KQED's Forum

Alua Arthur is a death doula — someone who helps people prepare logistically, mentally and emotionally for the end of life. There are practical considerations, like memorial planning and medical directives. And then there’s the act of thinking how we’d ideally want to die — outdoors or indoors, surrounded by loved ones, arguments resolved — that shows what’s most important to us and can help us live in alignment with those priorities. Arthur’s new memoir, “Briefly Perfectly Human,” is an account of the relationships she formed with her dying clients and the reflections they shared with her — including regrets in romance and work, their vulnerabilities in a failing body and what brought them authentic joy. We’ll talk to Arthur about how to ease our transitions to death and hear how tending to the dying has shaped her own life and outlook.

Guests:

Alua Arthur, death doula, attorney, and adjunct professor; author, “Briefly Perfectly Human: Making an Authentic Life by Getting Real About the End"; founder, Going with Grace — a death doula training and end-of-life planning organization

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Have you ever walked by a lush, green space filled with pollinators and thought, “How can I create one of those?” Your answer might be found in the new book, “Garden Wonderland,” by Bay Area landscape and garden expert Leslie Bennett and her co-author Julie Chai. Their new book offers advice on how to create landscapes that include flowers, fruits and vegetables, healing plants, and gathering spaces that honor a gardener’s personal culture. In time for spring, we talk to Bennet and Chai as well as nursery owner Flora Grubb about your garden wonderlands.

Guests:

Flora Grubb, co-owner, Flora Grubb Gardens in San Francisco and Los Angeles, and Grubb and Nadler Nurseries

Leslie Bennett, owner and creative director, Pine House Edible Gardens; co-author, "Garden Wonderland: Create Life-Changing Outdoor Spaces for Beauty, Harvest, Meaning and Joy"

Julie Chai, co-author, "Garden Wonderland: Create Life-Changing Outdoor Spaces for Beauty, Harvest, Meaning and Joy"

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Opening arguments could take place as soon as next week in Donald Trump’s criminal trial in Manhattan, where he stands accused of covering up hush money payments he made to adult film actor Stormy Daniels. The trial, which is expected to last for more than a month, is one of four criminal prosecutions the former president faces. Delay has beset some of those cases, as courts consider a host of pre-trial motions and interim appeals filed by Trump’s defense team. We’ll take stock of where the criminal cases against the former president stand and their impact on November’s election.

Guests:

Alan Feuer, reporter covering extremism and political violence, New York Times

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About ten years ago, two of journalist Lissa Soep’s closest friends died around the same time. In her grieving, she found consolation in the philosophy of a 20th century Russian literary theorist, Mikhail Bakhtin, and his theory of “double voicing” – the idea that our speech is “filled to overflowing with other people’s words”. Her friends had not disappeared, instead, they’d slipped into her own language, and that of the people around her. We talk to Soep about great friendships, the mysterious power of language to sustain conversations even with those who have died and her book, “Other People’s Words.”

Guests:

Lissa Soep, author, "Other People's Words: Friendship, Loss and the Conversations that Never End." She is also senior editor for audio at Vox Media

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Dollar stores – the bargain chains prevalent in rural areas that sell miscellaneous merchandise at steeply discounted prices – have been blamed for contributing to food deserts and pushing out smaller mom and pop grocers. But the 99 Cents Only chain stood for something different to its fans, according to LA Times reporter Andrea Chang, who says that people relied on the bright and well-organized spaces for good quality merchandise. The California-based company announced that it will be closing all 371 of its stores just as another prominent chain, Family Dollar, plans to shutter 1000 stores. We’ll talk about the history of dollar stores, the impact they have on communities across the country and what happens to the people reliant on them when they leave.

Guests:

Eliza Ronalds-Hannon, senior reporter, Bloomberg

Andrea Chang, wealth reporter, Los Angeles Times

Sara Portnoy, professor of Latinx food studies and food justice, USC; creator and executive producer of "Abuelitas on the Borderlands" film series

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India’s general election will begin on Friday, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeks a third straight term in power. The election is set to be the biggest in history, with nearly a billion Indians eligible to cast ballots. Modi remains popular in India but has been criticized for his human rights record and attacks on the media and judiciary. We’ll preview the election, which runs through June, and hear from members of the Bay Area’s Indian communities.

Guests:

Anita Manwani, president, The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) Silicon Valley

Nikhil Inamdar, Indian business correspondent, BBC

Milan Vaishnav, senior fellow and director, South Asia Program at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; host, Grand Tamasha podcast

Raju Rajagopal, co-founder, Hindus for Human Rights

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New York Times tech reporter Kashmir Hill last year found that each day she was picking up her iPhone more than 100 times and looking at it for an average of five hours — roughly “the equivalent of January, February and half of March,” she writes. Even though that discovery filled her with “queasy regret,” she couldn’t nix the habit. So she decided to downgrade to a flip phone for a one-month experiment – one she says rewired her brain. Hill’s dumbphone experiment came as research suggests smartphone users are reaching for their phones every time they feel bored or anxious, which can lead to hours unintentionally spent staring at a 5-inch screen. Are you concerned you’re spending too much time on your smartphone?

Guests:

Kashmir Hill, tech reporter, New York Times; author "Your Face Belongs to Us"; her recent NYT article is "I Was Addicted to My Smartphone, So I Switched to a Flip Phone for a Month"

Anna Lembke, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, Stanford Universityl; author, “Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence”

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A chipped skateboard — one where a piece has come off the nose or tail — is the symbol of a boarder who is dedicated to their deck, held together by nothing but grip tape. It’s also a metaphor for lessons learned, observes José Vadi in his new memoir, “Chipped.” “No matter the age, being a skateboarder lends itself to caustic stares from passersby,” he writes. Vadi delves into skate culture, from its music to its videos, and what it means to identify as a skateboarder. We talk to Vadi about how that lens has shaped his views of public space, geography and his life as a writer.

Guests:

José Vadi, author, "Chipped: Writing from a Skateboarder's Lens"; Vadi's previous book is "Inter State: Essays from California"

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To USC professor Todd Boyd, hip hop has so permeated American life that what was once a musical subculture now informs entertainment, fashion, sports and politics. In his recent book, “Rapper’s Deluxe: How Hip Hop Made The World,” Professor Boyd – also known as the Notorious PhD – traces the genre over the last 50 years from its humble beginnings in the Bronx, to its west coast ascent in the 1990s and through to the election of President Obama and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. We talk to Boyd and hear from you. What’s a defining moment of hip hop for you?

Guests:

Dr. Todd Boyd, professor of cinema and media studies, USC; author, "Rapper's Deluxe: How Hip Hop Made the World"

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This November San Francisco voters will get to decide whether to give London Breed another four years as mayor. Polls show voters are dissatisfied with how Breed has handled crime and homelessness, and her political weakness has invited several strong challengers into the race, from the political left, right and middle. Board of Supervisors’ President Aaron Peskin, Supervisor Asha Safaí, philanthropist Daniel Lurie and venture capitalist Mark Farrell are all making a run for the job, among others. We’ll talk about the candidates, San Francisco’s shifting politics and how the city’s ranked choice voting system could affect the dynamics of the race.

Guests:

Heather Knight, San Francisco bureau chief, New York Times - formerly a San Francisco Chronicle reporter since 1999.

Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez, reporter and producer covering politics, KQED News

Former San Francisco Supervisor Jane Kim, California chair, Working Families Party - a progressive advocacy organization

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