KQED's Forum – Details, episodes & analysis

Nearly a decade after the end of China’s one-child policy, families are still reeling from its traumas. In multiple cases, officials in China forcibly took children away from their families and placed them up for adoption, fulfilling a lucrative overseas demand for baby girls. In her new book “Daughters of the Bamboo Grove,” journalist Barbara Demick tells the story of one girl named Fangfang, rechristened Esther, who was taken away from her twin sister and family and adopted by a white Christian couple in Texas. We talk to Demick about Fangfang’s story and how it illuminates the one-child policy’s lasting impacts on adoptees and their families in China and abroad. Guests: Barbara Demick, author, "Daughters of the Bamboo Grove: From China to America, a True Story of Abduction, Adoption, and Separated Twins" - former Beijing Bureau Chief, Los Angeles Times Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Trump announced on Thursday that in the next two weeks, he would make a decision about the role the U.S. will take in the escalating Israel-Iran conflict. As Israel and Iran traded fire for a seventh day, fissures emerged among Republicans about whether military action is warranted, while some Democrats are urging passage of a bill that would require Trump to get congressional approval before committing American troops and resources. We’ll talk to experts about the escalating conflict. Guests: Trita Parsi, co-founder and executive vice president, Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft; former president of the National Iranian American Council - his books include "Treacherous Alliance - the Secret Dealings of Israel, Iran and the US" and two other books on US-Iran-Israel relations Robin Wright, contributing writer, New Yorker - her most recent piece for the magazine is "What is Israel's Endgame with Iran?" Wright is also the author of "Dreams and Shadows: The Future of the Middle East," among other books Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re joined in studio for a live performance by the Jahari Stampley Family Trio. Stampley, an award-winning jazz pianist who is known for melding genres like funk, gospel and rock, calls his forthcoming album “What A Time” a sonic reflection of “the quiet stillness of late-night thoughts, the joy of a spontaneous jam, the fire of resistance, and the calm of resolution.” We talk to Stampley about his work, his influences and what it’s like to be in musical conversation with his mom ahead of their appearance at the San Francisco Jazz Festival. Guests: Jahari Stampley, piano D-Erania Stampley, bass, saxophone, synthesizer Ofri Nahemya, drums Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

National Book Award-winning author Colum McCann says he chooses what to write about based on what he most wants to know. His latest novel “Twist” springs from his fascination with the underwater cables, no thicker than a garden hose, that carry some 95% of the world’s telecommunications. McCann’s protagonist is a journalist who goes asea to investigate a cable break off the coast of Africa after the Congo River floods. We talk to McCann about themes of sabotage and repair – both in the abyssal zone he writes about and in our lives. Guest: Colum McCann, author, “Twist”; His other novels include “Apeirogon,” “Transatlantic” and “Let the Great World Spin,” which won a National Book Award. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Being laid off is brutal. It can knock people off career trajectories, destabilize people’s sense of their worth, and cause problems in their personal relationships. This year, the Bay Area has seen more than 15,000 layoffs in tech alone. So, our team here at KQED has gone out to collect the best advice on what to do when you’re laid off. How do you protect your mental health? What’s your next step in getting new work? Should you stay in your field or do something else? How do you talk to your partner or family about what’s happened? We’ll hear your stories and share the best advice that we’ve been able to find. Guests: Horst Govin, career coach, Job Hunt Bootcamp Carly Severn, senior editor of audience news, KQED Carlos Cabrera-Lomeli, community engagement reporter, KQED Ioanna Angelakis, marriage and family therapist based in San Francisco Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More than 70 percent of Californians say they’re happy living in the Golden State, but four in 10 are considering leaving. That’s according to a new survey called the California Community Poll, which found that economic anxiety and dissatisfaction with the state’s legislative priorities are among the top reasons people set their sights on moving. We’ll talk about what the poll says about our state’s varied, competing ideologies and how they map onto age, race and income. And we’ll hear from you: Why you stay, why you’d go, and what you want to see changed to make it easier for you to stick around. Guests: Dan Schnur, professor, Annenberg School of Communications at USC and UC Berkeley; helped direct the June 2023 California Community Poll Helen Torres, CEO, Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE) Nancy Yap, executive director, Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment (CAUSE) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A bill banning caste-based discrimination in California workplaces is moving through the state legislature after the emergence of several high profile discrimination claims in Silicon Valley’s South Asian community. The claims were brought by Dalits, the most oppressed class in the social hierarchy determined by birth, who say they faced blatant prejudice from coworkers, and were punished when they tried to speak out. Opponents of the bill question the prevalence of caste discrimination in the United States and say the legal focus fuels negative stereotypes of South Asians and Hindus. We’ll talk to the lawmaker who wrote the bill and members of the South Asian community fighting for and against the law. Guests: Aisha Wahab, State Senator, from Hayward, CA Sonia Paul, independent journalist covering caste in the United States; producer, audio documentary for BBC, "The Hidden Caste Codes of Silicon Valley" Prem Pariyar, human relations commissioner, Alameda County Suhag Shukla, executive director and co-founder, Hindu American Foundation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When the U.S. Supreme Court struck down affirmative action last month, its ruling was focused on college admissions. But some legal experts say that, in practice, the ruling could also discourage diversity efforts by employers. Many workplaces instituted diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices following the murder of George Floyd in 2020. But three years later, those policies are facing scrutiny from conservative legal groups — whom experts say may now be emboldened by the court’s ruling. We’ll talk about the role of DEI practices in the workplace, pushback these efforts may face and how it could all affect diversity where you work. Guests: Noam Scheiber, reporter covering workers and the workplace, The New York Times Nicole Sanchez, founder & CEO, Vaya Consulting - which advises tech and media companies on issues related to diversity and culture Richard Thompson Ford, professor of Law, Stanford Law School Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California native Ada Limón is the new poet laureate of the United States. She plans on, “elevating and promoting the expansiveness of poetry.” Limón, who has published six volumes of poetry, grew up in Sonoma and now lives in Kentucky. She says that poetry lived and breathed in her community growing up and has been key to her solitude as well as her sense of connection. She steps into her new role when America needs healing and unifying from art and artists. Limón joins us to talk about her work, her love of poetry, and how she’s reimagining America’s relationship to poetry. This segment originally aired Aug. 26. Related link(s): The Contract Says: We'd Like the Conversation to be Bilingual A New National Anthem National Poetry Month 2022: Ada Limón Reads “A Good Story” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How can we live the good life, one enlivened by joy, meaning and community? That’s the question UC Berkeley psychology professor Dacher Keltner has been exploring for the last 20 years, and he says he’s found the answer: find awe. It’s the emotion we experience when we encounter vast mysteries — in nature, in art and even in sport. We talk to Keltner about the science of awe and we’ll hear what you find awe-inspiring. This segment originally aired January 9, 2023. Guests: Dacher Keltner, professor of psychology and faculty director of the Greater Good Science Center, UC Berkeley; author, "Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices