KQED's Forum

“It is remarkable,” writes the Atlantic’s Jennifer Senior, “how many Americans have relations who were, at some point during the past century, sequestered from public view… warehoused, disappeared, roughly shorn from the family tree.” Senior’s aunt Adele was institutionalized as a toddler in the 1950s, and it wasn’t until 40 years later that Senior’s mother — Adele’s sister — saw her again. We talk to Jennifer Senior about her new essay “The Ones We Sent Away.”

Guests:

Jennifer Senior, staff writer, The Atlantic - author of the September cover story "The Ones We Sent Away"

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A perfect recipe of summer weather, climate-warmed waters and excess nutrient pollution has brought the red tide back to the San Francisco Bay shoreline. The same algae bloom that caused a massive fish die-off in Oakland’s Lake Merritt last summer has appeared again, stretching from Emeryville to Richardson Bay. Is this our new normal? We’ll talk with experts about the algae that’s taking over the Bay and what’s being done about it.

Guests:

Ezra David Romero, climate reporter, KQED

Jonathan Rosenfield Ph.D., science director, San Francisco Baykeeper

Eileen White, executive director, Water Board San Francisco Bay Region

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Democrat Barbara Lee has represented Oakland and the East Bay in Congress since 1998, and she’s now running to replace U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, who is not seeking another term. Well known as the sole member of Congress to vote against giving the president unlimited war powers after 9/11, Lee is co-chair of the House Policy and Steering Committee and serves on the Budget Committee and the Appropriations Committee. As a member of the California state legislature, Lee drafted California’s first Violence Against Women Act and the California Schools Hate Crimes Reduction Act. We’ll talk to Lee about why she wants to represent California in the Senate and hear about her positions on the environment, the war in Ukraine, the economy and more.

Guests:

Barbara Lee, U.S. congressmember representing California's 13th district

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What do you notice out the window from your seat on BART, or Muni, or the Golden Gate Ferry? When you ride public transit, you’re free to look around, and looking around can tell you a lot about where you live. We talk about the breathtaking vistas and hidden histories revealed to us through the windows of public transit, and how what we see – or don’t see – shapes our connection to the Bay Area.

Guests:

Vincent Woo, filmmaker, Woo is the creator and director of "Tunnel Vision: An Unauthorized BART Ride"

Liam O'Donoghue, host and producer, East Bay Yesterday

Mey Lee , co-curator, "Muni Raised Me" exhibit featured at SOMA Arts earlier this year. Working on another "Muni Raised Me" exhibition for later this year.

Sarah Katz-Hyman, editor, Muni Diaries

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The pop-up whose Instagram you DM the moment orders reopen. The chef who makes the best dish you’ve ever tasted on a compostable plate. The baker whose vegan desserts have the perfect level of sweetness. California’s pop-up scene flourished in the pandemic, and a new state law eases restrictions for chefs who operate out of their home kitchens. We’ll talk to pop-up entrepreneurs across the state about their culinary creations — and about the challenges of running a pop-up itself, from finding venues to marketing and permitting. And we’ll hear about your favorite pop-up bakers, chefs and coffee-makers — and what you recommend ordering from them.

Guests:

Adhiti Bandlamudi, Silicon Valley reporter, KQED; runs the new popup Badam Babe

Anand Upender, creator, Bay Area pop-up York Street Coffee and the pop-up dinner series "Just Some Folks"

Rashida Holmes, chef-owner, Bridgetown Roti, a Caribbean American food pop-up based in LA

Vandor Hill, owner, Whack Donuts, a vegan donut pop-up in the Bay Area

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Savanah Leaf’s debut feature-length film “Earth Mama” follows Gia, a pregnant 24-year-old single mother of two who is struggling to get her kids back from the foster care system and weighing whether to keep her baby. Set and filmed in Oakland, the film explores Black motherhood, community, and the challenges of escaping cycles of trauma and poverty. Leaf based the film on her short documentary, “The Heart Still Hums,” which also focuses on the stories of young mothers trying to keep their children. We talk with Leaf about capturing the Bay Area’s essence in the film and the personal experiences that inspired it.

Guests:

Savanah Leaf, director, "Earth Mama." Leaf is also the director of the documentary short, "The Heart Still Hums." She was nominated for a Grammy for her music video "This Land" for Gary Clark, Jr.

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Apps like Duolingo offer the tantalizing promise that learning a language will be easy. And fun! And fast! The playfulness of the apps turns language learning into a game to be mastered; on social media, you will find people flexing their streaks on the app. But do these apps work, and if not, what do we get out of it? We talk about learning a language with an app and hear whether an app has helped you gain some new words, phrases or conversation skills in a new language.

Guests:

Maria Carreira, executive director, American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese - Carreira was formerly a professor of Spanish at CSU Long Beach and the co-founder and co-director of the National Heritage Language Resource Center at UCLA.

Joshua Hartshorne, assistant professor, psychology, Boston College - Hartshorne directs the Language Learning Lab at Boston College

Andrew Moseman, writer, Moseman's latest piece for Slate is titled "What Do We Even Want from Duolingo?" Moseman is a former editor of "Popular Mechanics" and has written for The Atlantic, Fortune, Scientific American and Esquire

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Former President Donald Trump has been indicted on four counts related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. We check in with KQED senior politics editor Scott Shafer about the importance of Trump’s third indictment, what it means for the 2024 election and how California’s Republican party is responding.

Then, we talk to Lydia Kiesling, a former resident of the Bay Area, about her new book, “Mobility." Bunny Glenn, the protagonist in Kiesling’s novel, voted for Barack Obama, believes in the science of climate change and, as the daughter of a diplomat was steeped in the effects of environmental devastation and resource wars. She also works in the oil industry. And it’s this ethical compromise, and all the little compromises people make every day, that center Kiesling’s novel. Inspired by the oil power grabs in former Soviet states, and drawn from her own childhood as the daughter of a Foreign Service officer, “Mobility” captures the rootlessness of a young woman struggling to find her place.

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For the last year, Americans in mental health crisis have been able to call or text the number 988 to receive immediate counseling, emotional support and community resources. The formerly 10-digit hotline re-launched with the idea that more lives could be saved with a number that’s easier to remember. And in its first year, 988 saw a 35% jump in service, receiving more than 5 million calls, chats and texts. Advocates say there’s still room to grow: according to the latest federal data, more than 12.3 million adults in the U.S. seriously considered suicide in 2021. We’ll talk about the successes and challenges of 988, one year in.

Related link(s):

Answering the Call: A Special Series On America’s New Mental Health Crisis Line (Tradeoffs)

Guests:

Dan Gorenstein, host and executive editor, “Tradeoffs,” a nonprofit health policy news organization

Keris Jän Myrick, California mental health advocate based in L.A.; vice president of partnerships, Inseparable [a mental health advocacy organization]; podcast host, "Unapologetically Black Unicorns"

Hannah Wesolowski, chief advocacy officer, NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness)

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Driverless vehicles from autonomous ride services Cruise and Waymo can already be found all over San Francisco, and they may soon become much more common if a state commission grants them permission to expand operations. Some local officials argue the technology isn’t ready, pointing to recent examples of automated cars that stopped on roads, obstructing traffic or emergency responders. Others say the whole idea of self-driving cars is flawed. We’ll talk about the upcoming vote and where the robotaxi industry is headed.

Guests:

Annabel Chang, head of state policy and government relations, Waymo

Dan Chatman, associate professor and chair, Department of City and Regional Planning, UC Berkeley

Dylan Fabris, community and policy manager, San Francisco Transit Riders

Kevin Truong, staff writer, The San Francisco Standard

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