KQED's Forum

When most people think of a burrito, the “mission-style” burrito probably comes to mind. Rice, beans, meat – and maybe guacamole or salsa – wrapped in a giant flour tortilla and served in foil. Popularized across the country by the Chipotle chain, the mission-style burrito has its roots in the Mission neighborhood of San Francisco. But just because it’s the most popular, is it the best? Los Angeles and San Diego each provide their own unique offerings and in a state as diverse as California, burritos are always evolving. We’ll revisit the legends around some popular burrito varieties, learn about your favorites and try to settle if there’s one style that deserves to be called California’s burrito. Guests: Bill Esparza, writer, Eater LA; author, "L.A. Mexicano: Recipes, People and Places" Cesar Hernandez, associate restaurant critic, San Francisco Chronicle Luke Winkie, staff writer, Slate

Author and seasoned travel writer Gary Shteyngart had never been on a ship larger than the Staten Island Ferry before he embarked on the inaugural voyage of the “Icon of the Seas,” the world’s largest cruise ship. Proudly sporting a “Daddy’s Little Meatball” t-shirt that he hoped would be a conversation starter and aiming to make new friends, Shteyngart instead experienced loneliness and despair. He chronicles his experience in the Atlantic Magazine piece “Crying Myself to Sleep on the Biggest Cruise Ship Ever.” Shteyngart joins us to talk about this journey, his life as a travel writer and the vacations that can make you feel part of — or alienated from — the rest of the world. Guest: Gary Shteyngart, writer. His latest piece for the Atlantic is titled "Crying Myself to Sleep on the Biggest Cruise Ship Ever"; author, "Our Country Friends, "Little Failure: A Memoir," and "Super Sad True Love Story."

Recent Hollywood films and TV shows have taken to presenting a “Magical Multiracial Past,” according to filmmaker Kabir Chibber in a recent New York Times Magazine article. It’s a past where “every race exists, cheerfully and seemingly as equals, in the same place at the same time. History becomes an emoji, its flesh tone changing as needed.” Some of the backlash to so-called colorblind casting has been outright racist. But some of the pushback has come from artists of color who feel uncomfortable with utopic depictions that erase the racism of past eras. As Chibber argues, “the problem, for viewers, isn’t wokeness run amok; it’s the incoherence of the world we are watching.” We’ll talk about the benefits and drawbacks of colorblind and color-conscious casting — and the uncomfortable truths it forces us to address. Guests: Kabir Chibber, writer and filmmaker Brandon David Wilson, writer; educator; filmmaker Maurice Emmanuel Parent, actor, director and professor of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies, Tufts University

Berkeley Unified School District superintendent Enikia Ford Morthel testified before Congress on Wednesday as part of hearings examining how K-12 school districts are handling anti-semitism in the wake of the October 7 Hamas attacks and Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza. Republicans say the education leaders invited to testify – from Berkeley, New York City, and Montgomery County, Maryland – have failed to respond to antisemitic incidents in their schools. But Ford Morthel rejected allegations that antisemitism is “pervasive” in Berkeley, and said that the district is indeed addressing issues as they come up. We’ll discuss the hearings, the politics behind them, and how they fit into Republicans’ broader efforts to reform education in the U.S. Guests: Dana Goldstein, reporter covering education and families, New York Times Sara Hossaini, reporter, KQED Radio Bianca Quilantan, higher education reporter, Politico

When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Illia Ponomarenko was a 29-year-old journalist for the newspaper he co-founded, The Kyiv Independent. His daily, on-the-ground reporting quickly captured an international audience: by 2023 the German media organization Der Spiegel called him “likely the best-known Ukrainian after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.” Ponomarenko’s new book, “I Will Show You How It Was,” provides a first-person account of the Battle of Kyiv and its impact on civilians. “Life during the Battle of Kyiv,” he writes, “was a bizarre mixture of inconceivable inspiration, unity, and pride—and at the same time, of dark grief and mourning.” We talk to Ponomarenko about what he’s witnessed over the past two years and his plea for America to “do the right thing.” Guest: Illia Ponomarenko, journalist and author, “I Will Show You How It Was: The Story of Wartime Kyiv”; former defense and security reporter, The Kyiv Post; co-founder, The Kyiv Independent. He has covered the war in eastern Ukraine since the conflict's beginning, as well as Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine since 2022

The 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting was awarded to the staff of Lookout Santa Cruz on Monday. The prize committee praised the tiny, digital-only media outlet for its “detailed and nimble community-focused coverage” of the catastrophic flooding and mudslides last year that did great damage to the Santa Cruz area. We’ll talk to the staff about the media outlet, which was founded in 2020, its coverage, and the future of local journalism. Guests: Ken Doctor, CEO and founder, Lookout Santa Cruz. Doctor writes regularly for Harvard's Nieman Journalism Tamsin McMahon, managing editor, Lookout Santa Cruz Christopher Neely, correspondent, Lookout Santa Cruz

Amor Towles says the title of his new book “Table for Two” arose from a subconscious conviction “that our lives can often change materially due to a single conversation.” And it’s the power of a conversation – or a chance encounter or a sudden decision – to force a personal or historical reckoning that animate the characters in his latest work, a collection of six stories and a novella set in in New York and Los Angeles. We talk to Towles, who’s also the bestselling author of “A Gentleman in Moscow” and “The Lincoln Highway,” about finding inspiration for his stories, how history informs his work and what it’s like to see his novels adapted for the screen. Guests: Amor Towles, author, "Table for Two." His other books include "The Lincoln Highway," "A Gentleman in Moscow" and "Rules of Civility."

If you go to the SFMOMA right now, it’ll be hard to miss the massive, 32-foot wide mural depicting a utopian, fantastical and hopeful version of San Francisco. The mural is the opening to a historic exhibition, “The House that Art Built,” which showcases eleven artists with developmental disabilities who are associated with Oakland-based nonprofit Creative Growth. In addition to the exhibition, SFMOMA has also permanently acquired more than 100 works created by artists with developmental disabilities. We’ll talk about the stunning exhibition, the acquisition and the future for artists with disabilities in the Bay Area. Guests: Joseph Alef, artist, Creative Growth; Alef has a painting in the SFMOMA Susan Janow, artist, Creative Growth; Janow has a video piece in the SFMOMA; her work was previously acquired by the SFMOMA in 2018 William Scott, artist, Creative Growth; Scott has a mural in the SFMOMA; his work was previously acquired by the SFMOMA in 2017 Chris Bedford, director, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) Tom Di Maria, executive director, Creative Growth Art Center

As the war between Israel and Hamas enters its eighth month, U.S., Egyptian and Qatari mediators are awaiting an official response from Hamas on a proposed ceasefire deal that calls for the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners. The latest reports have stated that talks have broken down as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Israel will invade the Palestinian city Rafah – where one million displaced Gazans are seeking refuge – “with or without a deal.” We’ll look at where negotiations stand, what it would take to end the war in Gaza and what the next steps might be. Guests: Bel Trew, chief international correspondent, The Independent Missy Ryan, national security correspondent, Washington Post Gregg Carlstrom, Middle East correspondent, The Economist - author of "How Long Will Israel Survive? The Threat From Within"

What’s next for TikTok? President Biden signed legislation on April 24 that would ban the popular video-sharing app unless its Chinese owner ByteDance sells to a U.S-based company. Supporters of the law say TikTok poses national security risks, warning that the Chinese government could potentially access sensitive user data or spread misinformation on the app. ByteDance says it has no intention of selling and will fight in the courts to stay in business. We’ll look at what it all could mean for TikTok and its 170 million users in the US. Guests: Tim Wu, professor of law, science and technology, Columbia Law School - His latest book is "The Curse of Bigness: Antitrust in the New Gilded Age" Suzy Loftus, Head of Trust and Safety, TikTok USDS Sapna Maheshwari, business reporter, New York Times - covering TikTok and emerging media Vivian Xue, TikTok creator; CEO, Pamper Nail Gallery - based in San Francisco

Beginning as early as next year you might see a new fixed monthly charge of up to $24 on your electric bill. That’s if the California Public Utilities Commission approves a proposal to rework how we pay for power. The CPUC, which is taking a vote next week, says that the new charge would lower electricity costs for many Californians. But the reality is more complicated. We take a close look and hear what’s driving high electricity prices in the state. Guests: Ben Christopher, reporter, CalMatters Loretta Lynch, former President, California Public Utilities Commission

In her new book of poems, “woke up no light” Leila Mottley writes: play dead / play docile / play along / stare a beast in its mouth and dare it to bite / this is the only way to know if / the country is still hungry. We talk to Leila Mottley, who was Oakland’s 2018 Youth Poet Laureate, about her poetry, coming of age in the nation’s gaze after the enormous success of her novel, “Nightcrawling,” and her hometown of Oakland. Guests: Leila Mottley, author, "woke up no light: poems" - Mottley was the 2018 Oakland Youth Poet Laureate. She is also the author of "Nightcrawling," a New York Times bestseller.

“Intimacy is about relationships within a person’s self, with others, with communities, with nature, and beyond,” writes Alice Wong, founder and director of the Disability Visibility Project and editor of the new anthology, “Disability Intimacy.” When Wong began work on the book, she googled what would become its title — and what was she found was “basic AF” and made her go “Ewwwwww.” That inspired her to commission and collect writing from people with disabilities about what intimacy meant to them. The essays reflect on friendships, parent-child bonds, romantic relationships and disability communities. We’ll hear from Wong and some of the anthology’s contributors about the intimacy of sharing and disclosing our relationships with ourselves, with others and with disability itself. And we’ll hear their stories of “love, care and desire” — and the personal and systemic change that intimacy can bring. Guests: Alice Wong, disabled activist, writer and community organizer; editor, "Disability Intimacy: Essays on Love, Care, and Desire" s.e. smith, freelance journalist whose essay in "Disability Intimacy" is "Skin Hunger and the Taboo of Wanting to be Touched" Yomi Sachiko Young, Oakland-based disability justice activist; dreamer whose essay in "Disability Intimacy" is "Primary Attachment" Melissa Hung, writer, editor and journalist whose essay in "Disability Intimacy" is "The Last Walk"; founding editor in chief, Hyphen - an independent Asian American magazine; former director, San Francisco WritersCorps

In 2013, inmates at Pelican Bay, a supermax California prison designed to hold large numbers of inmates in isolation, went on a hunger strike to protest indefinite solitary confinement. The hunger strike grew to include nearly 30,000 California prisoners, and led to an overhaul of prison policies. A new documentary “The Strike” chronicles the prisoner-led resistance and features interviews with men who spent decades in confinement in tiny isolated cells. We talk about the historic hunger strike and the evolution of solitary confinement policies in the state and country. Guests: JoeBill Muñoz, director and producer, The Strike; award-winning documentary filmmaker; former KQED video intern in 2018 Lucas Guilkey, director and producer, The Strike Jack Morris, former prisoner in Pelican Bay; program manager, the Re-entry Integrated Services, Engagement and Empowerment Program (RISE) at St Johns Community Health (SJCH) in Los Angeles, where he serves the formerly incarcerated community Dolores Canales, director of community outreach, The Bail Project

Summer camping season is around the corner, and California’s parks and recreation areas have something for everyone: secluded sites in the Sierra backcountry, campgrounds with RV hook-ups and a view of the Pacific, yurts, tent cabins and even campsites that float. We’ll get tips on scoring reservations, how to plan for a trip and how to pack. And we’ll hear about your favorite California camping memories. Guests: José González, founder, Latino Outdoors; equity officer, East Bay Regional Park District; board member, Parks California (the statutory nonprofit partner to CA State Parks) Ana Beatriz Cholo, public affairs specialist and spokesperson, Pacific West Region, National Park Service Peter Ostroskie, staff park and recreation specialist, Bay Area District, California State Parks

Hong Kong’s famed pineapple bun does not contain pineapples. Samosas can be found in many cultures outside of India. And the birria taco owes a lot to indigenous cultures who helped cultivate a love and devotion to chiles. These are some of the surprising food backstories that host Cecilia Phillips and the team behind KQED’s digital program “Beyond the Menu” explore in this new series. We’ll talk to Philips about where our favorite foods come from and hear from you. What dishes do you love that have an intriguing backstory? Guests: Cecilia Phillips, host, "Beyond the Menu" a KQED digital production focused on getting the backstory of some of our favorite dishes; coordinating producer and reporter, "Check, Please! Bay Area" Emmanuel Galvan, founder and owner, Bolita: Masa y Más L.L.C. - makes and sells artisanal masa and other products Hetal Vasavada, author, "Milk and Cardamom"; former contestant, MasterChef; Vasavada's work can also be found in Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, and other publications

Across Mexico, clandestine treatment centers for drug addiction – locally referred to as anexos – have been accused of unethical therapeutic practices and even patient abuse. But among Mexico’s working poor, in the absence of government support, they provide hope and protection from the country’s catastrophic drug war. Anthropologist Angela Garcia spent a decade studying anexos, getting to know the people who run them and families that have come to rely on them. She chronicles their stories and her own reflections in her new book, “The Way That Leads Among The Lost: Life, Death, and Hope In Mexico City’s Anexos.” Guests: Angela Garcia, associate professor of anthropology, Stanford; author of the new book “The Way That Leads Among The Lost: Life, Death, and Hope In Mexico City’s Anexos”

Protests against Israel’s war in Gaza continue to grow and spread on college campuses in the Bay Area and across the country. The protests gained momentum earlier this month after more than 100 demonstrators were arrested at Columbia University in protests demanding the school divest from companies that do business with Israel. While the actions have been largely peaceful nationwide, there were scuffles between the protesters and pro-Israeli demonstrators at UCLA on Sunday, and hundreds of protesters were arrested over the weekend at other campuses. We’ll check in on what’s happening at UC Berkeley and other Bay Area schools, and talk with a historian about what past movements can teach us about student protests and social change. Guests: Malak Afaneh, law student, UC Berkeley; co-president, Law Students for Justice in Palestine Angus Johnston, professor and historian of American student activism, City University of New York Noah Cohen, law student, UC Berkeley Dan Mogulof, assistant vice chancellor of public affairs, UC Berkeley

The United Nations on Friday warned of a “dramatic escalation of tensions” among warring parties near El Fasher, North Darfur. The area is already on the brink of famine, according to the UN, and an attack on the city could have devastating consequences for civilians. The crisis in El Fasher comes as Sudan’s calamitous war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces enters its second year. The war has left more than 15,000 people dead and more than 8 million displaced, according to relief agencies. We look at conditions on the ground, the forces that are driving the conflict and how the global community is responding. Guests: Beverly Ochieng, senior journalist and Africa analyst, BBC Monitoring Ali Ali-Dinar, Sudanese scholar and senior lecturer in the department of Africana Studies, University of Pennsylvania Amb. Susan Page, professor of practice in international diplomacy, University of Michigan; former US ambassador to the Republic of South Sudan (2011-2014) Susan Stigant, director of Africa programs, United States Institute of Peace

When you walk into the historic, beloved City Lights in San Francisco’s North Beach, it’s easy to get lost in the winding shelves packed with thousands of titles from classic literature, poetry and philosophy to contemporary fiction. There’s a legendary man behind the careful curation. Chief book buyer Paul Yamazaki has worked at City Lights since the 1970’s and has dedicated his career to filling the shelves with titles that spark conversations between books and readers. “Any single book has a constellation of conversations, consequences, and causes,” Yamazaki says in his new book “Reading the Room: A Bookseller’s Tale.” We’ll talk to Yamazaki about independent bookstores and what he sees for the future of books. Guests: Paul Yamazaki, chief book buyer, City Lights Bookstore - In 2023, Paul won the National Book Foundation's Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community Melinda Powers, head book buyer, Book Shop Santa Cruz; president, California Independent Booksellers Alliance Stephen Sparks, owner, Point Reyes Books and Wayfinder Bookshop Hannah Oliver Depp, owner, Loyalty bookstore