KQED's Forum

As some Democrats become increasingly frantic about the chances of 81-year old President Joe Biden winning reelection, there have been high-profile calls for Biden to step down and allow another Democratic candidate to emerge in a brokered convention. Many names, including Governor Gavin Newsom, have been floated as possible alternatives. But the natural successor, Vice President Kamala Harris, is often dismissed due to her own low approval ratings. We’ll talk about Kamala Harris’ record as Vice President and why she struggles to be thought of as a viable option if Biden needs to step down during the campaign or his presidency.Guests:Aimee Allison, founder and president, She the People - a national organization dedicated to building the political power of women of colorErrin Haines, editor at large, The 19th - a nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom reporting on gender, politics and policyShira Stein, Washington correspondent, San Francisco Chronicle Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For years, observers of workplace culture have predicted the death of the annual performance review, calling it ineffective, unpopular and often biased. But some companies are trying to make it better. Does more frequent, real-time feedback sound good to you… or the use of AI to monitor your productivity? We’ll talk with workplace experts about the future of performance reviews and hear from you. What do you think are the best ways to evaluate employees in today’s changing workplace?Guests:Lori Nishiura Mackenzie, co-founder, Stanford VMware Women’s Leadership Innovation LabJosh Bersin, corporate talent, human resources and technology analyst; author, "Irresistible: The Seven Secrets of the World's Most Enduring, Employee-Focused Organizations" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In his latest novel “Wandering Stars,” Oakland writer Tommy Orange traces the stories of the Native Americans who populated his celebrated debut, “There There.” The book, which is both prequel and sequel, begins with the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre and the opening of the first Native American residential school in the U.S whose mission, according to its founder, was to “Kill the Indian to save the man.” Orange examines how you can create identity and connection when your family inheritance embeds thick seams of generational trauma, cultural erasure, and violence. We’ll talk to Orange about his novel.Guests:Tommy Orange, author, "Wandering Stars," "There There," and "Normal Ain't Normal" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We like to think of adoption as an unmitigated social good – a practice that UCSF sociologist Gretchen Sisson says “makes possible the maintenance of both the heteronormative family ideal beloved by the right and the nontraditional, chosen family ideals embraced by the left.” But Sisson says that framing ignores the experiences of birth mothers, who tend to have far less socioeconomic power than adoptive parents and who bear the complicated and even traumatic consequences of relinquishing an infant. Sisson conducted more than 100 interviews with birth mothers who relinquished their children to learn how they came to decide on adoption and the impact that decision has had on them and their families. Her new book is “Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood.”Guests:Gretchen Sisson, qualitative sociologist studying abortion and adoption at Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health (ANSIRH) in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, UCSF; author, "Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood” - her research was cited in the Supreme Court’s dissent in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.Serina Chacon, birth mother based in Northern California Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn the secrets of effective communication from Charles Duhigg as he discusses how to listen better, understand others, and connect on a deeper level. Discover insights from a CIA agent, NASA psychiatrist, and creators of 'The Big Bang Theory'. Explore the importance of active listening, vulnerability, and genuine connections in mastering communication skills.

Global outrage persists after high-profile Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny died last week in an Arctic penal colony. His death — and the two-year anniversary of Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine — have prompted the Biden Administration to impose new sanctions against Russia that will be announced on Friday. We’ll talk about the deep rift between the Biden Administration and Russia and the ongoing congressional stalemate over aid for Ukraine and the national security issues it implicates.Guests:Kathryn Stoner, senior fellow, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University; author, "Russia Resurrected: Its Power and Purpose in a New Global Order"Max Boot, senior fellow for national security studies, Council on Foreign Relations; columnist, Washington Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oprah and Gayle. Bert and Ernie. All four of the Golden Girls. For many people (and puppets), their soulmate is often their friend. We don’t have a good word to describe that kind of friendship – one that involves intimacy without sex, constancy without marriage, and a belief that you cannot live without the other person. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t celebrate friendships that you build your life around, argues author Rhaina Cohen in her new book “The Other Significant Others.” We’ll talk to Cohen about the breadth and depth of these friendships and how we can center them in our lives. And we’ll hear from you: Tell us about that friend who is your person.Guests:Rhaina Cohen, author, "The Other Significant Others: Reimagining Life with Friendship at the Center" - Cohen is a producer and editor for the NPR documentary podcast "Embedded" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.”Guests:Suzanne Ciani, music composer, performer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the soaring cost of college tuition, which at some private universities can hit over $80,000 a year, it’s not surprising that over 85% of American families apply for financial aid. A critical step in that process is completing the FAFSA, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. But this year, the Education Department’s rollout of a new form has been bedeviled by delays and technical problems that are affecting the admissions process for colleges, students and their families. Some universities are rolling back enrollment deadlines while others are waiting in hope that the issues will resolve. We’ll talk with financial aid experts and hear from you: Are you applying for financial aid? How has that process been for you?Guests:Eric Hoover, senior writer, Chronicle of Higher EducationAnna Takahashi, director of college counseling, Eastside College Preparatory School, East Palo AltoSonia Jethani, associate vice president, financial aid, Cal State East BayJake Brymner, deputy director of policy & public affairs, California Student Aid Commission Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever wondered why you keep forgetting where you put your keys? Or the name of a stranger you met at a party? It’s easy to dwell on our everyday forgetfulness, especially as we get older. But for UC Davis neuroscientist and psychologist Dr. Charan Ranganath, the more important question is “why do we remember?” He says that brains have evolved to deprioritize unimportant things in favor of information that can help us survive and navigate a changing world. “Our memory is much, much more than an archive of the past; it is the prism through which we see others and the world.” We talk to Ranganath about how memory works and how better to remember the things that matter. His new book is “Why We Remember.”Guest:Charan Ranganath, professor of psychology and neuroscience, UC Davis, where he leads the Dynamic Memory Lab. His new book is "Why We Remember" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices