KQED's Forum

“What do you do?” is one of the first questions we ask when meeting new people. And that’s part of the increasingly common American belief that our jobs define who we are. Journalist Simone Stolzoff is a recovering “workist” himself who interviewed more than 100 people — from corporate lawyers in Manhattan to fast-food workers in California — about the role that work plays in their self-identities. Stolzoff joins us to explain why thinking about our jobs as “good enough” can help us separate what we do when on the clock from who we are. His new book is “The Good Enough Job: Reclaiming Life from Work.”

Guests:

Simone Stolzoff, independent journalist, designer and consultant, author of “The Good Enough Job: Reclaiming Life from Work”

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Parents of young kids in California often find that childcare is not only expensive, but also hard to secure and even more so for low-income families. The cost of childcare eats up between 8 and 19 percent of family household income, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. While high costs and lack of availability have been problems for decades, the pandemic made it worse. Numerous childcare centers across California closed permanently in the past few years, even though demand has remained constant. We’ll talk about why childcare is so expensive and efforts at the state level to bring down the costs for families and improve working conditions for providers.

Guests:

Daisy Nguyen, early childhood education and care reporter, KQED

Deo Agustin, founder and owner, Mind Builder Center - a licensed in-home childcare center in San Jose

Anna Powell , senior research and policy associate, Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, University of California, Berkeley

Monique Limón, Senator, California State Senate - She represents the 19th Senate district that includes the Santa Barbara County and half of Ventura County

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It seems like actor and director Randall Park has been in everything. “Veep.” “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” “WandaVision.” “Aquaman.” He played an amiable version of the North Korean dictator Kim Jung Un in the movie “The Interview.” He starred and co-wrote the Netflix hit movie “Always Be My Maybe” with Ali Wong. And his single scene in “The Office” playing the Asian version of lead character Jim is a viral favorite. But Park’s breakthrough role didn’t come until he was 40 when he booked the hit ABC series “Fresh Off the Boat.” And that success came after many years living at home with his parents and hustling for guest roles and small parts anywhere he could find them. We’ll talk to Park about his career, his directorial debut, “Shortcomings,” and what it means to find success in a fickle industry like show biz.

Guests:

Randall Park, actor and director, debut directorial feature "Shortcomings," actor in "Always Be My Maybe" and the ABC series "Fresh Off the Boat"

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The buoyant protagonist of San Francisco writer Kathryn Ma’s new novel, The Chinese Groove, migrates from China, where he’s part of the outcast branch of his family, to San Francisco, where he is sure his distant relatives will welcome and nurture him and shepherd him along his path. Forum talks to Ma about the comedy of errors that follow, San Francisco through a new immigrant’s eyes and her character’s faith in the “groove,” the kindness and generosity expected from fellow countrymen.

Guests:

Kathryn Ma, author, "The Chinese Groove" and "The Year She Left Us" and "All That Work and Still No Boys."

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Connie Wang never intended to write a book about her mother. It felt almost too cliched – the first generation immigrant writing about her parent’s sacrifice. But her mother, with her rejection of the trope that she should be a model minority, her belief that the perfect dinner is two creme brulees, and her intense devotion to the movie “Magic Mike XXL,” made her an irresistible topic for Wang. In her new memoir, “Oh My Mother!” Wang recounts her travels with her mother to Vegas, Versailles and Disney World. The book is also about coming to terms with her mother’s defiant and often hilarious journey as an accidental immigrant who never meant to stay long in America. We talk to Wang about her book.

Guests:

Connie Wang, journalist; author, "Oh My Mother! A Memoir in Nine Adventures"; former executive editor, Refinery29

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Summer months bring longer hours to enjoy everything our region has to offer from music festivals, movie nights in a park, and picturesque hikes. What are you most excited about doing this summer in the Bay? Is there a free concert series in a city park, a bike ride through wine country, a favorite swap meet or beach that you’re looking forward to? We’ll talk about some of the great concerts, festivals and events coming up in the Bay Area this summer. And, we want to hear from you. What is your favorite Bay Area summer tradition?

Guests:

Gabe Meline, senior editor, KQED Arts & Culture

Johnny Hayes, founder, AKA Johnny Funcheap; co-founder, RushTix

Azucena Rasilla, arts and community reporter, Oaklandside

Pete Crooks, senior writer and editor, Diablo Magazine

Lance Gardner, events producer, KQED

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Over the last nine years, five nonprofits with names like American Veterans Honor Fund and American Police Officers Alliance — which purport to raise funds to build political support for police, firefighters and veterans — have become some of the nation’s biggest sources of robocalls. That’s according to a new New York Times investigation which found that of the $89 million the nonprofits received, virtually all went back to fundraising and paying the groups’ operatives. We’ll hear about the scheme and how lax oversight and gaps in the federal campaign finance system may have enabled it.

Guests:

David Fahrenthold, investigative reporter, New York Times. Fahrenthold focuses on nonprofits, and his most recent New York Times piece is titled "How to Raise $89 Million in Small Donations, and Make It Disappear." He previously reported for the Washington Post where he won a Pulitzer Prize in 2017 for his political campaign coverage and investigative reporting on Donald Trump's claims of donations to charities.

Ellen Aprill, law professor emerita, Loyola Law School. Aprill is an expert in nonprofit and tax-exempt organization law.

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Earlier this month the Oakland City Council unanimously voted to rename a section of MacArthur Avenue, Tupac Shakur Way, as a reminder, the resolution reads, of rap icon’s contributions “as an awakening tool towards changes in society.” But the Shakur family’s radical legacy far predates Tupac. In his new book, “Amerikan Family: The Shakurs and the Nation They Created” Santi Elijah Holley’s details the history of the Black liberation movement through generations of the Shakur family. We talk with Holley about the Shakur family, the evolution of the Black liberation movement and its lasting impact on the country.

Guests:

Santi Elijah Holley, journalist and essayist writing on the intersection of culture, music, race, religion, and politics; author, "AN AMERIKAN FAMILY: The Shakurs and the Nation They Created"

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Only two Black women have ever been elected to the U.S. Senate. The most recent, Kamala Harris, left to become Vice President and the Senate now has no Black women again. Oakland’s Barbara Lee, who is running for Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s seat, could be the third in American history. But she faces the same obstacles as the other Black female candidates before her, including fundraising and being taken seriously by political insiders and the media. This hour we’ll explore the barriers they face, and the quandary surrounding Gov. Gavin Newsom’s pledge to name a Black woman to the Senate should Feinstein leave before her term ends.

Guests:

Shira Stein, Washington DC correspondent for the San Francisco Chronicle

Aimee Allison, founder and president, She the People - a national organization dedicated to building the political power of women of color

Kimberly Ellis, director of the San Francisco Department on the Status of Women - former executive director of Emerge California.

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It’s just about summer and time to dig out the red-and-white checkered blanket for a picnic. From banh mi sandwiches at the beach or pork buns at a city park, the Bay Area has no shortage of picnic spots and foods. As part of our All You Can East series, we’ll talk with chef and picnic enthusiast Samin Nosrat and KQED food editor Luke Tsai about how to plan the perfect picnic. Whether you’re headed to the waterfront or Washington Square Park, tell us: what’s your favorite place for a picnic, and what food are you bringing?

Guests:

Luke Tsai, food editor, KQED Arts & Culture

Samin Nosrat, chef and author of "Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat," host of the Netflix special with the same name. Her new podcast is "Home Cooking."

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