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Forum From the Archives: ‘Soldiers and Kings’ Investigates the World of Human Smuggling Dec 26, 2024

Show notes

Anthropologist Jason De León has spent a career documenting the stories of migrants making their way across the Sonoran Desert at the Southern US border. But in his new book, “Soldiers And Kings: Survival and Hope in the World of Human Smuggling,” De León turns his gaze towards the smugglers. For nearly seven years, he embedded with a group of smugglers moving migrants across Central America and Mexico, following them as they led people north. We’ll talk to him about his book, what he learned from this rare look into this side of the billion-dollar industry and what can be done to address the global migration crisis.

Guest:

Jason De León, author, “Soldiers And Kings: Survival and Hope in the World of Human Smuggling"; director, Cotsen Institute of Archaeology; professor of anthropology and Chicana, Chicano, and Central American Studies, UCLA

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Forum From the Archives: SETI Scientists on 40 years of Asking the Universe 'Are We Alone?' Dec 26, 2024

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Are we alone? Really, though, in a cosmic sense. 40 years ago the pioneering radio astronomer Jill Tarter co-founded a Bay Area non profit to support humanity searching for life beyond ourselves. We celebrate the SETI – as in, Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence – Institute’s anniversary and all their contributions to science which, sadly, do not yet include finding aliens. What do you hope SETI finds in its next 40 years?

Guests:

Bill Diamond, president and CEO, SETI Institute

Wael Farah, radio astronomer and project scientist on The Allen Telescope Array, SETI Institute

Nathalie Cabrol, astrobiologist and planetary geologist; director of Science, the Carl Sagan Center for Research at the SETI Institute

Simon Steel, astronomer, director of Education and Public Outreach, SETI Institute

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Forum From the Archives: Finding Awe and Inspiration in the Natural World's ‘Vanishing Treasures’ Dec 25, 2024

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“The time to fight, with all our ingenuity and tenacity, and love and fury, is now.” That sounds like a rallying cry for democrats after their profound election defeat last week. But it’s in fact an environmental call to action from Katherine Rundell, whose new book “Vanishing Treasures” celebrates some of the earth’s most imperiled and unusual creatures. We’ll talk to Rundell about wombats that carry their young in upside-down pouches and excrete cube-shaped poop; the American wood frog that freezes itself solid to get through winter; the golden mole that’s evolved to be iridescent. What extraordinary creatures would you like to pay tribute to?

Guest:

Katherine Rundell, author, "Vanishing Treasures: A Bestiary of Extraordinary Endangered Creatures", Her previous books include "Impossible Creatures" and "Why You Should Read Children's Books, Even Though You Aren't So Old and Wise"

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Forum From the Archives: Wintersongs From the Vocal Ensemble Kitka, Live in Studio Dec 25, 2024

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For 45 years, the Bay Area's vocal ensemble Kitka has entranced audiences with their complex harmonies, breathtaking vocal techniques and vast repertoire of traditional songs from Eastern Europe and Eurasia. The 10 members of Kitka join us in studio to share songs from their Wintersongs concerts, featuring music from the country of Georgia.

Guests:

Shira Cion, executive director, Kitka Women's Vocal Ensemble

Members of the ensemble: Kelly Atkins, Kristine Barrett, Stacey Barnett, Charlotte Finegold, Erin Lashnits Herman, Janet Kutulas, Maclovia Quintana, Katya Schoenberg, Talia Young-Skeen

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Forum From the Archives: Richard Powers’ Novel ‘Playground’ Explores Vastness of Oceans and AI Dec 24, 2024

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Novelist Richard Powers has a way of making us see the world, and our place in it, in entirely new ways. His 2019 Pulitzer Prize Winning novel Overstory attuned readers to the power and mystery of trees. In his new novel, Playground, he focuses his awe and concern on marine life, the oceans and the perils we’ve inflicted on them. We talk to Powers about his epic story of friendship, colonialism and the looming power of AI.

Guest:

Richard Powers, author, His new novel is "Playground." His previous books include "The Overstory" which won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and "The Echo Maker" which won the 2006 National Book Award for Fiction.

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Forum From the Archive: The Best Podcasts of 2024 Dec 23, 2024

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The past year, more than any other, “demonstrated how podcasts as a whole bleed into the real world and play a huge role in American culture, for better or worse,” Vulture podcast critic Nicholas Quah recently wrote. It used to be, if a presidential nominee wanted to make news, they would go on TV. In 2024, it was all about podcasts…shows like Joe Rogan and Call Her Daddy. The industry is still reeling from the widespread cutbacks and cancellations in recent years. But the art and innovation of podcasts is alive and well, making it hard sometimes to pick your next listen. We'll talk with Quah and other critics about the best podcasts of the year and hear your picks.

Guests:

Wil Williams, CEO, Hughouse Productions

Nicholas Quah, critic, Vulture - where he covers podcasts, television, and pop culture

Ronald Young Jr., senior producer and owner, ohitsBigRon studios; host of the podcasts "Weight for It" (which was named one of the best podcasts of 2023 by the New York Times) and Pop Culture Debate Club from Lemonada and the BBC.

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Forum From the Archives: The Beauty in Finding ‘Other People’s Words’ in Your Own Dec 23, 2024

Show notes

About ten years ago, two of journalist Lissa Soep’s closest friends died around the same time. In her grieving, she found consolation in the philosophy of a 20th century Russian literary theorist, Mikhail Bakhtin, and his theory of “double voicing” – the idea that our speech is “filled to overflowing with other people’s words." Her friends had not disappeared, instead, they’d slipped into her own language, and that of the people around her. We talk to Soep about great friendships, the mysterious power of language to sustain conversations even with those who have died and her book, “Other People’s Words."

Guests:

Lissa Soep, author, "Other People's Words: Friendship, Loss and the Conversations that Never End." She is also senior editor for audio at Vox Media

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Live on Forum: Esotérica Tropical Dec 20, 2024

Show notes

Oakland-based musical artist Esotérica Tropical performs a live in-studio concert, playing songs off her new self-titled debut album. Her music is a fusion of Afro-Puerto Rican Bomba rhythms and electronic flourishes, all accompanied by her harp. The artist calls the songs on the album love letters to her native Puerto Rico, offering “a powerful ode to healing and resistance.”

Guests:

Esotérica Tropical, Afro-Puerto Rican musical artist

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How to Fly Close to the Sun with Astronomer Andrew Fraknoi Dec 20, 2024

Show notes

The fastest moving human-built object ever, the Parker Solar Probe, will enter the sun’s atmosphere on December 24th. It’s the closest any artificial object will have gotten to the sun. We’ll talk with astronomer Andrew Fraknoi about what the solar probe hopes to learn and other exciting developments in astronomy, such as the discovery of the hungriest black hole yet found – it consumes the mass of our sun daily. And as we approach the shortest day of the year, we’ll contemplate how the ancients celebrated the winter solstice, and why we can thank a planet that crashed into Earth for our seasons.

Guests:

Andrew Fraknoi, astronomer and professor, Fromm Institute at the University of San Francisco and the OLLI Program at SF State; lead author of the most popular introductory astronomy textbook in North America; Website URL: www.fraknoi.com

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What’s Your Go-To Holiday Dish? Dec 19, 2024

Show notes

For New York Times cooking columnist Eric Kim, the holidays are a time to embrace traditional dishes but have fun with the framework – like deviled eggs with seaweed or baked potatoes with caramelized kimchi. They’re also an occasion, he says, to get together with friends and make huge batches of “foldy” foods like dumplings and empanadas. We’ll talk to Kim and New York Times editor-in-chief for cooking and food Emily Weinstein about what they have cooking this holiday and hear about your go-to dishes for the season.

Guests:

Eric Kim, food and cooking columnist, The New York Times; author, "Korean American: Food That Tastes Like Home"

Emily Weinstein, editor-in-chief, New York Times Cooking and Food; author, "Easy Weeknight Dinners: 100 Fast, Flavor-Packed Meals for People Who Still Want Something Good to Eat

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