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Are You Debating Renting or Buying? Jul 08, 2024

Show notes

Rising housing costs are pushing more middle-class families in California to rent rather than buy. The average cost of ownership payments for a mid-tier house in California are currently double the cost of renting a similar home. And compared to January 2020, the combined monthly cost of mortgage payments, taxes and homeowners insurance has jumped by 80%, according to the state Legislative Analyst’s Office. Some tenants rent because they can’t afford a down payment, but others prefer the greater flexibility and savings they can get from renting. To meet demand, corporate homebuilders are developing more “build-for-rent” constructions, which is raising concerns for some state lawmakers. This hour on Forum, we’ll ask if the American dream of homeownership is dying in the Golden State. And we’ll hear from you: Are you debating between renting or buying?

Guests:

Liam Dillon, statewide housing affordability and neighborhood change reporter, Los Angeles Times

Erin Baldassari, senior editor of housing affordability, KQED

Adam Briones, CEO, California Community Builder

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Your Houseplant is Smarter Than It Looks Jul 08, 2024

Show notes

There has been a sweeping reevaluation of animal intelligence over the last decade as we’ve realized that all kinds of organisms are smarter than we thought. A similar movement is occurring in the study of plants. Botanists have been discovering that plants have remarkable abilities to communicate, adapt, behave socially, act on stored memories and trick animals among other intelligent behaviors. We talk with author Zoë Schlanger about her new book, “The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth”.

Guests:

Zoë Schlanger, staff writer, The Atlantic; author, "The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth"

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Forum From the Archives: Tiffany Haddish Wants to ‘Curse You With Joy’ Jul 05, 2024

Show notes

You may know actor and stand-up comedian Tiffany Haddish best for her riotous performance in the 2017 film "Girls Trip." Or for her Emmy Award-winning turn as host of Saturday Night Live...or for her voicework in “The Lego Movie 2” and other animated films. But her successes came hard-won against a backdrop of childhood trauma and mental health challenges. “I know what it feels like to hurt and what it feels like to see other people hurt,” she writes in her new memoir "I Curse You with Joy." We talk to Haddish about her career, her life and what's bringing her joy right now.

Guest:

Tiffany Haddish, author, "I Curse You with Joy"; stand-up comedian; actress, "Girls Trip," "Night School," "Nobody's Fool" and more.

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Forum From the Archives: 'Jazz Hero' Jesse 'Chuy' Varela on the History of Latin Jazz in the Bay Area and Beyond Jul 05, 2024

Show notes

Radio host, journalist, musician, and musicologist Jesse “Chuy” Varela has been a treasured fixture of the Bay Area jazz scene for more than 40 years. When the Jazz Journalists Association honored him with their “Jazz Hero” award last year they wrote that “his deep knowledge of Latin American and Caribbean music has nurtured the boundaryless nature of the Bay Area’s scene, in which musicians prominently collaborate across the jazz/Latin jazz divide.” The KCSM program and music director will join us to talk about the history of Latin Jazz, including the Bay Area’s role…and play some of his favorite tunes.

Guest:

Jesse "Chuy" Varela, program and music director, KCSM JAZZ 91.1; host, "The Latin Jazz Show” on Sundays at 2 PM

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Forum From the Archives: Rebecca Boyle on How the Moon ‘Made Us Who We Are’ Jul 04, 2024

Show notes

Ever since our moon formed roughly 4.6 billion years ago, it has “conduct(ed) the symphony of life on Earth.” That’s according to lifelong moon enthusiast and science journalist Rebecca Boyle, who says that the moon has influenced modern science, reproduction, migration, religious rituals and even possibly the blood in our veins. Boyle’s new book is “Our Moon: How Earth’s Celestial Companion Transformed the Planet, Guided Evolution, and Made Us Who We Are,” and she joins us to talk about how the moon has inspired and guided human history and to share the pleasure of looking up at the night sky.

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Forum From the Archives: Berkeley Perfumer Mandy Aftel on the 'Curious and Wondrous World of Fragrance' Jul 04, 2024

Show notes

“You don’t just smell an aroma; you fall into it,” writes artisan perfumer Mandy Aftel. And entering her exquisite small museum, the Aftel Archive of Curious Scents, tucked into a backyard in Berkeley, is to fall into an ancient, mysterious world. Amid centuries-old books, bottles and curios are natural fragrances that come from the secretions of civets and the bowels of sperm whales, as well as from resins, rare flowers, roots and so much more. We talk to Aftel about her collection, the art of building a fragrance, and her new book, “The Museum of Scent: Exploring the Curious and Wondrous World of Fragrance."

Guest:

Mandy Aftel, artisan perfumer and founder, Aftelier Perfumes and the Aftel Archive of Curious Scents in Berkeley; author, "The Museum of Scent: Exploring the Curious and Wondrous World of Fragrance"

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Forum From the Archives: R.O. Kwon Mines Complexity of Desire, Both Romantic and Creative, in ‘Exhibit’ Jul 03, 2024

Show notes

In her new novel “Exhibit” R.O. Kwon introduces us to Jin Han, a photographer in San Francisco who’s unsure if her transgressive infatuation for a ballet dancer activated a family curse, conjuring a ghost from her family’s past in Korea. Through Jin, Kwon explores the nature of desire — and why shame too often accompanies it.. Kwon says it’s as though she “made a list of boxes a person might tick to explain why a woman ought to be disliked, perhaps despised, and then, writing this novel, I filled in each box.” We’ll talk with Kwon about why women especially feel shame for the desire they feel for others or for personal creative fulfillment — and for not desiring motherhood. And we’ll hear about how she grappled with her anxieties and reflected on her politics while writing this novel.

Guest:

R.O. Kwon, author, "Exhibit" and "The Incendiaries"; co-editor, "KINK: Stories" the anthology

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Forum From the Archives: ‘Down Home Music’ Captures Arhoolie Records’ History in Photos Jul 03, 2024

Show notes

Legendary Arhoolie Records founder Chris Strachwitz transversed the United States and Mexico for decades recording traditional roots music and unknown artists. The El Cerrito-based producer, who died last year, was known for his ear for music, but he also had an eye for capturing images. More than 150 of those photos documenting his travels and recording sessions are collected in a new book, “Arhoolie Records Down Home Music: The Stories and Photographs of Chris Strachwitz.” Co-author and veteran music journalist Joel Selvin joins us to talk about Strachwitz’s art and legacy.

Guest:

Joel Selvin, San Francisco-based music journalist and author. His latest book is "Arhoolie Records: Down Home Music."

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Forum From the Archives: Electronic Music Composer Suzanne Ciani Celebrates Groundbreaking Career Jul 02, 2024

Show notes

If you were watching TV in the 1980s you’re probably familiar with the sounds of electronic music pioneer Suzanne Ciani, whose synthesizer compositions became the sonic logos for Coca-Cola, Atari, GE, PBS and dozens of other brands. Ciani has gone on to cultivate new audiences through her quadraphonic concerts that she produces using an updated version of the same synthesizer that she played as a student at UC Berkeley in the late-1960s, the Buchla 200E. We’ll talk with Ciani about her career, how California inspires her and hear excerpts from her upcoming concert series that celebrates the 40th anniversary of her breakthrough album “Seven Waves.”

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Forum From the Archives: Graphic Novelist Raina Telgemeier Taps into Adolescent Anxiety, Zeitgeist Jul 02, 2024

Show notes

You might not think that 224 pages devoted to a sixth grader’s tricky journey with braces would make for a bestseller, but since its publication in 2010, Raina Telgemeier’s graphic novel “Smile” has remained hugely popular with the kid set. And her follow ups “Guts,” “Drama” and “Ghosts” have earned her rave reviews from kids, tweens, parents and librarians for the humorous, hopeful, and honest depictions of life as an anxious kid. We’ll talk to Telgemeier, a Bay Area native, about her work and how she taps into the zeitgeist of adolescence.

Guest:

Raina Telgemeier, author of "Smile," "Guts," and "Sisters," among other popular graphic novels for teens and kids

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