KQED's Forum

Have you heard the conventional narrative that parents who adopt are “saviors,” and kids who are adopted should feel unfettered gratitude? What impact does this narrative have when it comes to the complications many adoptees experience? In her recent conversation in the Atlantic with fellow adoptee Tony Hynes, writer Nicole Chung and Hynes dig into the nuances of trans-racial adoption, birth family connection and what it means to grow up hearing you were “saved.” They join us to rethink adoption narratives.

Guests:

Nicole Chung, author of "All You Can Ever Know" and the forthcoming "A Living Remedy;" writer of the column "I Have Notes" for The Atlantic

Tony Hynes, Ph.D. candidate and training specialist in adoption; author of "The Son With Two Moms"

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A shelf of clear glass jars filled with spices can be so beautiful – think vibrant turmeric cozying up next to a dark red chili powder – and also so intimidating. How to joyfully indulge in new spices without creating a global mish mash of tastes? And what exactly is a spice anyway? As part of our All You Can Eat series on Bay Area food cultures with KQED food editor Luke Tsai, we’ll talk with local spice connoisseurs about how to use spices, how to find them and how to support equity in the spice trade.

Guests:

Luke Tsai, food editor, KQED Arts & Culture

Sana Javeri Kadri, founder and CEO, Diaspora Co.

John Beaver, co-founder, Oaktown Spice Shop

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What in our lives sets us up to experience joy? And how does joy make us act and feel? Those are the the central questions poet and essayist Ross Gay explores in his new book, “Inciting Joy,” an ode to skateboarding, gardening, pick-up basketball and other practices and rituals that can make joy more available to us. We talk to Gay about the connections between joy and sorrow -- and joy and solidarity -- and why he says that joy, which gets us to love, is a practice of survival.

Guests:

Ross Gay, poet and essayist, "Inciting Joy," "Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude" and "The Book of Delights"

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Wildfires and recording-breaking heat waves continue to pose huge challenges for Pacific Gas and Electric, the state’s largest investor-owned utility. The company has undergone years of turmoil and legal trouble after its equipment sparked multiple wildfires including the 2018 Camp Fire that killed 85 people in Paradise. PG&E emerged from bankruptcy in 2020 and is now under new leadership, but how well the company can navigate safety concerns, corporate responsibility, and cost control after years of mismanagement remains uncertain. We take stock of PG&E and how the utility can move forward.

Guests:

Michael Wara, policy director for the Sustainability Accelerator at the Doerr School of Sustainability; director of the Climate and Energy Policy Program and senior research scholar at the Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University

David Roberts, author and host of Volts, a newsletter and podcast about clean energy and politics

Lily Jamali, senior reporter, Marketplace

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The red wave Republicans hoped for never materialized, but they are close to winning a majority in the House as the nation awaits results in key House races. Meanwhile in the Senate, the balance ofpower rests on a Nevada race that as of Friday is too close to call and the December Senate runoff between incumbent Democrat Raphael Warnock and his challenger, Herschel Walker. We’ll talkabout what we’ve learned from the midterms and their impact in California and the next two years of the Biden presidency.

Guests:

Melanie Mason, national political correspondent, Los Angeles Times.

Domenico Montanaro, senior political editor and correspondent, NPR.

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American news coverage about Mexico invariably focuses on migration and drug cartels. Less talked about is whether the country is edging towards authoritarianism under President AndrésManuel López Obrador. Elected in 2018 to a six-year term, the president’s tight control over the Morena political party and his attacks on civil institutions have drawn comparisons to Donald Trump. Earlier this year, López Obrador, also known as AMLO, brought in the military to not only police city streets but run government infrastructure like airports, giving the military unprecedented powers in a move that alarmed democracy watchers. Described as the “Teflon president,” López Obrador enjoys a 60% approval rating despite a stagnant economy and rising criminal violence. We’ll talk with experts about the state of Mexico’s democracy.

Guests:

Denise Dresser, professor, political science, Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM). Dresser's most recent article for Foreign Affairs is titled "Mexico's Dying Democracy."

María Marván Laborde , professor, political science, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). Marván Laborde is currently a fellow with the U.S.-Mexico Institute at UC San Diego.

Natalie Kitroeff, Bureau Chief for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, New York Times

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Roughly 70 million Americans have a chronic sleep disorder, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and lack of sleep is associated with chronic disease, mental illness andpoor quality of life. So, what can we do to help ourselves? We talk with UCSF sleep researcher Aric A. Prather about how to calm our ruminating minds and other strategies to help us get a goodnight's rest. His new book is "The Sleep Prescription: Seven Days to Unlocking Your Best Rest."

Guests:

Aric Prather, professor of psychiatry and behavioral Sciences, UCSF - His new book is "The Sleep Prescription: Seven Days to Unlocking Your Best Rest."

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When Alexandra Horowitz brought home a pandemic puppy it was clear little Quiddity would be very closely watched. Horowitz is founder of Barnard’s Dog Cognition Lab and her previous books explored questions of how dogs experience the world. In her new book, “The Year of the Puppy: How Dogs Become Themselves” she follows her puppy from his very beginnings as “a mewling splodge of fur,” through his first year. We talk to Horowitz about what she learned and why puppies are cognitively interesting as well as being the cutest little balls of fluff, and how those two things might be related.

Guests:

Alexandra Horowitz, author, "The Year of the Puppy: How Dogs Become Themselves;" founder, the Dog Cognition Lab at Barnard College.

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Nearly one in three Black Californians has received inadequate treatment for pain or otherwise been unfairly treated by a health care provider because of their race or ethnicity. That’s according to a new study from the California Health Care Foundation, which also found that 26 percent of Black Californians have at least once decided not to seek medical care because they expected disrespect or unjust treatment. When it comes to addressing the problem, 80 percent of those surveyed said it is important to increase the number of Black healthcare workers and Black-led, community-based clinics. We’ll talk about how the health care system could better serve its Black patients and hear your experiences.

Related link(s):

- Listening to Black Californians: How the Health Care System Undermines Their Pursuit of Good Health

- Listening to Black Californians

- California lacks Black doctors. Here’s how the state can add more

Guests:

Katherine Haynes, senior program officer, California Health Care Foundation (CHCF).

Wynton Sims, third year medical student, UCSF.

Dr. Kim Rhoads, founder, Umoja Health; associate professor of epidemiology & biostatistics and associate director, Community Engagement, UCSF School of Medicine.

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Wall Street Journal reporter Ben Kesling’s new book, “Bravo Company,” tells the story of one Army regiment’s deployment to Afghanistan and their struggles on their return home. Bravo Company was a group of paratroopers who experienced a large number of deaths, lost limbs and other injuries while serving in 2009 and 2010. Kesling, who served in combat zones as a Marine in Iraq Afghanistan, explores veterans’ complicated experiences with deployments, combat, and healing. As we approach Veteran’s Day, we discuss the harsh realities and aftermath of the War On Terror and what it means to serve your country.

Guests:

Ben Kesling, Midwest correspondent, Wall Street Journal; author, "Bravo Company: An Afghanistan Deployment and its Aftermath"

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