City Arts & Lectures

Latest Episodes:

Kim Stanley Robinson Dec 18, 2022

Show notes

Kim Stanley Robinson is widely recognized as one of the foremost living writers of science fiction. In The Ministry for the Future, Robinson imagines a near-future where climate change has wreaked havoc, from severe heat waves, to flooding, limited resources, and a global refugee crisis. It’s a terrifying set of circumstances, but it’s not without hope —Robinson brings to life a possible path for survival. Robinson has also published a memoir, The High Sierra: A Love Story, a “sublime” and “radically original” exploration of the Sierra Nevadas. On Wednesday, December 7, Kim Stanley Robinson came to the Sydney Goldstein Theater in San Francisco to be interviewed on stage bu designer and science fiction fan Eric Rodenbeck.

Patti Smith Dec 11, 2022

Show notes

Patti Smith is a writer, performer, and visual artist who gained recognition in the 1970s for her revolutionary merging of poetry and rock. She has released numerous albums and books including her seminal record Horses, hailed as one of the top 100 albums of all time; Just Kids, a beautifully crafted love letter to her lifelong friend, the late photographer Robert Mapplethorpe; and M Train, a collection of essays about memory, loss, and the simple pleasures of everyday life. Her new book, A Book of Days, is an intimate view into Smith’s life, particularly as it played out during the pandemic, and it features over 365 of her own photographs. The brilliantly idiosyncratic visual book features a year’s worth of images and reflections that chart Smith’s singular aesthetic—inspired by her wildly popular Instagram. Smith was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. On November 28, 2022, Patti Smith came to the Sydney Goldstein Theater in San Francisco for an on-stage conversation with novelist Michael Chabon.

Robert Reich Dec 04, 2022

Show notes

Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich is a popular professor at UC Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy, and the author of eighteen books, including the bestsellers The System: Who Rigged It, How We Fix It, The Common Good, Saving Capitalism, Aftershock, Supercapitalism, and The Work of Nations, which has been translated into twenty-two languages. He is co-creator of the 2017 Netflix original documentary Saving Capitalism and of the award-winning 2013 film Inequality for All. Now, with the nonprofit he co-founded called Inequality Media, Reich is using digital media and storytelling to explain complex political and economic issues to a younger audience. On November 16, 2022, Robert Reich came to the Sydney Goldstein Theater in San Francisco for an onstage conversation with Heather Kinlaw Lofthouse.

Encore: Jessica B. Harris and Samin Nosrat Nov 27, 2022

Show notes

Dr. Jessica B. Harris is the preeminent authority on the culinary culture of the African Diaspora. Harris has spent over three decades studying African food and its migration. To understand the rich and complex flavors of African American cuisine requires looking at the culinary cultures of the African continent and the slave trade that brought Africans to America. Harris is the author of twelve critically acclaimed cookbooks documenting the foods and foodways of the African Diaspora including Iron Pots and Wooden Spoons: Africa’s Gifts to New World Cooking and The Welcome Table: African-American Heritage Cooking. Her most recent book is My Soul Looks Back: A Memoir. Netflix has just made a series based on Harris’s seminal book “High on the Hog”. On May 13, 2021, Harris spoke with chef and author Samin Nosrat, whose book “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat” was also made into a Netflix series.

Siddhartha Mukherjee Nov 20, 2022

Show notes

Siddhartha Mukherjee is the author of The Gene: An Intimate History, The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer, and The Laws of Medicine. Told in six parts and laced with his own experience as a researcher, doctor, and a prolific reader, Mukherjee’s new book The Song of the Cell, tells the story of how scientists discovered cells, began to understand them, and are now using that knowledge to create new humans. Mukherjee is an associate professor of medicine at Columbia University and a cancer physician and researcher. On November 10, 2022, Mukherjee came to the Sydney Goldstein Theater in San Francisco for an onstage conversation with Indre Viskontas, a cognitive neuroscientist who co-hosts the popular science podcast Inquiring Minds.

Jemele Hill Nov 13, 2022

Show notes

Jemele Hill is the Emmy Award–winning former cohost of ESPN’s SportsCenter and 2018 NABJ Journalist of the Year. Hill is a contributing writer for the Atlantic, where she covers the intersection of sports, race, politics, and culture. She is also the producer of a Disney/ESPN documentary with Colin Kaepernick. She grew up in Detroit, graduated from Michigan State University, and now lives in Los Angeles. In her new unapologetic, character-rich, and eloquent memoir Uphill, Hill shares the story of her work, the women of her family, and her complicated relationship with God. Dr. Ibram X. Kendi is the author of many highly acclaimed books including Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America, How to Be an Antiracist, and Antiracist Baby. He is a contributing writer at The Atlantic and a CBS News racial justice contributor and host of the new action podcast Be Antiracist. On November 3, 2022, Hill and Kendi came to the Sydney Goldstein Theater in San Francisco for an onstage conversation.

Anand Giridharadas Nov 06, 2022

Show notes

Anand Giridharadas is the author of the international bestseller Winners Take All, The True American, and India Calling. His new book The Persuaders offers an insider account of activists, politicians, educators, and everyday citizens working to change minds, bridge divisions, and fight for democracy–from disinformation fighters to a leader of Black Lives Matter to Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and more. A former foreign correspondent and columnist for The New York Times for more than a decade, he has also written for The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and Time, and is the publisher of the newsletter The.Ink. He is an on-air political analyst for MSNBC. Anand Giridharadas lives in Brooklyn, New York. On October 25, 2022, Anand Giridharadas came to the Sydney Goldstein Theater in San Francisco to be interviewed on stage by Alexis Madrigal, co-host of KQED’s Forum and a contributing writer at The Atlantic.

Jane Fonda Oct 30, 2022

Show notes

Actor and activist Jane Fonda has redefined herself again and again. Born into Hollywood royalty, she’s been an acclaimed actor, an anti-war activist, a fitness guru, and in her seventies and eighties, a comedic partner to actor Lily Tomlin in the Netflix series “Frankie and Grace”. Now, at 84, she says she’s never been happier, and we’ll hear why. In early 2022, she founded the Jane Fonda Climate PAC, endorsing climate champions at all levels of government. On October 24, 2022, Jane Fonda spoke to Steven Winn about the liberating effects of aligning her values and her film work.

Behind Their Screens: What Teens are Facing (and Adults are Missing) Oct 23, 2022

Show notes

As new information emerges about the impacts of social media and screens on young people, so do new strategies to guide and protect teens. Our guests, Harvard University researchers Emily Weinstein and Carrie James, set out to try and understand more about this complex and complicated issue. Their years of research included interviews with over 3500 teens. And much of what they found - from the teens’ own fears and concerns, to the unique ways in which they use technology, is surprising.

On October twelfth, 2022 Emily Weinstein and Carrie James talked to Lauren Schiller at KQED studios in San Francisco about their new book “Behind Their Screens: What Teens are Facing (and Adults are Missing).”

George McCalman Oct 23, 2022

Show notes

This week, a conversation with artist George McCalman. His new book, “An Illustrated Black History”, features 145 Black artists, scientists, and public intellectuals whose enormous contributions to US history are in stark contrast with their frequent absence from the public eye. McCalman envisioned the book as a sort of bible - a compendium that’s accessible to all ages, and with vibrant art that draws the reader in.

George McCalman is an artist and creative director based in San Francisco. His studio, McCalman.Co, designs brands for a range of clientele. Additionally, he’s a visual columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, featured in the “Observed” and “First Person” columns.

On October 14th, 2022, George McCalman came to the Sydney Goldstein Theater in San Francisco to talk with journalist Carvell Wallace. Wallace is a New York Times Bestselling author, memoirist, and award-winning podcaster who covers race, arts, culture, film and music for a wide variety of news outlets including The New Yorker, The New York Times, Esquire, GQ, and more. He lives in Oakland and lectures in the Narrative Department at the UC Berkeley School of Journalism.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected