The Finest

At Richard J. Donovan State Correctional Facility in San Diego, a weekly art class offers something rare: a space to create, connect and feel human. In this episode, we visit Project PAINT , an arts organization bringing art education to people incarcerated in California prisons. We meet students serving life sentences who have found unexpected purpose in painting, including one former student who...

We're sharing an episode of the Voice of San Diego podcast that we think The Finest listeners will love. The VOSD team discusses HBO's "Neighbors," including an episode featuring a San Diego man whose front-yard workouts have raised concerns among his neighbors. The show also looks at how human behavior may have played a role in the orphaning of two bear cubs in Monrovia, California. Plus, The Fin...

Taylor Guitars is one of the world's best-known acoustic guitar makers, with roots in San Diego and a history of changing how guitars are designed and made. But founder Bob Taylor's work has taken him far beyond the factory floor. A trip to Cameroon to investigate an ebony sawmill exposed a problem with wood used in his guitars and sent Bob on a decades-long journey involving forests, sustainabili...

Dianna Cowern, better known as Physics Girl , built a career explaining science to millions of people. But after a mild case of COVID, she developed debilitating symptoms that left her largely bedbound and unable to do many of the things she once took for granted, including sharing physics videos with her devoted fans. After struggling to find answers, she was diagnosed with ME/CFS and mast cell a...

San Diego musician Nicole Hernandez grew up in Tijuana with a Cuban father and a mother from Sinaloa, Mexico. The music she heard growing up, from salsa and reggaeton to hip-hop, now finds its way into her sound. After discovering Nicole through the NPR Tiny Desk Contest, we invited her and her band to perform at the KPBS San Diego Book Festival. After the performance, Nicole joined us in the stud...

A viral beach meetup in Pacific Beach brought hundreds of remote workers together to work in the sun. It also raised a bigger question: If working from home gives us so much freedom, why are so many people craving connection?  " The costs of remote work are really subtle, and they are slow to take hold," says researcher Emma Harrington. "It takes a while to feel these accumulated effects of n...

The Kumeyaay have long told stories through rock art, vivid images carved into stone that preserved culture, memory and meaning. Today, that tradition continues in a new comic book created by Kumeyaay educators and historians to challenge the erasure of Indigenous history in California classrooms. Co-written by SDSU professor Ethan Banegas, a member of the Barona Band of Mission Indians, the book...

At the KPBS San Diego Book Festival , we brought together three organizers from very different book clubs to talk about the communities they've built around reading. Enid Sherman has been meeting with the same group of women for 25 years. Mimi Phung started the North County Vietnamese Book Club to connect with other Vietnamese people and better understand her own heritage. And Courtney Geilenfeldt...

What started as a few skits between friends has grown into one of San Diego's most talked-about independent creative projects. The creators of "End of the 8" take us behind the scenes of turning their love of Ocean Beach into a sitcom, casting friends instead of actors, filming in local businesses and discovering that one pilot was enough to bring their community together. They talk about learning...

Best of KPBS Podcasts brings the best of KPBS storytelling to our listeners. Each episode features curated highlights from across the KPBS podcast lineup, paired with conversations with the people who bring these stories to life. This episode features the podcasts Port of Entry & The Finest

Every new technology changes the way art is made. Generative AI is pushing those questions into the spotlight faster than many artists expected. As with other big leaps in industry and technology throughout history, it's not always as simple as being for or against it. From animation studios and independent creators to Comic-Con panels and university labs, we follow the people navigating one of th...

We’re revisiting a classic episode from Season 1, reported from Comic-Con 2025. Romantasy has become one of the fastest-growing book genres in publishing — a blend of epic love stories and magical stakes that's capturing the imaginations of readers. Once dismissed as unserious or overly indulgent, the genre is now being embraced by a new wave of fans, thanks in part to #BookTok , viral buzz and so...

How can we speak up in a way that feels authentic? How can we build something instead of just reacting? Whether it's marching in the streets, advocating for our collective rights or making art, protest and resistance have always been a part of the American story. Recorded live during "KPBS Podcasts Live: The Art of Protest," sign painter and content creator Koy Sun doesn't simply offer a blueprint...

Downsizing is rarely just about getting rid of stuff. It's about grief, family, identity and deciding what parts of a lifetime move into the next chapter. In this episode, we visit Next Step Treasures , where Rose Rugama guides older adults through those deeply personal decisions every day. From finding new homes for treasured possessions to helping people avoid scams and preserve their independen...

Twenty years after coining "nature-deficit disorder," author Richard Louv is still asking a simple question: What happens when we lose our connection to nature? On a hike through Volcan Mountain Preserve near Julian, Richard shares why he believes "deep noticing" is one of the most important practices we can reclaim in an increasingly screen-centered world. From mountain lion scat and buzzing bees...

What can a warehouse store tell us about community? At UC San Diego, the Costco Club has become one of the campus’ most recognizable student organizations, bringing people together through shopping trips, a rotisserie chicken tradition and a shared appreciation of Costco. As graduating club president Jacob Hoang prepares for his final Costco run in the role, we examine the company’s surprising his...

At a live taping of KPBS' Sun Drenched Sounds music series, three San Diego artists share music and the stories behind it. Divina talks about building her own sound through live looping and production, and how a song she heard as a child helped shape her artistic path. James Spaite reflects on growing up in the church, wrestling with faith and channeling philosophy and psychology into his songwrit...

Why is everyone suddenly playing mahjong? From neighborhood meetups to viral social media posts, interest in the game is growing fast. This episode explores mahjong's history, its roots in the Chinese diaspora and the ways families and communities have carried traditions across generations. Through a night of learning Filipino-style mahjong in San Diego, we look at how the game has become a way fo...

Pokémon started as something simple: trading cards on the playground, Game Boys passed around between friends and the dream of catching 'em all. Thirty years later, it's the highest-grossing media franchise in the world — and Pokémon cards have become big business. In this episode, collectors, card shop owners, Pokémon Go players and lifelong fans reflect on what Pokémon means to them and how the...

Long before San Diego became defined by freeways, parking shortages and long commutes, electric streetcars connected the region's urban core to beaches, business districts and growing neighborhoods more than 100 years ago. In this episode, KPBS metro reporter Andrew Bowen talks with The Finest about how the streetcar system helped shape neighborhoods that remain some of the city's most walkable an...

San Diego skateboarder Brandon Turner moved up quickly in the sport, moving from local skate spots to major sponsorships and world tours. From skateboarding prodigy to rock bottom, now he's redefining addiction recovery and constantly evolving his understanding of control, identity and success. Long Description/Show Notes: In the '90s, Brandon Turner was a skateboarding prodigy, landing major spon...

The Iran many Americans see is often defined by conflict. But for those who grew up there and those who carry its traditions abroad, the story is far more layered. Artist Maryam Bayat turns Persian rugs into immersive sculptures, drawing on memories of her childhood in Iran, from bustling cities to quiet forests. Writer Zohreh (Zoe) Ghahremani and illustrator Susie Ghahremani share how children's...

In this rebroadcast from Season 1, we explore  how the streaming era has changed music — not just for the people who make it, but also for us as listeners.  For indie musicians like Julianna Zachariou, Spotify has made music more accessible than ever — but at a cost. With payouts that amount to less than a penny per stream, she's had to turn to crowdfunding and direct fan support to fund her...

What is a prop? For Deb Hatch , it's almost everything. After more than 40 years working in theater, including decades at La Jolla Playhouse , the longstanding prop supervisor has helped shape more than 100 productions, from early-stage premieres to Broadway hits like "Jersey Boys" and "The Outsiders." In this episode, we go behind the scenes to see how props do far more than fill space. They esta...

Ahmad Joudeh risked his life to dance, performing in a refugee camp while ISIS fighters targeted him. The act of defiance, captured on video, made him known worldwide. But fame came with a cost. He became a symbol he never wanted to be. In this episode, Ahmad tells the full story in his own words, from growing up stateless in Syria and navigating the complexities of identity to starting the camp's...