A Reporter's Life"

Governor Gavin Newsom is calling for swifter reforms to California’s beleaguered home insurance market as homeowners across the state continue to lose coverage or face rate hikes. A growing number of insurance companies have stopped writing new policies in the state, citing increased climate-related risks and higher costs. Meanwhile, the state’s fire coverage of last resort, the FAIR plan, is overwhelmed and facing its own financial crisis. Newsom said this month he is drafting legislation that would speed up how quickly insurance companies can increase rates, a change insurers say they need to do business in the state. We’ll get the latest on the home insurance crisis and take your questions. Guests: Danielle Venton, science reporter, KQED News Amy Bach, executive director and cofounder, United Policyholders - a San Francisco-based nonprofit that advocates for insurance consumers Karl Susman, president and principal agent, Susman Insurance Services, Inc. Michael Soller, deputy insurance commissioner for

Humanitarian aid groups are reporting “unprecedented” levels of starvation for over 2 million people in Gaza, after nearly eight months of Israeli military bombardment and blockades. Another 5 million people are estimated to face “acute” food shortage in Haiti between March and June, and according to the United Nations, the threat of famine looms for 18 million people in east Africa as Sudan enters its second year of civil war. These hunger crises could have long-lasting effects; according to biologist and early development specialist Tessa Roseboom, the impacts of near starvation are likely to be experienced by generations to come. Her research focuses on people who were born during or shortly after the Dutch “Hunger Winter,” a result of German blockades in the final months of World War II. We speak with Roseboom about her research and its implications for people experiencing starvation in current conflicts around the world. Guests: Abby Maxman, president and CEO, Oxfam America Dr. Tessa Roseboom, profess

During the Trump Administration, scenes of children separated from parents and placed in chain link cells that looked like cages caused a national outcry. But the policy of immigration detention in the U.S. is far from new. With historical roots in slavery and the treatment of indigenous people, it has been used on Jews fleeing Nazi Germany, migrants from civil wars in Central America and immigrants from around the world since the policy was codified in 1891. In her new book, “In the Shadow of Liberty,” Stanford professor Ana Raquel Minian traces the nation’s detention policy by focusing on individual stories of immigrants past and present. We talk to Minian about why she believes immigrant detention doesn’t make us safer and her recommendations for a different path forward. Guests: Ana Raquel Minian, associate professor of history, Stanford University; author, "In the Shadow of Liberty" and "Undocumented Lives: The Untold Story of Mexican Migration"

A generation of American folk singers – including Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and Woody Guthrie – owe their inspiration to a little-known New Deal project known as the U.S. Music Unit. Over the course of two years, federal workers recorded amateur musicians at government-owned homesteads as a way to “raise morale, build community, and create hope,” according to music scholar Sheryl Kaskowitz. The Music Unit made hundreds of recordings for the Library of Congress before it was shut down on grounds that it was “socialistic.” We talk to Kaskowitz about the people behind the music and hear some songs from archives. Kaskowitz’s new book is “A Chance to Harmonize.” Guests: Sheryl Kaskowitz, author, "A Chance to Harmonize: How FDR’s Hidden Music Unit Tried to Save America from the Great Depression—One Song at a Time"

Whether you’re looking for an outdoor excursion, a quiet art gallery to wander through or a rousing show for an evening’s entertainment, KQED’s Arts & Culture team has got you covered. From festival dates to soccer schedules, the 2024 Summer Guide has recommendations in the Bay Area covering every interest and price point. We’ll get a temperature check on how the region’s arts and culture ecosystem is faring and hear from reporters about what they’re looking forward to this season. Guests: Gabe Meline, senior editor, KQED Arts & Culture Nastia Voynovskaya, editor and reporter, KQED Arts David John Chávez, theatre critic; author of the theater portion of KQED’s summer arts preview Alan Chazaro, arts and food reporter, KQED; also a poet and educator

Gov. Gavin Newsom last week proposed a series of deep cuts to close the state’s $45 billion budget deficit. The proposals, which include no new taxes, include a nearly 8% cut to state operations and the elimination of 10,000 unfilled jobs and will affect some education, public health and affordable housing programs. The governor’s office says that the proposal “maintains service levels for key housing, food, health care, and other assistance programs.” We look at the Governor’s May revise and the fiscal health of our state. Guests: Guy Marzorati, correspondent, KQED's California Politics and Government Desk Michelle Gibbons, executive director, County Health Executives Association of California Lindsey Holden, legislative reporter, The Sacramento Bee

Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential bid “is the most openly authoritarian campaign I’ve seen [from] any candidate anywhere in the world since World War II”. That’s according to Harvard political scientist Steven Levitsky, co-author of the book “How Democracies Die”. Trump’s stated plans include seeking revenge on political opponents, purging the federal workforce, ordering mass deportations, and deploying the military domestically. As part of Forum’s “Doing Democracy” series, we’ll talk with Levitsky and others about why democracy experts are sounding the alarm about a possible second Trump administration, and whether our institutions can withstand the upheaval. Guests: Steven Levitsky, professor of government, Harvard; co-author with Daniel Ziblatt of the New York Times bestseller "How Democracies Die." Their latest book is "Tyranny of the Minority: Why American Democracy Reached the Breaking Point." Lulu Garcia-Navarro, host, "The Interview" podcast, New York Times; former NPR correspondent Eric Cortellessa,

You may know actor and stand-up comedian Tiffany Haddish best for her riotous performance in the 2017 film “Girls Trip.” Or for her Emmy Award-winning turn as host of Saturday Night Live…or for her voicework in “The Lego Movie 2” and other animated films. But her successes came hard-won against a backdrop of childhood trauma and mental health challenges. “I know what it feels like to hurt and what it feels like to see other people hurt,” she writes in her new memoir “I Curse You with Joy.” We talk to Haddish about her career, her life and what’s bringing her joy right now. Guests: Tiffany Haddish, author, "I Curse You with Joy"; stand-up comedian; actress, "Girls Trip," "Night School," "Nobody's Fool" and more.

In his magazine profiles and podcasts, Oakland writer Carvell Wallace has a gift for examining people and the times we live in with clarity and wisdom. With his new memoir “Another Word for Love,” Wallace extends his compassionate gaze to his own story, tracing a childhood peppered with homelessness and abuse, through to his quest for healing, pleasure and the divine. “It is is not enough to be hurt and to know that you have been hurt,” he writes. “The price of being alive, of being in love, is that you are required to heal.” Guests: Carvell Wallace, author, "Another Word for Love: A Memoir"; 2023 recipient of the American Mosaic Journalism Prize; host, "Closer Than They Appear" and "Finding Fred"; his other book is "The Sixth Man" which he co-authored with Andre Iguodala

Amtrak reports that overall demand for passenger rail is soaring as yearly ridership totals approach pre-pandemic levels. But in California, the story is different. Popular west coast lines are losing riders and remain challenged by underinvestment and rules that give track priority to freight trains. In addition, increasingly powerful storms and rising seas threaten Amtrak’s infrastructure: Southern California’s Pacific Surfliner has repeatedly suspended service for emergency repairs. As part of Forum’s In Transit series, we look at the future of Amtrak in California. Guests: Ethan Elkind, director of the Climate Program at the Center for Law, Energy and the Environment, UC Berkeley School of Law; host, the Climate Break podcast Tom Zoellner, English professor, Chapman University; editor-at-large, LA Review of Books; author, "Train: Riding the Rails That Created the Modern World -from the Trans-Siberian to the Southwest Chief"

Fashion is self-expression. It’s art. It’s also responsible for between 8 and 9 percent of planet-warming emissions. But it doesn’t have to be. We’ll talk about the fashion industry’s troubled relationship to labor, climate, and human rights issues – and spotlight companies creating sustainable alternatives. Plus, our panel of mending, thrifting and styling experts will share practical tips so that you can be chic… and climate-conscious! Guests: Ayesha Barenblat, founder and CEO, Remake Kara Fabella, stylist and founder, The Flipp Side Hayley Colette, educator, WorkshopSF James Reinhart, cofounder and CEO, ThredUp

In his new memoir “Small Acts of Courage,” MSNBC host Ali Velshi recounts his family’s migration across continents –– beginning in India under British rule, intersecting with Gandhi’s “satyagraha” movement in South Africa, and eventually settling in Canada during a refugee crisis for the global Indian diaspora. Ali himself immigrated to the United States two days after September 11, 2001 and writes: “Cynicism about politics is actually a luxury of those who have never had to experience life without it, and if those people every truly lost their ability to participate in the system, they’d never take it for granted again.” And we want to hear from you: Are there “small acts of courage” that define your life and values? What are they? Guests: Ali Velshi, MSNBC host; author, "Small Acts of Courage"

Yet another stretch of Highway 1 near Big Sur remains closed after a chunk of the roadway fell into the ocean in March. The latest closure raises questions about the future of the iconic highway amid threats from extreme weather and coastal erosion. “Everything is working against Highway 1,” Gary Griggs, an oceanography professor at the University of California at Santa Cruz told the Washington Post. We’ll look at what it could take to save Highway 1 and what it all means for local residents and the state’s economy. Guests: Jonathan Warrick, research geologist, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center in Santa Cruz, United States Geological Survey Rosanna Xia, environmental reporter, Los Angeles Times; Xia specializes in coastal and ocean issues. Her latest book is "California Against the Sea: Visions for Our Vanishing Coastline." Brianna Sacks, extreme weather & disasters reporter, Washington Post Ben Perlmutter, managing partner, Big Sur River Inn