Family separations at the border. Anxiety and trauma in young people. Wildfires and power outages. The ever-present fear of the Big One.

Every year, we take a look at what you’ve been most interested in reading on KQED — and 2019’s list might initially strike you as a sobering one. Yet amid these serious topics, you also found time to read about personal health and wellness, why artists are underpaid and the very best places to find the ultimate dumpling.

Our most-read stories on KQED this year:

How to Help Teenage Girls Reframe Anxiety and Strengthen Resilience
KQED’s Mindshift blog (now also a podcast) is consistently one of our most-visited, popular with educators and parents alike for its perspectives on the future of learning. This story from February — the most-read on our site in 2019 — explores how some degree of stress and anxiety is not only normal but essential for human growth, and how we can particularly help adolescent girls through life’s tough times.

Family Separations Continue in Homeland Security ‘Gray Area’ Despite Ban
Family separation at the border was a major concern for KQED readers this year. This story from February reported how hundreds of migrant children have been separated from their parents — even after a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to stop the practice in June 2018.

Toddler Separated From Family at Border Reunited with Mom in San Francisco
Giving a personal insight into how family separation impacts individual families, this affecting story detailed the Bay Area reunion between 23-year-old Sindy Ortiz Flores and her 18-month-old daughter, after the child was taken from her father near Calexico by U.S. Border Patrol agents.

Why Mindfulness And Trauma-Informed Teaching Don’t Always Go Together
Mindfulness is a fast-growing trend and teachers are turning to the practice as a simple way to restore calm to the classroom — but that might not be as simple as it seems. This story explores how some of the ways mindfulness is practiced — sitting still, eyes closed, in silence — can also be triggers for students who have experienced trauma.

Map: Current PG&E Power Outages
In October, the beleaguered utility began its historic shutoff program in an effort to prevent destructive fires, affecting millions of California residents — and PG&E says that’s just the start. No wonder so many of you were interested in this map showing which areas would be affected.

Map of Kincade Fire in Sonoma County
The Kincade Fire, which ignited outside Geyserville in October, destroyed many structures but thankfully took zero lives. Our map showed readers the fire perimeter, evacuation zones, road closures, emergency shelters and more, alongside a regularly updated list of fire resources from KQED News.

A look at some other stories that were hugely popular on KQED this year:

The science stories you read most

Map: Here’s Your Current Air Quality Report for the Bay Area
With wildfires becoming California’s “new normal,” the potentially dangerous impact on air quality was clearly a priority for many of you in fire-adjacent areas. Our resources on how to protect yourself from smoke were also viewed and shared many times.

Do Little Earthquakes Mean the Big One Is Close at Hand?
This year brought us several disconcerting shakes, with each one making us think about the terrifying possibilities of a bigger earthquake hitting the Bay Area.  It’s unsurprising, therefore, that so many of you wanted this question answered.

Prepping for the Next Big Quake, One Hour a Day
More quake concerns: This time, you turned to KQED Science’s comprehensive guide to prepping your family and your home for a potential major emergency. From evacuation planning to earthquake kits and home improvement, there’s never a bad time to read this guide. Seriously.

The arts and culture cuts you loved

Keak Da Sneak Heads to Prison; ‘No Compassion’ for Disabilities, He Says
Longtime Bay Area hip-hop fixture Keak Da Sneak was left disabled by a 2017 shooting that placed him in critical condition. In this interview he detailed his concern about the medical care he would receive during his upcoming prison sentence for firearm possession. After KQED broke the story, the rapper’s sentence was delayed: A decision his manager attributed in part to the coverage this story led to.

Why Do Employers Lowball Creatives? A New Study Has Answers
Artists being asked to work for “exposure” is a long-running complaint in the creative industry — but what if their passion for their craft was actually being used as a justification for their exploitation?  We heard from many of you who read this and shared your experiences, too.

Thirty Seconds to Mars’ Jared Leto Started a Cult—Because of Course He Did
One of the frankly weirder stories on our site in 2019, this deep dive into actor and musician Jared Leto’s band Thirty Seconds to Mars and their increasingly cultish activities surrounding their fan communities continues to be one of our most-read articles. When, it wonders, does fan devotion begin to resemble something more disconcerting?

The food stories you ate up

Are These the Best Dumpling Spots in the Bay Area?
KQED’s food guides are some of the most popular pages on our website, and this list of top-notch dumpling restaurants around the Bay Area was no exception. But…did we include your favorite?

5 Bay Area Coffee Shops You Should Visit Before They Disappear 
A high turnover of beloved cafes, restaurants and bars is one of the Bay Area’s more sobering economic realities, making it no surprise this guide — which celebrates old-fashioned diners — struck a chord with you all.

Eat & Drink Like You’re in the 1920s, Two Nights a Week
Since we’re headed into the 20s (again), it’s perhaps fitting how many of you wanted to read about this 1920s-style spot in San Jose, which boasts an invisible ragtime orchestra and an authentic soda fountain.

The most popular Forum interviews

UCSF’s Dean Ornish on How to ‘Undo’ Chronic Diseases
Although interviews with experts are the backbone of our morning call-in show, health and wellness was a clear theme in 2019 — as evidenced by your interest in this interview with the founder of UCSF’s Preventive Medicine Research Institute.

Mary Pipher Celebrates Power of Older Women in ‘Women Who Row North’
Best-known for her 1994 bestseller “Reviving Ophelia,” examining the societal pressures on adolescent girls, this interview with author Mary Pipher explores how women contend with aging in a society that often values them less as they get older.

A Doctor’s Quest to Heal Her Mysterious, Chronic Illness
Cynthia Li was a successful doctor in her 30s when an autoimmune disease torpedoed her health, with mysterious symptoms that baffled her doctors. She joined us to explain her long journey to understanding her condition and rethinking the way medicine is practiced.