KQED's Forum

Oakland will pick it's new youth poet laureate on June 7th. But before the new honoree is named, Forum talks with 16-year-old Leila Mottley, the city's current youth poet laureate, who spent the past year promoting poetry across the city. We'll also talk to Mottley about her self-published poetry collection, which grapples with the complexities of a rapidly changing Oakland.

Amor Towles' 2016 novel, "A Gentleman in Moscow," is about a Russia aristocrat confined for decades to a luxury hotel while the world changes outside its doors. Towles' first novel, "The Rules of Civility," brought 1930s and 40s New York City to life. Towles joins us in a special broadcast from the Oakland Public Library's 81st Avenue branch to talk about his writing, the connective power of books and what fiction can achieve that nonfiction writing cannot.

Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Rick Atkinson writes that reading George Washington's frequent complaints about his troops "transforms the demigod into a sometimes petulant mortal." As Atkinson’s history of the Revolutionary War digs into the details of war and contemporary writings, it provides a rich, harsh portrait of the country's often simplified creation story. Atkinson joins Forum to talk about his book "The British Are Coming" and why Americans should still be taking lessons from the country’s founding.

From the apps on our phones to the magazines at our grocery stores, we're inundated with tips on using "mindfulness" to reduce stress. But San Francisco State professor Ronald Purser argues that the mindfulness advertised is more like "McMindfulness": well-packaged, individualized complacency that preserves the status quo. Instead of linking our unhappiness to larger social structures, we identify it as self-imposed -- and are told to learn how to cope. To accomplish true, revolutionary mindfulness and return to its Buddhist roots, Purser argues, we must look beyond ourselves as individuals. We'll talk with Purser about his new book, "McMindfulness: How Mindfulness Became the New Capitalist Spirituality."

A Department of Homeland Security inspector general report on border facilities in the Rio Grande Valley was published Tuesday. The strongly worded report found "dangerous overcrowding" at a Texas detention facility that requires "immediate attention and action." We'll discuss the report, as well as President Trump's plans for 4th of July in Washington D.C., which will divert approximately $2.5 million from the National Park Service to cover the cost of the event.

Local researchers think June's record-breaking heat wave is to blame for scores of dead mussels along the shores of Bodega Bay. The effects of warming waters on marine life has been widely studied, but it's rare to see marine life dying from hot air, as is suspected in this case. We'll discuss the implications of this latest discovery.

When it comes to parenting, the questions are endless, as is the advice. Health economist Emily Oster uses data to sort through the overwhelming number of studies, books, and articles telling parents what to do, in hopes of encouraging a more relaxed approach to child rearing. Oster argues that organizations like the American Pediatric Association need to get better at communicating realistic risks and benefits to time-strapped parents. Tell us: What's the most unrealistic piece of parenting advice you've received? What questions do you have for Oster?

A bill that would ban racially-based hair discrimination in workplaces and public schools is headed to Governor Gavin Newsom's desk. Known as the CROWN (Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair) Act, the bill seeks to rectify a history of "laws and societal norms that equated 'blackness,' and the associated physical traits ... to a badge of inferiority, sometimes subject to separate and unequal treatment." A study conducted by beauty company Dove found that natural black hairstyles like afros, braids and twists were ranked the lowest for "job readiness." We'll discuss the bill, how it could be enforced when signed into law, and the 'politics' of natural hair.

Salesforce Transit Center. Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. Chase Center. In recent years, corporate logos have appeared on a growing number of public buildings and structures throughout the Bay Area. The names are prominent advertising for companies and in instances where cities own the land, a source of revenue for cash-strapped municipalities and agencies. And it's not just office buildings and stadiums. Earlier this year, Caltrain voted to pursue the sale of naming rights for its stations that could be purchased by local companies and wealthy individuals. We'll discuss what's behind this trend and what it says about the changing face of the Bay Area. How do you feel about the branding of public structures?

San Jose's sanctuary policy has been in the spotlight since city resident Bambi Larsen was killed earlier this year, allegedly by an undocumented immigrant with a criminal record. Critics of the policy--including the San Jose Police union--think police should notify federal immigration authorities when undocumented immigrants are released from jail.  The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, however, recently voted to uphold the current policy that bars officials from notifying authorities. San Jose police chief Eddie Garcia joins us to share his perspective, as well as his priorities and vision for the force.