KQED's Forum

“I experience your wounds as if they were my own,” reads the last line of Clint Smith’s poem “Nociception.” Directed to a child, it explains that just as a sea creature that loses an appendage feels discomfort across its entire body, so does a parent whose child is in pain. The poem is part of Smith’s new collection “Above Ground,” which also celebrates the joy, wonder and even occasional absurdity of being a parent. We talk to Smith about his poetry and what he calls the “simultaneity of the human experience:” our capacity to hold fear and anxiety alongside joy and awe.

Guests:

Clint Smith, poet and staff writer, The Atlantic - His new collection of poetry is "Above Ground." His previous books include "How the Word is Passed."

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Life expectancy rates in the United States have been falling for some time even though the country has one of the highest standards of living on the planet. According to a recent column in the Financial Times, what’s really mind blowing is how those declines compare with other industrialized nations like Britain. The average American can expect to live to age 65 – a life expectancy similar to the poorest people in England. One key difference: more Americans are dying young due in part to rising opioid use, car accidents, and gun violence. We’ll talk about why Americans fare so much worse than people in other developed countries and what can be done to help more people live longer.

Guests:

Dr. Tony Iton, senior vice president of Healthy Communities, The California Endowment - lecturer, Health Policy & Management, UC Berkeley School of Public Health; former director, Alameda County Public Health Department

John Burn-Murdoch, columnist, Financial Times

Jessica Y. Ho, associate professor of Sociology and Demography, The Pennsylvania State University

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Mobility is “the harmonious convergence of all the elements that allow you to move freely and effortlessly through space and life,” write San Francisco CrossFit cofounders Juliet and Kelly Starrett. But our desk-bound, screen-dominated modern life constrains mobility, leaving our joints stiff, our muscles achy and our minds on edge. Being able to move the way we want, how and when we want, can’t be achieved by just working out or stretching, they argue. Beyond exercise and pilates, mobility requires an awareness of our bodies, their ranges of motion, and how to maximize that range to move easily and painlessly today and decades from now. Juliet and Kelly Starrett join us to talk about their new book and why all bodies are “Built to Move.”

Guests:

Kelly Starrett, co-founder, The Ready State and San Francisco CrossFit; author, "BUILT TO MOVE: The Ten Essential Habits to Help You Move Freely and Live Fully"

Juliet Starrett, CEO and co-founder, The Ready State; co-founder, San Francisco CrossFit; author, "BUILT TO MOVE: The Ten Essential Habits to Help You Move Freely and Live Fully"

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California has been pummeled by storms in recent months, but the benefit of that never-ending rain cloud is all the makings for a beautiful Bay Area spring. Rivers are gushing, wildflowers are blooming, mushrooms are sprouting and waterfalls are tumbling in places they haven’t been seen in years, We’ll talk to a panel of nature-lovers about what to look for and the best places to see the glories of spring.

Guests:

Radhika Thekkath, president, Santa Clara Valley chapter of the California Native Plant Society

Tracy Salcedo, outdoor guide author, has written multiple books about hiking in California, including “Hiking Waterfalls Northern California: A Guide to the Region's Best Waterfall Hikes.”

Brad Day, publisher, Weekendsherpa.com - A free weekly e-mail about accessible outdoor adventures in the Bay Area.

J.R. Blair, amateur mycologist and retired lecturer in Biology at San Francisco State University.

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The 2024 presidential election is more than 18 months away. Yet it started months ago: not with Donald Trump’s announcement that he’s running again, but behind the scenes with the leaderships of the Republican and Democratic National Committees fighting it out amongst themselves for power and primacy. That’s the focus of the newest season of the New York Times’ podcast, “The Run-Up.” Host Astead Herndon joins to talk about how party leadership is gearing up for the next election and what’s at stake. And we’ll hear from you: Does your political party and its leadership represent your views?

Guests:

Astead Herndon, national political reporter, New York Times

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For as long as rock climbing has existed, women have been pushing the limits on the wall. And they’ve done so without being properly recognized. But in the last decades, female climbing spaces have become more commonplace, helping climbers reach their full potential and demonstrating that climbing, unlike most popular sports, allows both women and men to perform at the same levels. Forum talks with female climbers about the gender neutrality of the sport, its physical and mental demands, and how more female climbers are closing the gender gap.

Guests:

Cloe Coscoy, climber, USA National Team

Jessie Conrad, lead route setter, Bridges Climbing Gym

Emily Taylor, founder and director, TayloredFit Solutions and Brown Girls Climbing

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About 16 million Americans – or about 1 in 20 U.S. adults – own at least one AR-15, making it the best-selling rifle in the United States. It’s also among the most lethal: ten of the 17 deadliest U.S. mass shootings in the last decade have involved AR-15s, according to “American Icon,” a new investigation by the Washington Post. We talk about why the AR-15, originally designed as a lightweight combat weapon, has risen to mass market dominance over the last two decades and why it’s remained free from congressional scrutiny.

Guests:

Mark Follman, national affairs editor, Mother Jones; author, "Trigger Points: Inside the Mission to Stop Mass Shootings in America"

Peter Wallsten, senior national investigations editor, Washington Post

Silvia Foster-Frau, multiculturalism reporter, Washington Post

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With rising inflation, downtowns that are yet to fully reopen and regional bank failures, it may seem that there is not a lot of good economic news to report right now. But according to Katherine S. Newman and Elisabeth S. Jacobs, the authors of a new book, “Moving the Needle,” there is a major economic success story in the tight labor markets of recent years which helped bring the truly disadvantaged out of poverty. Newman and Jacobs say that low unemployment has not only increased wages, it has also changed employers’ minds about hiring the formerly incarcerated, the value of a minimum wage, and the importance of flexible schedules. We’ll talk about how the policies applied during periods of low unemployment can make a difference when economic times get tough.

Guests:

Katherine S. Newman, provost and executive vice president, Academic Affairs, University of California; co-author, "Moving the Needle: What Tight Labor Markets Do for the Poor"

Elisabeth S. Jacobs, senior fellow, Urban Institute Center on Labor, Human Services, and Population; co-author, " Moving the Needle: What Tight Labor Markets Do for the Poor."

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Once the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi, spanning what is now Kings, Tulare and Kern Counties before it was drained a century ago, Tulare Lake is on the verge of returning. Swelled by recent storms, it has inundated farmland, threatened cities, forced evacuations, disrupted livelihoods and reignited long-standing water wars. With record snow in the Sierra Nevada yet to run off, there’s more water coming. We’ll talk about what the re-emergence of Tulare Lake means for the region and the state.

Guests:

Karla Nemeth, director, California Department of Water Resources

Lois Henry, editor and CEO, SJV Water - an independent, nonprofit news site covering water in the San Joaquin Valley

Doug Verboon, district 3 supervisor, Kings County Board of Supervisors

Kayode Kadara, community leader, Allensworth - in southwest Tulare County

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Residents of Martinez woke up the morning after Thanksgiving last year to find a white powder coating their neighborhoods. About a week later, county health officials announced it was a toxic release from Martinez Refining Co. and, after another several weeks, residents were told not to eat any food grown in their soil. Now, on Wednesday, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District will present the Martinez City council with its report on where the two tons of “spent catalyst” landed. Forum talks with residents and officials about their quest to get answers and accountability, and the uneasy relationship between the area’s refineries and the neighbors who share their air.

Guests:

Heidi Taylor, resident of Martinez

Charles Davidson, Sunflower Alliance

Matt Kaufmann, deputy director, Contra Costa Health Services

Ori Tzvieli, health officer, Contra Costa County

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