‘The Dreamt Land’: How the California Dream Was Shaped by Water
Host Sasha Khokha talks with author Mark Arax about his new book, "The Dreamt Land: Chasing Water and Dust Across California." Arax digs into Golden State history to explore how the quest to find and convey water has been essential to the California Dream, from the time of the Spanish settlers to early "rainmakers" who promised to conquer the weather. Arax also looks at the modern wars over corporate farming, by telling us about Stewart Resnick, California's wealthiest farmer, who has built a sprawling empire by controlling the water supply hundreds of miles away from his home in Beverly Hills.
Letter to My California Dreamer: ‘This Boom Town Boomed Best When You Boomed With It’
We’ve been talking a lot on our show about the California Dream – what it means to people across the state, and whether the promise of that dream is still alive. We've been asking listeners to write a letter to the first person in their family who came to California with a dream. This week’s letter comes from listener Carolyn Gray Anderson to her mother and father, whose dreams and ambitions drew them to San Francisco 60 years ago.
Dear Truth Be Told: Advice by, and for, People of Color
The tagline of KQED’s new advice podcast made by and for people of color is: "It's like the friend you call after a long, exhausting day – the one who will laugh, cry, bitch and moan with you. The one who gets it." It’s hosted by Tonya Mosley, who brings us a preview of what we’ll be hearing this season.
This Beauty Queen Uses Her Platform to Ease Mental Health Stigma in Asian American Community
San Francisco is home to the longest-running Asian-American beauty pageant in the nation. And at first glance, this year’s winner – Sophia Ng – has all the hallmarks of a typical pageant queen. She’s 27, with beauty, brains and charisma. But she surprised the pageant audience when she revealed onstage that she'd battled depression and attempted suicide as a teen. She's now a mental health therapist, and counsels students at elementary and high schools in San Francisco. As reporter Sonia Paul tells us, Sophia became a beauty queen so she could spread her message about removing the stigma that exists around mental health.