KQED's Forum

In Brandon Taylor’s new collection of short stories, “Filthy Animals,” characters either hide their teeth or give in to their animalistic impulses. They thirst: for success, belonging and emotional connection. Taylor, whose debut novel “Real Life” met widespread critical acclaim, is also known for his newsletter and Twitter account, which both combine anecdotes with broader cultural analyses on topics ranging from contemporary “internet novels” to literary classics to the art of writing itself. We’ll talk with Taylor about his craft, the underrepresentation and tokenization of Black, queer identities in literature and his goal to attain truth through fiction.

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When we learned that engineers are frantically working to get rid of the annoyingly loud hum that started projecting from the Golden Gate Bridge last summer, it got us wondering about other iconic sounds of the Bay Area. We’ll talk with KQED’s Bay Curious host Olivia Allen-Price about the stories behind some of the sounds of the area, like the sometimes deafening cawing of crows and the rattle of a cable car chains underfoot. And we’ll want to hear, really hear, from you. Call us with your imitation of the sounds that say “Bay Area” to you. 

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Alzheimer's disease affects more than 6 million people in the U.S., and there have been no good existing treatment options. That seemed to change earlier this month when the FDA approved a new drug called Aduhelm that claims to slow the progression of the disease. But while some patients are celebrating the news, many scientists say the drug will deliver marginal, or even no, benefits and that it could have risky side effects. And at a cost of $56,000 annually per patient, some members of the U.S. Senate are calling for an investigation into how the drug will affect the Medicare program. We discuss the controversy around the FDA’s approval of Aduhelm and we’ll get an update on Alzheimer’s research. 

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Celebrated writer and podcaster Ashley C. Ford grew up knowing that her father was in prison, but she never knew the reason why. As she writes in her new memoir “Somebody’s Daughter,” she found herself confronting the truth about her father’s crime while coping with her own devastating trauma. The book chronicles Ford’s upbringing in a tight-knit, Black family in Fort Wayne, Indiana, a place she eventually had to leave to find herself and create a career out of writing. We’ll talk to Ford about her memoir and journey as a writer.

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More than a half-century after the Fair Housing Act made housing discrimination illegal, segregation in residential communities is not only prevalent, but on the rise. More than 80% of metropolitan regions in the U.S. have become more segregated since 1990, and many Bay Area cities are among them, according to a report released this week from UC Berkeley’s Othering and Belonging Institute. Housing segregation can affect income, health and educational opportunities, particularly for people of color. We’ll talk about the impacts of segregation in the Bay Area and which cities have become more or less segregated in the past few decades.

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Carl Nassib, a defensive lineman for the Las Vegas Raiders, made history this week as the first active NFL player to publicly identify as gay. We'll talk about the significance of his announcement with Rick Welts, president and chief operating officer of the Golden State Warriors. Welts himself came out while he was an executive with the Phoenix Suns, and we'll hear his reflections on the pressures faced by LGBTQ professional athletes.

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As people resume pre-pandemic activities and a number of workers return to offices, some are dealing with pandemic hangovers in the form of burnout.The term “burnout” gained prevalence in recent years to describe when someone feels exhausted, ineffective and unmotivated to do activities they once enjoyed. Experts say this state, often caused by chronic stress, can affect workers at all levels and occupations and won’t be fixed by time off or even outright quitting. We’ll talk about burnout and how to heal from it, and we want to hear your experiences. Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicememo at 415-553-3300.

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Often called a “regional Chinese cuisine,” Taiwanese food is making its own distinctive mark on the Bay Area food landscape. Taiwanese restaurants and pop-ups are serving up dishes like lu rou fan, a pork belly rice, and gua bao, an open pork bun, and cooking up dishes for an immigrant diaspora nostalgic for the night markets of Taipei. We take a deep dive into Taiwanese food with KQED food editor Luke Tsai and a local restaurateur who explain what makes Taiwanese food Taiwanese.

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The Western monarch butterfly population has fallen by 99% since the 1980’s largely due to pesticide use and habitat loss. And the butterflies that have survived are changing their behavior in unexpected ways, remaining in the Bay Area over the winter instead of heading to the California coast from October to March. In response, conservation groups like Oakland’s Pollinator Posse are working to restore habitats by planting native milkweed. We’ll discuss why important pollinators are disappearing and what can be done about it. 

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Critical race theory has come under fire from some conservatives, elected leaders, parents and educators. The concept evolved decades ago from legal scholarship seeking to understand how racial bias plays a role in U.S. laws and institutions. Efforts to dismantle critical race theory are now gaining traction more than a year into what many people consider a national reckoning with racism. More than twenty states have introduced or passed legislation that would ban schools from teaching about racism or “divisive concepts.” We talk about what critical race theory is and why it is stirring backlash now.

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