KQED's Forum

Airports are often the first, last, and sometimes only impression a traveler has of a city. Singapore's Changi airport dazzles; Newark Airport in New Jersey offers less delight. SFO leads the way in design with its newly opened Harvey Milk Terminal which boasts Heath tiles in the restrooms, lighting that makes you look less tired, and improved acoustic design. But the airport industry has been challenged by the pandemic, which dropped traveller numbers and put new stresses on airports already grappling with issues like aging infrastructure. We'll talk about airports you love, airports you never want to see again, and hear from experts about airports of the future.

This segment originally aired Oct. 1. 

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Last December, Forum spoke to four nurses and doctors on the frontlines of COVID care in California. At the time, cases were surging statewide, and no vaccines were available. They described heartbreaking patient deaths, overflowing ICUs and the heavy emotional toll of their work. The same healthcare workers join us again, nine months later, to share what has improved and the profound challenges that remain for those caring for the sickest patients.

This segment originally aired Sept. 23. 

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In his latest book “Our Country Friends,” novelist Gary Shteyngart tackles the pandemic novel. In the book, the protagonist, Sasha Senderovsky, a writer whose star is slowly flaming out, gathers his family and high school friends in a pod at his country home to ride out the early days of the pandemic. Lauded by the New York Times as the “perfect novel for these times and all times,” “Our Country Friends uses the pandemic to explore themes of family, longing, and loss all with Shteyngart’s characteristic humor and wit. We’ll talk to Shteyngart, who is famous for his dystopian novel “Super Sad True Love Story,” about what it was like to write in real-time about the dystopia unfolding around him. 

This segment originally aired Nov. 3. 

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In a new cover story for The Atlantic, writer Hannah Giorgis looks critically at Hollywood’s writers’ rooms and how most of them look nothing like America. Documenting the history of Black writers who have navigated predominantly white writers’ rooms — often confronting implicit and explicit biases — Giorgis reveals the renaissance of onscreen representation they helped bring to television. Still, Hollywood remains an industry dominated by white men, and that continues to impact the hiring of offscreen Black talent and who’s at the table. We’ll talk to Giorgis about whether the tide is really turning in Hollywood when it comes to diverse representation — not only in the stories we tell, but who’s telling them. 

This segment originally aired Sept. 20. 

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Bay Area-based chef and food justice activist Bryant Terry is back with another cookbook — but this time it’s not just his recipes. He’s created “a communal shrine to the shared culinary histories of the African diaspora,” as he writes in the introduction to “Black Food.” Bringing together a number of contributors who share recipes, stories and artwork — plus Terry’s signature playlists to go with the recipes — “Black Food” aims to be a feast not just for your tastebuds, but your eyes, ears and spirit, too. Terry, who’s also the chef-in-residence at the Museum of the African Diaspora, says this is his last cookbook, but just the beginning of a bigger vision to publish more writers of color under his new publishing imprint 4 Color Books. Terry joins us to talk about “Black Food” and what else he’s got cooking — both in and out of the kitchen.

This segment originally aired Nov. 9.

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Earlier this year, the National Institutes of Health announced funding of more than $1 billion for research into the prolonged health consequences of COVID-19 infections. Since then, reports of what’s called long covid have only risen. Symptoms range from fatigue to coughing to chest pain and even to nerve pain. We’ll get the latest science on long covid, hear how often it occurs and what are its symptoms, and learn what’s being done to tackle it.

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Thanksgiving might be our most traditional meal, but what do we really know about all the processes that suck up raw ingredients and spit out turkeys, potato flakes, and jellied cranberry sauce into the modern supermarket? This hour on Forum, we’ll discuss the science and engineering behind some of America’s most iconic foods. We’ll talk Thanksgiving favorites, new flavors and beyond.

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You’ve heard it all before: Boomers have all the money, millennials are the unluckiest generation, gen z are changing the nature of work (and scaring their bosses). But a lot of generational analysis is really just fake science, argues social researcher Bobby Duffy in his new book “The Generation Myth: Why When You’re Born Matters Less Than You Think.” Duffy joins us to debunk stereotypes around generational trends, and illuminate the real challenges facing different generations.

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The documentary "Moving San Francisco" guides viewers through a history of public transit in a region rife with innovation. From the iconic cable cars that climb the city's hills to the fleet of ferries on the bay to ride-hailing services, how people traverse the Bay Area has evolved with the times. And transit systems are still evolving - navigating issues of equity and affordability are as much part of the conversation as trying to regulate new technology. We'll talk with the makers of "Moving San Francisco" and some of the documentary's guests about how public transit has shaped San Francisco and what the city's transportation network could become in the future.

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Overcoming adversity has been the hallmark of Michael Tubb’s eventful life. When he was six, his father was sentenced to a near-life term in prison. At 22, Tubbs was elected to Stockton’s city council while still a student at Stanford. At 26, he became the city’s youngest and first black mayor. Along the way he founded programs to help underserved youth get to college, taught in high school, and introduced Universal Basic Income to the city. It has not all been easy as he reflects in his new memoir, “The Deeper the Roots.” Tubbs grapples with the survivor’s guilt that comes from seeing family murdered and friends caught up in poverty and violence. We’ll talk to Tubbs about his book and the stories and people who have shaped his life so far.

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