KQED's Forum
Channel Details
KQED's Forum
Forum tells remarkable and true stories about who we are and where we live. In the first hour, Alexis Madrigal convenes the diverse voices of the Bay Area, before turning to Mina Kim for the second hour to chronicle and center Californians’ experience. In an increasingly divided world, Min...
Recent Episodes
3419 episodes
Translating ‘The Odyssey’ for a Modern Audience
Christopher Nolan’s latest film, The Odyssey, doesn’t debut in theaters until next week, but it’s already drawing online backlash for perceived inaccu...
Mildred Howard on Making Art of and for the Bay Area
Celebrated Bay Area artist Mildred Howard’s work has long been informed by the place she calls home, reflecting the intersection of her family’s histo...
Is the Left Having a Tea Party Moment?
The election and popularity of candidates like New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani, who saw a number of political allies win Congressional primaries la...
Ian Bogost on Finding Gratification in ‘The Small Stuff’
With all the books, podcasts and even business school classes instructing us how to be happier, the path to contentment can be a lot of work. But writ...
Our Food System Depends on Domesticated Bees. Can They Survive Industrial Agriculture?
When we think about the workers that keep California’s agriculture afloat, we rarely think about the bees that fertilize our crops. In places like Cal...
Blockbuster Supreme Court Term Delivers for Trump on Immigration, Presidential Power
The Supreme Court has wrapped a blockbuster term – barely upholding birthright citizenship, allowing states to bar transgender athletes from girls' sp...
Trump Takes Aim at the California Coastal Commission
Since 1976, the California Coastal Commission has been regulating activities along the state’s more than 800-mile coastline. To many, the Coastal Comm...
Stacey Abrams on How to Restore American Democracy
As the Trump administration continues steering the U.S. toward far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist policies, Stacey Abrams has been on a mi...
Harsh Medicine: Fixing Science’s Gender Gap
Women now enter medicine and many other scientific fields in numbers equal to men, yet they remain underrepresented in leadership and often face unequ...
What’s a Voicemail You’ll Never Delete?
Have you ever received a voicemail — not intended for you — that made you curious about the life of the stranger who sent it? That curiosity propels t...
Forum from the Archives: Ben Rhodes on the Speeches That Shaped America
What does it mean to be American? That’s the question that animates Ben Rhodes’s new book “All We Say: The Battle for American Identity.” Drawing on 1...
Forum from the Archives: La Doña Presents Her New Album, 'Corrientes'
Singer, songwriter and San Francisco native Cecilia Peña-Govea – better known as La Doña – joins us in studio with her band for a special live perform...
Forum from the Archives: California ER Doctors Reflect on ‘The Pitt’ Effect
The popular HBO drama “The Pitt,” set in a Pittsburgh emergency trauma center, is having an impact on real-world healthcare. Doctors across California...
Forum from the Archives: Stage Diving into Sonoma County’s Early Punk Scene
When punk rock thrashed through the Bay Area in the 70s and 80s, there were some venues that became iconic hubs, like Mabuhay Gardens in San Francisco...
Forum from the Archives: Michael Pollan Explores Labyrinth of Consciousness in 'A World Appears'
What is consciousness for, and why did it evolve? Can we change our “default” consciousness? These are some of the questions that Michael Pollan says...
Forum from the Archives: Meklit Hadero Reimagines Ethiopian Folk Songs
San Francisco-based, Ethiopian-born singer-songwriter Meklit Hadero and her band join us live in the studio to play from her new album, “A Piece of In...
Forum from the Archives: Have We Learned How to Talk About GLP1s?
An estimated one in eight Americans has now tried a GLP-1 medication like Ozempic or Wegovy: to lose weight, manage diabetes or experiment with anecdo...
Forum from the Archives: Tune-Yards’ Merrill Garbus on How She Makes Her Signature Sounds
Oakland based art-pop band Tune-Yards is widely loved for their complex and funky rhythms, layers of sound, thrillingly dynamic vocals, and thought pr...
Forum from the Archives: Ranchers vs. Wolves: Navigating a Controversial Comeback
After a century-long absence, gray wolves are returning to California. Biologists estimate some 70 wolves are living in the state, and recently, a fem...
Forum from the Archives: Mariachi San Jose Performs Live in Studio
For people of Mexican descent, mariachi music is synonymous with milestones such as weddings, birthday parties, funerals or maybe just Saturday-mornin...
Why Pete Hegseth is Blocking Black Officer Promotions
During his second term, President Trump has taken aim at DEI initiatives across the federal government, a focus that has been embraced by his cabinet....
'Toy Story 5' Goes to Infinity and Beyond as Its Toys Confront Technology
Thirty years ago, a cowboy doll and a space ranger taught a generation that the toys in our closets might have inner lives of their own. Pixar’s belov...
Four's a Crowd: Olivia Wilde and Edward Norton on 'The Invite'
What happens when an ordinary dinner party becomes a reckoning for a marriage? That question drives “The Invite,” a new film directed by and starring...
As the U.S. Nears 250 Years, What Was Happening in the Bay Area?
As our nation nears its 250th anniversary, we reflect on what was going on in the Bay Area at the time. In 1776 California was newly part of the Spani...
America’s Complicated History at 250
The United States celebrates its 250th anniversary on July 4th. Past presidents have marked similar milestones by reflecting on our complex history, b...
SF Giants Pride Night Fallout Amplifies
During a San Francisco Giants home game this month dedicated to the LGBTQ+ community, four pitchers drew attention for their protest of the team’s the...
Looking to Avoid Yosemite Crowds? Check Out These Alternate Hikes, Campsites and Destinations
Visitors to Yosemite National Park are reporting huge summer crowds and nearly impossible parking, which are the result of federal staffing cuts and t...
U.S. Lifts Oil Sanctions on Iran as Fragile Peace Deal Terms Negotiated
As part of negotiations over terms of the ceasefire memorandum between Iran and the U.S., the Trump Administration on Monday temporarily lifted all oi...
Katherine Dunn on ‘How GPS Shaped the Modern World’
We rely on the Global Positioning System for so much — mapping our commutes, tracking our runs, hailing ride shares, matching with dates and more — th...
Bay Area Communities Resist Data Center Boom
Communities across the Bay Area, including Gilroy, Oakley and Pittsburg, are pushing back on new data centers in their cities. Data centers, which hou...
Forum From The Archives: Ibram X. Kendi Chronicles Impact and Spread of 'Great Replacement Theory'
Historian Ibram X. Kendi says that in order to understand the rise of authoritarianism, we need to understand great replacement theory. It’s the racis...
Forum from the Archives: Poet Kevin Young Explores History and Loss in His Newest Collection, "Night Watch"
New Yorker magazine poetry editor Kevin Young has called poetry "the most efficient mode of time travel." In his new volume of poems "Night Watch,” Yo...
A 900-Mile Swim Along California’s Coast
Ultra-endurance athlete Catherine Breed has accomplished many physical feats — including a record-breaking swim across Lake Tahoe—but her latest chall...
Jonathan Weber’s 'City on the Edge' Chronicles Decades-Long Battles Over Tech, Politics and the Soul of San Francisco
Journalist Jonathan Weber has had a front row seat to San Francisco’s many rises and falls as the nation’s tech capital since the early 1990s. His new...
Climate Change is Unleashing New and Deadly Microbes
We tend to focus on how climate change affects coral reefs, sea turtles and polar bears on melting ice. But we rarely focus on how climate change is a...
Cigarettes Are Cool Again and Health Advocates are Worried
Cigarettes are cool again…especially with GenZ. Despite decades of anti-smoking campaigns, you’re likely to see more young people smoking in films, at...
In a World Run by Algorithms, Hollywood Fights for Its Soul
It’s no longer news that Hollywood studios are using artificial intelligence in editing, animation, visual effects and more. But last week “Dreams of...
In “I Love Boosters,” it’s Boots Riley’s World
Oakland filmmaker, rapper and activist Boots Riley’s new film ‘I Love Boosters’ is a surreal crime comedy that follows three women who shoplift clothe...
Why Religion is Having a Moment
After decades of decline, many church leaders believe that religious life is on the upswing as some younger Americans flock to Christianity — includin...
Ben Lerner Explores Fiction and Tech in Novel ‘Transcription'
In writer and poet Ben Lerner’s latest novel, “Transcription,” an unnamed narrator travels to interview his elderly mentor. But shortly after checking...