KQED's Forum

“You don’t just smell an aroma; you fall into it,” writes artisan perfumer Mandy Aftel. And entering her exquisite small museum, the Aftel Archive of Curious Scents, tucked into a backyard in Berkeley, is to fall into an ancient, mysterious world. Amid centuries-old books, bottles and curios are natural fragrances that come from the secretions of civets and the bowels of sperm whales, as well as from resins, rare flowers, roots and so much more. We talk to Aftel about her collection, the art of building a fragrance, and her new book, “The Museum of Scent: Exploring the Curious and Wondrous World of Fragrance."Guest:Mandy Aftel, artisan perfumer and founder, Aftelier Perfumes and the Aftel Archive of Curious Scents in Berkeley; author, "The Museum of Scent: Exploring the Curious and Wondrous World of Fragrance" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In her new novel “Exhibit” R.O. Kwon introduces us to Jin Han, a photographer in San Francisco who’s unsure if her transgressive infatuation for a ballet dancer activated a family curse, conjuring a ghost from her family’s past in Korea. Through Jin, Kwon explores the nature of desire — and why shame too often accompanies it.. Kwon says it’s as though she “made a list of boxes a person might tick to explain why a woman ought to be disliked, perhaps despised, and then, writing this novel, I filled in each box.” We’ll talk with Kwon about why women especially feel shame for the desire they feel for others or for personal creative fulfillment — and for not desiring motherhood. And we’ll hear about how she grappled with her anxieties and reflected on her politics while writing this novel.Guest:R.O. Kwon, author, "Exhibit" and "The Incendiaries"; co-editor, "KINK: Stories" the anthology Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Legendary Arhoolie Records founder Chris Strachwitz transversed the United States and Mexico for decades recording traditional roots music and unknown artists. The El Cerrito-based producer, who died last year, was known for his ear for music, but he also had an eye for capturing images. More than 150 of those photos documenting his travels and recording sessions are collected in a new book, “Arhoolie Records Down Home Music: The Stories and Photographs of Chris Strachwitz.” Co-author and veteran music journalist Joel Selvin joins us to talk about Strachwitz’s art and legacy.Guest:Joel Selvin, San Francisco-based music journalist and author. His latest book is "Arhoolie Records: Down Home Music." 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.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You might not think that 224 pages devoted to a sixth grader’s tricky journey with braces would make for a bestseller, but since its publication in 2010, Raina Telgemeier’s graphic novel “Smile” has remained hugely popular with the kid set. And her follow ups “Guts,” “Drama” and “Ghosts” have earned her rave reviews from kids, tweens, parents and librarians for the humorous, hopeful, and honest depictions of life as an anxious kid. We’ll talk to Telgemeier, a Bay Area native, about her work and how she taps into the zeitgeist of adolescence.Guest:Raina Telgemeier, author of "Smile," "Guts," and "Sisters," among other popular graphic novels for teens and kids Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A recent New York Times investigation reveals how violent radical elements in Israel's settler movement in the West Bank have been allowed to operate with impunity for decades. The report, based in part on accounts by Israeli officials, examines a two-tier system of justice where the authorities systematically ignored or enabled settler violence against Palestinians. Today, leaders of this extremist fringe have gained powerful positions within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. We’ll talk with the report’s co-author, Mark Mazzetti, about the rise of Israeli extremism and what it means for the current war and U.S.-Israel relations.Guest:Mark Mazzetti, investigative reporter focusing on national security, New York Times; co-author, the May 16 cover story "The Unpunished: How Extremists Took Over Israel" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In his magazine profiles and podcasts, Oakland writer Carvell Wallace has a gift for examining people and the times we live in with clarity and wisdom. With his new memoir “Another Word for Love,” Wallace extends his compassionate gaze to his own story, tracing a childhood peppered with homelessness and abuse, through to his quest for healing, pleasure and the divine. "It is is not enough to be hurt and to know that you have been hurt," he writes. "The price of being alive, of being in love, is that you are required to heal.”Guest:Carvell Wallace, author, "Another Word for Love: A Memoir"; 2023 recipient of the American Mosaic Journalism Prize; host, "Closer Than They Appear" and "Finding Fred" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Biden and presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump take the stage in Atlanta on Thursday for the first presidential debate of the election cycle. The debate, hosted by CNN, takes place as the parties are deeply divided on major policy issues and as polls show low voter approval ratings for both candidates. We’ll recap the debate and hear your reactions.Guests:Marisa Lagos, politics correspondent, KQED; co-host, KQED's Political BreakdownAdam Nagourney, national political reporter, New York TimesMike Madrid, Republican strategist; co-founder, The Lincoln Project - His new book is "The Latino Century: How America's Largest Minority is Transforming Democracy."Ro Khanna, U.S. Congressman for California's 17th Congressional District (Silicon Valley) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Almost everything we eat – bananas, sushi, lettuce, beef – is part of the “cold chain,” a vast network of refrigerated warehouses, shipping containers, display cases and finally, our own refrigerators that underpin our global food system. We’ve only been able to create cold when we want it for about 150 years, but in that time, refrigeration “has changed our height, our health, and our family dynamics; it has shaped our kitchens, ports and cities; and it has reconfigured global economics and politics,” writes food and science writer Nicola Twilley in her new book, Frostbite. We’ll talk to her about how the whole system works, what it might look like in the future and why exactly your chopped salad comes in that weird little bag.Guests:Nicola Twilley, author, Frostbite: How Refrigeration Changed Our Food, Our Planet, and Ourselves; cohost, podcast Gastropod - and frequent contributor to the New Yorker Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Friday, the court, in a 6-3 opinion authored by Justice Gorsuch, announced that “camping ban” laws that restrict unhoused people from sleeping on public property do not constitute “cruel and unusual punishment” and are therefore not prohibited by the Eighth Amendment. These laws had been challenged by cities, including San Francisco. We’ll talk about the opinion and what happens next.Guests:Rory Little, professor of constitutional law, UC School of Law, San Francisco - former federal prosecutor and criminal defense attorney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices