City Arts & Lectures

This week, our guest is Padma Lakshmi. As host of shows like Taste the Nation and Top Chef, Lakshmi champions cooks and eaters from across cultures. She’s the author of several cookbooks –  including her newest, Padma's All American: Tales, Travels, and Recipes from Taste the Nation and Beyond – and the memoir Love Loss and What We Ate. Lakshmi’s passion for social justice causes, as well as her deep appreciation for food, are both reflected in her active social media presence. On November 17, 2025, Lakshmi came to the Sydney Goldstein Theater in San Francisco to talk – and laugh – with comedian and broadcaster W. Kamau Bell.

This week, our guest is Salman Rushdie. Over the course of six decades, Rushdie has made a profound impact on literature and free speech. He is the author of fifteen novels, including Midnight’s Children and The Satanic Verses, two short story collections, and six works of nonfiction, most recently, his memoir Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder.On November 16, 2025, Rushdie came to the Sydney Goldstein Theater in San Francisco to talk to Poulomi Saha about some of the impacts of the attack he suffered in 2022, and how the themes in his newest story collection, The Eleventh Hour, connect to his past work.

Richard Misrach, a pioneering contemporary photographer renowned for his large-format color work, delves into his latest project capturing cargo ships at the Port of Oakland. He discusses the transformative power of photography, how container ships serve as symbols of political significance, and his unique approach to using a single vantage point to document changing light. Misrach also reflects on the balance between aesthetics and activism, revealing how beauty can draw attention to urgent environmental issues. His artistry captures history while engaging viewers.

In a captivating conversation, legendary filmmaker Werner Herzog shares insights from his illustrious career. He recounts his early days arriving in San Francisco and unique experiences, like a photo shoot near a Vanuatu volcano. Herzog discusses his unconventional memoir, touching on the role of women in his life and the solitary figures in his work. He breaks down his distinct narrative style in filmmaking and emphasizes the importance of reading for filmmakers. Expect stories about his unorthodox teaching methods at Rogue Film School and his unfiltered thoughts on the future of long-form art.

This week, our guest is Susan Orlean, the author of The Orchid Thief, The Library Book, and On Animals. Whether exploring the eccentric world of orchid collectors, untangling the mystery of a devastating fire at the Los Angeles Public Library, or examining animal-human relationships, she brings humor, curiosity, and humanity to all the stories she writes.Her new book, Joyride, is a collection of essays that highlights her fascination with the remarkable details of everyday life.On October 6, 2025, Susan Orlean joined us at the KQED studios to speak with Steven Winn about storytelling, obsession, and what continues to inspire her writing after more than three decades chronicling the world’s oddities for The New Yorker.

Andrew Ross Sorkin, a financial journalist and author, dives deep into the 1929 stock market crash, drawing parallels to today’s economic landscape. He shares insights from his new book, discussing the lessons gleaned from the past and the intricate research processes that unveiled hidden archives. Sorkin emphasizes the need for sound banking regulation and explores how speculative behavior in finance can fuel innovation. He also warns of the societal implications of tech booms, urging Silicon Valley to consider broader impacts.

Jelani Cobb, Dean of Columbia Journalism School and acclaimed writer at The New Yorker, dives deep into the heart of American identity and history. He explores hip hop's roots and its role in expressing hope, alongside personal reflections on being a Black man in today's society. Cobb tackles the complexities of race in America and the lessons from recent democracies like Brazil. He discusses the importance of local journalism and offers a nuanced view on Confederate monuments, intertwining history with contemporary struggles for democracy.

Daniel Handler’s sardonic sense of humor and deep pathos have engaged readers across genres for over twenty-five years. Handler’s best known for his series of children’s books A Series of Unfortunate Events under the pen name Lemony Snicket).  His books published under his own name include Why We Broke Up, We Are Pirates), and the memoir, And Then? And Then? What Else? which has just been published in paperback. Andrew Sean Greer’s six works of fiction include the bestsellers The Story of a Marriage, The Confessions of Max Tivoli, Less (which earned him the Pulitzer Prize), and Less is Lost. On October 8, 2025, Daniel Handler and Andrew Sean Greer took to the stage of the Sydney Goldstein Theater in San Francisco, for a program they call “Paragraphs on Ice!” in which they dissect paragraphs written by other notable authors. It was a lesson in the art of writing – and the art of close reading. 

Author and cultural critic Jeff Chang's new book is “Water Mirror Echo: Bruce Lee and the Making of Asian America”.  The world’s most celebrated martial artist and one of the best-known action stars ever, Bruce Lee is a global icon.  Born in San Francisco in 1940, Lee spent his childhood in war-ravaged Hong Kong, where he began his acting career in its emerging film industry.  When he returned to the US at the age of 18, Lee studied philosophy and drama, and taught martial arts to major Hollywood actors before becoming a star himself.  On September 25, 2025, Jeff Chang talked to journalist, podcaster, and educator Shereen Marisol Meraji about his biography of Bruce Lee and his role in Asian American culture. 

This week, the story behind one of the country’s premier dining destinations, Russ & Daughters.  What began as a pushcart in 1904 on Manhattan’s Lower East Side is now an internationally-renowned retail operation, with three shops, a restaurant, and a mail-order business that delivers traditional Jewish foods nationwide.  Russ & Daughters’ specialty is “appetizing” – smoked and cured salmon, pickled herring, bagels, cream cheese, and more.  Running the business today are Josh Russ Tupper and Niki Russ Federman, fourth-generation torchbearers of their family’s legacy.  On September 5, 2025, they visited the KQED studios in San Francisco to talk to writer Rebecca Handler, about growing up in the family business and what it takes to keep it alive, and their new cookbook “Russ & Daughters, 100 Years of Appetizing”.