KQED's Forum

Christopher Nolan’s latest film, The Odyssey, doesn’t debut in theaters until next week, but it’s already drawing online backlash for perceived inaccuracies from Homer’s epic poem. The story dates back to ancient Greece and has been told countless times; Nolan’s interpretation draws from a 2017 translation of classical studies scholar Emily Wilson that’s noted for its conversational language and f...

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 history and the larger history of the Bay Area. You may have seen her massive “Frame” at Hunters Point Shipyard, her wall of saxophones at SFO or her sculpture, “Delivered, Mable’s Promissory Note,” outside the Ashby BART station, which commemorates her m...

The election and popularity of candidates like New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani, who saw a number of political allies win Congressional primaries last month, has some establishment Democrats shaking. We dig into what’s fueling the breakout success of candidates affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America, and look at how they’re reshaping liberal politics ahead of the midterm elections...

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 writer Ian Bogost urges us to appreciate a feeling less grand than happiness: gratification. He finds gratification in paying attention to the small sensory actions of the everyday – the feel of using a stick shift, the sound of paint being slathered on...

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 California’s Central Valley, millions of domesticated bee colonies are transported in and out of the state to pollinate crops and to keep our food system running. But between intense workcycles, pesticide exposure and a changing climate, industrial agri...

The Supreme Court has wrapped a blockbuster term – barely upholding birthright citizenship, allowing states to bar transgender athletes from girls' sports, and weakening the Voting Rights Act, among other cases. While President Trump experienced some noted losses before the Court, including losing his tariffs case, the Court largely upheld his efforts on immigration and expanded presidential power...

Since 1976, the California Coastal Commission has been regulating activities along the state’s more than 800-mile coastline. To many, the Coastal Commission is the gold standard for protecting the environment, but it has also clashed with property owners who say the commission oversteps its authority. Now the Trump Administration has ordered a review of the Coastal Commission’s compliance with fed...

As the Trump administration continues steering the U.S. toward far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist policies, Stacey Abrams has been on a mission to restore democracy in the United States. Abrams made her name serving 11 years in the Georgia House of Representatives and she was the first Black woman to run for governor as the nominee for a major party in the U.S. After losing her second...

Women now enter medicine and many other scientific fields in numbers equal to men, yet they remain underrepresented in leadership and often face unequal pay, limited mentorship and fewer research opportunities. UCSF physician-scientist Jennifer Grandis says that’s harmful not just to women but to science and patient care. We learn why and what can be done. Guests: Jennifer Grandis, physician-scien...

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 the new hit Netflix rom-com “Voicemails for Isabelle,” a sort-of remake of “You’ve Got Mail,” set in San Francisco. We’ll speak with the director, Leah McKendrick, about setting the film in her hometown. And we’ll hear from you: What’s a voicemail you...

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 15 speeches spanning more than two centuries, the former Obama speechwriter and national security adviser looks at how they shaped and reflected competing visions over race, democracy, belonging and power. We talk to Rhodes about the speeches he chose...

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 performance on the heels of the release of her new album, Corrientes. It’s her most ambitious and comprehensive project yet. She traveled to five countries and worked with 40 musicians to compose the 16-track album which spans a variety of genres including...

The popular HBO drama “The Pitt,” set in a Pittsburgh emergency trauma center, is having an impact on real-world healthcare. Doctors across California say the show has brought heightened public awareness of their daily work and sparked conversations about the challenges that emergency healthcare workers face. We’ll talk to California ER physicians about the effect the TV show has had on their live...

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 and Berkeley’s Gilman street. But in rural Sonoma country, the scene was cobbled together in backyards, barns, and from fields with very long extension cords. Growing up in Santa Rosa, KQED’s arts and culture editor Gabe Meline was both a part of th...

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 began to preoccupy him after his first psychedelic experience, which altered his ordinary consciousness so profoundly that he wanted to learn everything he could about the mysteries of sentience, thought and selfhood. We talk to him about what he unc...

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 Infinity.” The album reimagines folk songs from across Ethiopia, blending her signature Ethio-jazz style with R&B, synth and other genres. We’ll talk about the stories the album tells and bask in her rich, expressive vocals. Guests: Meklit Hadero, Ethi...

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 anecdotal, off-label benefits. Yet GLP-1s can be hard to talk about — whether you want to ask someone if they take one, respond if you do, or discuss weight without dredging up unhealthy diet discourse. We’ll hear how you’re navigating these conversations...

Oakland based art-pop band Tune-Yards is widely loved for their complex and funky rhythms, layers of sound, thrillingly dynamic vocals, and thought provoking lyrics. The duo, Merrill Garbus and Nate Brenner, have just released a new album, “Better Dreaming,” praised by critics as highly danceable and jubilant while, as always, grappling with the state of the world. Merrill Garbus joins us in the s...

After a century-long absence, gray wolves are returning to California. Biologists estimate some 70 wolves are living in the state, and recently, a female wolf traveled into Los Angeles County, the first such sighting. But their comeback is not without controversy. Ranchers in rural counties say they’re losing livestock to predation, while conservationists say the wolves bring ecological benefits a...

For people of Mexican descent, mariachi music is synonymous with milestones such as weddings, birthday parties, funerals or maybe just Saturday-morning chores. The genre, which originated in the 18th century in the western state of Jalisco, has morphed into one of Mexico’s most beloved styles of music that is now popular worldwide. In California, more high schools and colleges such as San Jose Sta...

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. Deriding “affirmative action promotions,” Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth directly intervened to block the promotions of more than a dozen Black and women officers. The Atlantic’s Clint Smith recently reported on those snubs and how the Pentagon’s...

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 beloved gang returns in Toy Story 5 — and this time, the threat to playtime isn’t a rival toy or a forgetful kid heading off to college. It’s the glowing rectangle in every child’s hands: a tablet. We’ll hear from the film’s co-director Kenna Harris and i...

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 Olivia Wilde. The film follows a couple whose tense evening with their transgressive upstairs neighbors forces them to confront questions about desire, jealousy and whether it’s possible to have a new relationship with the same person. We’ll talk wit...

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 Spanish colony that would later become Mexico. The summer of 1776 was also pivotal in San Francisco’s history: construction started on the Presidio and Mission Dolores was founded five days before the Declaration of Independence was signed. Most of the lo...

The United States celebrates its 250th anniversary on July 4th. Past presidents have marked similar milestones by reflecting on our complex history, but for President Trump, the commemoration will mark just how great America’s history has always been. Many historians argue that the Trump Administration is whitewashing the nation’s violent past, and for the New Yorker’s Jelani Cobb, it’s just the l...