KQED's Forum

The dog, writes poet Billy Collins, moves through the world unencumbered, with “nothing but her brown coat and her modest blue collar.” In a new collection called “Dog Show,” the former U.S. Poet Laureate turns his gaze toward the quiet wisdom of our canine friends — their reminders to slow down, pay attention and let the ordinary become radiant. We talk to Collins about dogs, poetry and why it’s a good idea to get close to both in hard times. Has a dog changed the way you see the world?

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Pioneering disability justice activist Alice Wong died in San Francisco on  Friday at the age of 51.  We listen back to our January interview with Alice, as  part of our series profiling legends of the Bay Area. We talked with Alice about her joyous approach to life and listened to some favorite interviews recorded with StoryCorps for the  Disability Visibility Project, which she founded. We also gathered fellow disability rights activists who reflected on Alice’s impact on them, and on the evolution of the disability justice movement.

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“Ghosting” has become an almost inevitable part of modern life – not just on dating sites, but among friends, family and even professional colleagues. But what’s behind this act of digital disappearance, and what does it say about how we relate to each other today? We’ll look at how technology that makes it easier to disappear on people has also made ghosting more socially acceptable, despite its emotional toll. When have you been ghosted, or ghosted someone?

Guests:

Dominic Pettman, professor of media and new humanities, The New School; author of "Ghosting: On Disappearance"

Lizzie Post, a great-great-granddaughter of Emily Post and co-host of the “Awesome Etiquette” podcast; co-president of The Emily Post Institute.

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Growing up in Stockton’s Khmer refugee community, Nite Yun knew some about her family’s history and heritage, but it was only after she visited Cambodia for the first time at age 24 that she connected deeply with her roots. Returning to the Bay Area, she opened the acclaimed Nyum Bai restaurant in Fruitvale, after being nurtured by the culinary incubator La Cocina. Now, she is the chef and owner of Lunette in the Ferry Building, and author of a new cookbook with recipes and reflections on her childhood and cooking in the Bay Area.

Guests:

Nite Yun, chef and owner, Lunette, a Cambodian restaurant in the Ferry Building. Yun is the author of the cookbook, "My Cambodia: A Khmer Cookbook."

Leticia Landa, executive director, La Cocina

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During the Civil War, “Soldier’s Heart” was the name given to the symptoms we now associate with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. While the condition has had many names in the decades – and wars – that have followed, its toll on soldiers has not abated. Between 11 and 15 percent of Vietnam War veterans are still suffering from PTSD, 50 years after the end of the war. The new documentary “Healing a Soldier’s Heart” follows four veterans reckoning with PTSD and with moral injury – the psychological harm we experience when we violate our moral code. We talk with the filmmaker, a Vietnam War veteran and a psychologist about what it looks like to heal.

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Guests:

Shira Maguen, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, UCSF Medical School; staff psychologist, San Francisco VA Medical Center PTSD Program

Stephen Olsson, director and producer, “Healing A Soldier's Heart”

Levie Isaacks, decorated Vietnam Army platoon leader (Bronze Star for heroism) and veteran

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When Waymo robotaxis first rolled out onto San Francisco streets in 2021, people were skeptical. But less than five years later, Waymos are popular – a new poll finds local support at 67% –  though still polarizing. A San Francisco Supervisor is advocating to allow counties to decide whether they are allowed on their roads. As Waymo extends their service this week to San Jose and Bay Area highways, we’ll talk with those for and against Waymo expansion. And we’ll look at the future of autonomous vehicles as new competition looks to enter the market.

Guests:

Jackie Fielder, District 9 supervisor, San Francisco

William (Billy) Riggs, professor, University of San Francisco School of Management

Rya Jetha, tech culture reporter, SF Standard

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Michael McFaul witnessed Russia’s slide into autocracy under Vladimir Putin. Now, the former ambassador to Russia warns the U.S. is also at risk. In his new book, “Autocrats vs Democrats: China, Russia, America, and the New Global Disorder,” McFaul lays out the internal threats facing American democracy, and argues that we may have misjudged the external threats as well – overestimating China’s strength while underestimating Russia’s.

Guests:

Michael McFaul, professor of political science; Director of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University - and former U.S. ambassador to Russia

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If you ask someone with aphantasia to visualize an apple, a tree, or the house they grew up in, their mind draws a blank. Literally. The inability to conjure up mental images was discovered in the 1880s but only recently has been given a name and become the subject of more serious study. Aphantasia is found in approximately one percent of the population and can also affect the ability to recall sounds, touch and the sensation of movement. Some aphantasics experience their condition as a loss, while others say the freedom from being bound by visual memory allows them to live fully in the present. We talk about aphantasia and what it tells us about how our brains perceive and remember.

Guests:

Larissa MacFarquhar, staff writer for The New Yorker, her most recent article is titled "Some People Can’t See Mental Images. The Consequences Are Profound"

Tom Ebeyer, founder, Aphantasia Network

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Starting in January, Californians will be able to buy discounted insulin from the state. That’s thanks to CalRx, the state-run drug label created in 2020 that partners with manufacturers to slash generic prescription drug prices. CalRx already offers the opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone for about half the market price and other medications, including asthma inhalers, could be next. We’ll talk about whether this effort could ease the prescription drug affordability crisis and bolster the supply of crucial medications.

Guests:

April Dembosky, health correspondent, KQED News

Dr. Mariana Socal, associate professor of health policy, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public

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In Zohran Mamdani’s victory speech after being elected New York City’s new mayor, he thanked those often forgotten by the politics of the city, the “Yemeni bodega owners and Mexican abuelas. Senegalese taxi drivers and Uzbek nurses. Trinidadian line cooks and Ethiopian aunties.” It got us thinking about the people who make up our Bay Area cities and whether they are represented by our politics. And we’ll hear from you: Who are the often overlooked people who you see as the heart of your city?

Guests:

Jane Kim, California chair, Working Families Party - former San Francisco Supervisor representing District 6 from 2011-2019

Adena Ishii, mayor, City of Berkeley

Noelia Corzo, supervisor, San Mateo County

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