The Finest

The Iran many Americans see is often defined by conflict. But for those who grew up there and those who carry its traditions abroad, the story is far more layered. Artist Maryam Bayat turns Persian rugs into immersive sculptures, drawing on memories of her childhood in Iran, from bustling cities to quiet forests. Writer Zohreh (Zoe) Ghahremani and illustrator Susie Ghahremani share how children's books can pass on culture and celebration. Anthropologist and artist Roxanne Varzi recalls navigating identity and misunderstanding while growing up between two countries, and how art helped reshape her perspective. From galleries to classrooms, these artists are expanding how Iran is understood. Their work centers everyday life, creative expression and cultural continuity beyond the headlines.Guests:Maryam Bayat, interdisciplinary artistRoxanne Varzi, professor of Anthropology and Film and Media Studies at the University of California IrvineZohreh Ghahremani, author Susie Ghahremani, illustrator Sources:Iran hostage crisis (Britannica, 2026)President Delivers State of the Union Address (The White House President George W. Bush Archives, 2002)7 facts about Iranians in the U.S. (Dalia Fahmy and Jeffrey S. Passel, Pew Research Center,.2026 )Maryam Bayat: Unrolling Paradise (California Center for the Arts, Escondido, 2026)Persian rugs become a magical forest in artist Maryam Bayat's celebration of Iran (Julia Dixon Evans, KPBS, 2026)Secret of the famous Pazyryk carpet: Fermented wool is the answer (University of Erlangen-Nuremberg via ScienceDaily, 2021) The Textiles from Pazyryk A Study in the Transfer and Transformation of Artistic Motifs (Karen S. Rubinson, Expedition Magazine via Penn Museum, 1990)Uses of rugs and carpets (Murray L. Eiland, Britannica)Persia in rug and carpet (Murray L. Eiland, Britannica)Iranians Condemn Strike on a Top University (Erika Solomon and Sanam Mahoozi, The New York Times, 2026)Iran’s Schools and Hospitals in Ruins, Times Analysis Shows (Leanne Abraham, Aurelien Breeden, Bora Erden, Anushka Patil, Christiaan Triebert, Daniel Wood and Karen Yourish, 2026)Anthropology students present their research in poetry, plays and op‑eds in this course (The Conversation, 2024)Children's book by local mother-daughter duo honors Nowruz, the ancient Persian celebration of spring (Julia Dixon Evans, KPBS, 2026)Nowruz (Charles Preston, Britannica, 2026)'Everybody was wearing black.' How the Iranian diaspora is observing Nowruz amid war (Sarah Ventre, NPR, 2026)Iranian Americans mark Persian New Year with a mix of sadness and joy (Amy Taxin and Philip Marcelo, AP News, 2026)

In this rebroadcast from Season 1, we explore  how the streaming era has changed music — not just for the people who make it, but also for us as listeners. For indie musicians like Julianna Zachariou, Spotify has made music more accessible than ever — but at a cost. With payouts that amount to less than a penny per stream, she's had to turn to crowdfunding and direct fan support to fund her projects. She opens up about the personal toll these struggles take and how she's found ways to stay true to her craft while facing these challenges."On my bad days, I wake up and think, 'I've already done the best I can do. This is the most people I'll ever reach, and I'm just sinking into anonymity,'" Julianna said, reflecting on an older song that has reached more than 5 million streams."But on my better days, I'm grateful for it. I recognize that it was a different time. Spotify's kind of a monster now. There's no room for 'if it's good enough, it'll find its way.' It's just not a thing right now. It's a trap to let metrics determine that you're doing something better or worse than you were in the past," she said.Watch: Julianna Zachariou performs "Dreamer, Dreamer" live at KPBS' studioIn this episode, we break down Spotify's business model, the economics of streaming and what it really takes to sustain a career without major-label backing. Julianna's story is a powerful reminder of the need for change in the industry and how we can all play a role in supporting the artists who enrich our lives.Guests:Julianna Zachariou, musicianLiz Pelly, journalist and author of "Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist"Julianna Zachariou Track List:"church st.""Subway Song""Hero of Your Heart""Dreamer, Dreamer"Watch: Julianna Zachariou performs "Becky" live at KPBS' studioJulianna Zachariou's musical influences:The CommodoresEarth Wind and FireTotoAlison KraussBonnie RaittThe BeatlesThe Rolling StonesLed ZeppelinThe WhoTaylor SwiftKelly Clarkson, "American Idol"Photos: See portraits of Julianna Zachariou and a few snaps of her and Josh Flowers making music togetherMentioned in this episode:Josh Flowers, songwriter and musical collaboratorThe D Train | NYC subway line that runs from the Bronx to BrooklynUnited Musicians and Allied Workers (UMAW) | A grassroots union fighting for fairness in music, from streaming transparency to artist pay equityH.R.7763 - Living Wage for Musicians Act of 2024 | 2024 bill introduced by Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Jamaal Bowman, backed by UMAW, pushing for a penny-per-stream payout to make streaming fairer for working artistsSoda Bar | North Park dive for intimate sets, rising indie acts and vibrant local energyPrevious GoFundMes: Help Fund Julianna's Next Record and Help Julianna Make MusicSources:"Simulating the emergence of superstar firms: The role of luck vs talent" (A.E. Biondo, A. Pluchino, R. Zanola, ScienceDirect, 2024)"Alan B. Krueger | Rockonomics: 7 Key Economic Lessons" (John Murray Books, 2019)"How Music Streaming Platforms Calculate Payouts Per Stream 2025" (Royalty Exchange, 2025)"The Spotify conspiracy theories about 'Espresso,' explained" (Rebecca Jennings, Vox, 2024)"Loud and Clear": 2024 Spotify Annual Music Economics Report (Spotify, 2025)"Tlaib Introduces Living Wage for Musicians Act" (Office of Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, March 2024)"Data Shows 90 Percent of Streams Go to the Top 1 Percent of Artists" (Emily Blake, Rolling Stone, Sept. 2020) "A Brief History of American Payola" (Kim Kelly, Vice, 2016)"Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist" (Liz Pelly, Atria/One Signal Publishers, 2024)"The Ghosts in the Machine" (Liz Pelly, Harper's Magazine/book excerpt, 2025)

What is a prop?For Deb Hatch, it's almost everything. After more than 40 years working in theater, including decades at La Jolla Playhouse, the longstanding prop supervisor has helped shape more than 100 productions, from early-stage premieres to Broadway hits like "Jersey Boys" and "The Outsiders."In this episode, we go behind the scenes to see how props do far more than fill space. They establish time and place, define character and keep performances running smoothly — often in ways audiences never notice. From sourcing everyday items to building custom pieces from scratch, Deb walks us through the hidden decisions that make a production feel real, and the problem-solving required when things go wrong on stage. Along the way, we explore a world most audiences never see, where even the smallest details can leave a lasting impression.As Deb prepares to retire, she reflects on a career built on detail, collaboration and the thrill of figuring things out. Because in live theater, every object matters.Guest:Deb Hatch, prop supervisor at La Jolla Playhouse

Ahmad Joudeh risked his life to dance, performing in a refugee camp while ISIS fighters targeted him. The act of defiance, captured on video, made him known worldwide. But fame came with a cost. He became a symbol he never wanted to be. In this episode, Ahmad tells the full story in his own words, from growing up stateless in Syria and navigating the complexities of identity to starting the camp's first dance studio, training with the Dutch National Ballet and taking control of his life amid media pressure. Now living in San Diego, Ahmad continues to perform, teach and create, building a career that reflects his heritage, artistic vision and personal freedom. He reflects on survival, resilience and what it means to dedicate your life to art, and to dance as a way of truly living.Guest:Ahmad Joudeh, dancerWatch Ahmad Joudeh's performances:Ahmad Joudeh dances at the Yarmouk camp (2016)"Dance or Die" (2018) documentary directed by Roozbeh KabolyAhmad Joudeh performs at the Eurovision Song Contest (2021)Ahmad Joudeh performs at the Fire Island Dance Festival (2023)"The Dancer" (2025) documentary directed by Lacey UhlemeyerAhmad Joudeh and Celyna Tran perform parts of the Nutcracker Arabian Dance (2025) Ahmad Joudeh performs an experimental dance improvisation of Sufi dance to Boléro de Ravel (2026)Sources:'The deepest circle of hell:' Terrified Yarmouk residents describe ISIS raid (Atika Shubert, Bharati Naik and Nick Thompson, CNN, 2015)Syrian Dancer Flying, Looking for Freedom (Landing in Amsterdam) (Nina Siegal, The New York Times, 2017)Yarmouk (unofficial camp*) (United Nations Relief and Works Agency - UNRWA)Sbeineh Camp (United Nations Relief and Works Agency - UNRWA)Generations of Palestinian Refugees Face Protracted Displacement and Dispossession (Nathan Citino, Ana Martín Gil and Kelsey P. Norman, Migration Policy Institute, 2023)Syria (Stateless Hub, 2024)What is the Arab Spring, and how did it start? (Al Jazeera, 2020)Syrian Civil War (Britannica, 2026)Syria's war: Ten years – and counting (Alia Chughtai, Al Jazeera, 2021)Dutch National BalletWorld Economic Forum - Ahmad JoudehGov. Gavin NewsomBallet Beyond Borders: Dance and diplomacy go online (Cory Walsh, The Missoulian, 2021)UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency - Ahmad JoudehPride Amsterdam - Ahmad JoudehWhat Dance Can Do - Ahmad JoudehAfter decades of brutal rule, Bashar al-Assad’s regime has been toppled. Here’s what you need to know (Rob Picheta and Helen Regan, CNN, 2024)About Saydnaya (Amnesty International)Golden State Ballet

What's growing in your backyard?In San Diego, one of America's most biodiverse regions, the answer is more complicated than you might think. It's home to roughly 3,000 plant species, with many still undocumented.This episode follows hikers, students and nature lovers using the free app iNaturalist to photograph plants and animals, contribute to a global biodiversity database and help scientists protect fragile ecosystems. Some discoveries are extraordinary, like seeing your name on a scientific paper after spotting a plant never recorded in the county before.We visit the San Diego Natural History Museum, head into a rare salt marsh along Mission Bay and join a community identification party to see how this grassroots effort is reshaping science in real time.Researchers and volunteers say this kind of "citizen science" is no longer a side project — it's essential. Because when it comes to protecting ecosystems, the first step is simple: knowing what's there. Guests: Jon Rebman, Ph.D., curator of botany at SDNHMBecky Escalante, citizen scientist spifferella on iNaturalist, dental assistantStephanie Crawford, citizen scientist aneclecticenthusiast on iNaturalistKellie Uyeda, executive director of UC San Diego's Natural Reserve System Clarissa Rodriguez, reserves director of UC San Diego's Natural Reserve System

Matcha has become a worldwide sensation. The bright green powdered tea now appears in lattes, smoothies, desserts and viral foods across social media feeds. Demand has surged so quickly that producers in Japan are struggling to keep up. But matcha's story didn't begin in a cafe. For centuries, the tea has been at the center of a carefully choreographed ritual known as the tea ceremony, a practice rooted in mindfulness, hospitality and attention to detail. In this episode, we explore how a drink with roots in centuries-old tea culture became a modern craze. Along the way, we meet a San Diego tea sensei who practices the ceremony and invites others to slow down long enough to experience matcha with care and intention. As matcha's popularity continues to grow, we ask a simple question: What gets lost — and what might be gained — when an old tradition becomes a global trend?Guests:Rie Morita, Japanese tea ceremony instructorRebecca Corbett, Japanese Studies Librarian and Senior Lecturer in History, University of Southern CaliforniaRobert Hellyer, historian and author of "Green with Milk and Sugar"Sources:Japanese Tea Ceremony Explained (Adam Sensei, Phd., Maikoya)The Matcha Problem (Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 2025)Shortages, Smoothies and Fraud: The Matcha Market Cracks Under Pressure (Pete Wells, The New York Times, 2025)How much for matcha? Prices for the popular powdered tea soar due to global demand (Dee-Ann Durbin, Associated Press, 2025)'Skyrocketing' demand for matcha raises fears of shortage in Japan (Justin McCurry, The Guardian, 2025)Matcha's popularity has skyrocketed, but it was initially met with skepticism in the West (Rebecca Corbett, PBS News, 2025)PARU Tea: How the viral matcha spot is transforming tea culture with love and purpose (Julia Dixon Evans and Anthony Wallace, KPBS, 2025)

Lou Curtiss dedicated his life to preserving forgotten music — and now his extraordinary personal collection is being shared with the community he nurtured for decades. At Folk Arts Rare Records, thousands of vinyl records, CDs, tapes and rare recordings are being unboxed, cataloged and placed on shelves for music lovers to explore and purchase. In this episode, we meet Brendan Boyle, who began shopping at Folk Arts as a teenager and now owns and runs the store. We dive into Lou's legacy, including his role in founding the San Diego Folk Festival, supporting local artists like Thomas Shaw and preserving recordings that might otherwise have vanished. Along the way, we explore how vinyl survived the '90s and 2000s and why physical media still matters in an age of streaming and digital fatigue. From obscure blues and folk records to legendary mixtapes, Lou's Whimsical Collection lives on, offering a tactile, personal and deeply human connection to the music that shapes culture. Guests:Brendan Boyle, Folk Arts Rare Records ownerAndrew Mall, Associate Professor of Music at Northeastern University in Boston, Mass.Music heard in this episode:"Rock My Baby Back Home" by Thomas Shaw (1972)"Broke and Ain't Got a Dime" by Thomas Shaw (1972)"Martin Luther King" by Thomas Shaw (1972)Portuguese String Music (1908-1931) "George Collins" by Kathy & Carol (1965)"Sprig of Thyme" by Kathy & Carol (1965)"Atomic Cocktail" by Slim Gaillard (1945)"Frank Rhoads Round" by Slim Gaillard (1962)"Pick Poor Robin Clean" by Geeshie Wiley & Elvie Thomas (1931)"Set Your Chickens Free" by The Hub City Movers (1969)Mentioned in this episode:"Sinners""High Fidelity"Part Time LoverDocument RecordsSources: Thomas Shaw (Lou Curtiss, San Diego Troubadour, 2013) Material Drives on the World War II Home Front (National Park Service, 2024)Shellac to vinyl, how World War Two changed the record (Norfolk Record Office, 2020)How a 1927 Blues recording found its way into a 21st-century vampire film — and sparked a historical detective story (Document Records, 2025)Folk Arts Rare Records brings Lou Curtiss' music collection to the people (Julia Dixon Evans, KPBS, 2026)

Content note: This episode contains discussion of suicide and domestic abuse. If you or someone you know needs support, call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.This episode is a special feed share from One of Their Own, a KPBS true crime podcast created and hosted by KPBS racial justice and social equity reporter Katie Hyson. In 2018, 25-year-old San Diego police officer Ciara Estrada was found dead in her apartment on New Year's Day. Her death was ruled a suicide by the San Diego Police Department — the same department she worked for. But nearly eight years later, her family still questions whether the investigation went far enough. In this first episode, you'll meet Ciara through the people who loved her most. From a viral video that once labeled her a "nice cop" to the deeply personal artifacts she left behind, the series begins by asking a simple but powerful question: Who was Ciara Estrada beyond the case file? The podcast explores police culture, domestic violence allegations within law enforcement and what happens when a department investigates one of its own. After listening, find the rest of One of Their Own wherever you get your podcasts.

San Diego's Topeka Clementine brought the KPBS patio to life with a performance as part of the Sundrenched Sounds live music series — spontaneous, communal and emotionally charged. Blending sharp storytelling with sing-along moments and unexpected humor, the set moved seamlessly between intimate confession and collective call to action. We sat down afterward with Kai Simovich, the musician behind Topeka Clementine, to talk about the project's remarkable output and what it really means to go viral. Named after a street corner in Oceanside tied to grassroots mutual aid, Topeka Clementine channels community care directly into the music. Kai shares how recent personal loss reshaped their songwriting, including the creation of "Feed the Trees," a meditation on grief, inheritance and how life carries forward. Through relentless creativity, collective energy and performance, Topeka Clementine's music insists on hope, even in heavy times.Guest:Kai Simovich, Topeka ClementineMentioned in this episode:Estonia's Singing Revolution (Rick Steves) Amass  | Matt Orlando Brings California Sun to Copenhagen (Florence Fabricant, New York Times, 2017)

The bold, joyful sculptures of Niki de Saint Phalle are woven into San Diego’s landscape, even if many people don’t know her name. In this episode, we explore the life and legacy of the artist behind Queen Califia’s Magical Circle, the Sun God at UC San Diego and the beloved Nikigator in Balboa Park. After decades of boundary-breaking art and personal hardship, Niki came to San Diego late in life and created monumental public works designed to be experienced up close, inviting touch, play and imagination. But this story also belongs to Lech Juretko, a Polish refugee and former wallpaper installer who became Niki’s longtime assistant. He helped build her massive mosaic sculptures piece by piece. More than 20 years after her death, he is still repairing cracked tiles and replacing missing stones, preserving artwork created for interaction and shared wonder. It’s a story about creative devotion, chosen family and the magic that happens when art leaves museum walls and becomes part of everyday life.Guests:Lech Juretko, founder and owner of Art Mosaic, longtime assistant of artist Niki de Saint PhalleJill Dawsey, PhD, senior curator at Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, co-author of "Niki de Saint Phalle in the 1960s" Sources:Niki de Saint Phalle: Public Works (Niki Charitable Art Foundation)Niki de Saint Phalle Garden Opens in Escondido (City of Escondido, 2003)Keeping up the legacy of Niki de Saint Phalle (Julia Dixon Evans, KPBS, 2023)Artist Niki de Saint Phalle's radical decade (Julia Dixon Evans, KPBS, 2022)The Darkness Behind Niki de Saint Phalle's Colorful Beauties (Eunice Lipton, Hyperallergic, 2015)"What Is Now Known Was Once Only Imagined: An (Auto)biography of Niki de Saint Phalle" (Nicole Rudick, Siglio Press, 2022)"Niki de Saint Phalle in the 1960s" (Jill Dawsey and Michelle White, Yale University Press, 2021)"Niki Who Tamed The Dragons" (Wojciech Delikta, Contemporary Lynx, 2020)New Realism (Center Pompidou, La Collection, Musee national d'art moderne, Pompidou Centre, Paris, 1987, and La Collection, Acquisitions, 1986-1996, Pompidou Centre, Paris, 1996)"My Terrific Mother" (Laura Gabriela, Tate Etc., Tate Modern, 2008)"Niki in the Garden" (Atlanta Botanical Garden, 2026)"Pop Gun Art: Niki de Saint Phalle and the Operatic Multiple" (Nichole L. Woods, Walker Art Center, Walker Living Collections Catalogue)"At MoMA PS1: Niki de Saint Phalle" (Lidija Haas, London Review of Books, 2021)Jean Tinguely, Playful Sculptor of Scrap Contraptions, Dies at 66 (New York Times, 1991)Niki de Saint Phalle: Le Cimetière de Montparnasse (Devon Whitehead, The Brooklyn Rail, 2018) Niki de Saint Phalle's lifelong dialogue between art and diseases (Henning Zeidler, Joint Bone Spine, National Library of Medicine, 2012)Niki de Saint Phalle, Sculptor, Is Dead at 71 (Ken Johnson, New York Times, 2002)Vandals break in, smash mirrors and more in Escondido sculpture garden (Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union Tribune, 2018)The Keeper of Niki de Saint Phalle's Menagerie (Mingei International Museum, 2019)"Nikigator, 2001" (Mingei International Museum, collections)

Jessica Sanchez grew up in the South Bay, the daughter of Filipino and Mexican American parents. Her mother says she started singing as soon as she could talk. By age 10, Jessica was performing all over San Diego's South Bay, including her local Seafood City grocery store, before taking the national stage on the very first season of "America's Got Talent." By 16, she became the runner-up on "American Idol." She quickly became a hometown icon — someone people here were cheering for.  Jessica was molded into a musical prodigy. But as quickly as she rose, the pressure and expectations began to weigh on her. She questioned her place in the music industry and withdrew from the spotlight. What brought her home to San Diego? And what gave her the strength to return to the national stage, nearly two decades later?Guests:Jessica Sanchez, singerAnamaria Labao Cabato, executive director of PASACAT Philippine Performing Arts CompanyShoppers at Seafood City Supermarket in Bay PlazaSources:Chula Vista's Jessica Sanchez Advances to 'American Idol' Finale (City News Service via KPBS, May 2012)'American Idol' Finale: Phillip Phillips Wins Title Over Jessica Sanchez (City News Service via KPBS, May 2012)Jessica Sanchez's first appearance on 'America's Got Talent' (2006)Jessica Sanchez performs Whitney Houston's 'I Will Always Love You' on 'American Idol' (2012)Jessica Sanchez performs 'I Have Nothing' on 'American Idol' (2012)'Tonight' by Jessica Sanchez ft. Ne-Yo (2013)Jessica Sanchez's early YouTube cover of Bruno Mars' 'Just the Way You Are' (2014)Jessica Sanchez's Golden Buzzer performance of Benson Boone's 'Beautiful Things' on 'America's Got Talent' (2025)Jessica Sanchez's Quarterfinal performance of Alex Warren's 'Ordinary' on 'America's Got Talent' (2025)Jessica Sanchez's Finals performance of Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga's 'Die With a Smile' on 'America's Got Talent' (2025)

Elizabeth "Ely" Rosales Aguilar has built Raíz Chocolate from her San Diego home kitchen, turning a childhood love of chocolate into a small but thriving business. She carefully sources Mexican cacao and crafts silky bars and rich drinking chocolates, like champurrado, using recipes passed down for generations. Her work is precise and deliberate, highlighting skill, patience and artistry while remaining deeply rooted in tradition.From bean sourcing to finished bars, Ely keeps her process transparent and small-scale, with an emphasis on preserving natural flavors — a sharp contrast to mainstream chocolate production. The name Raíz, which means "source" or “root” in Spanish, reflects that commitment to honoring cacao’s origins and the heritage behind each recipe.California's home kitchen and cottage food laws allowed her to turn that passion into a legitimate career, offering an alternative to mass-produced chocolate. Her story blends resilience, entrepreneurship and cultural heritage, showing how craft, intention and tradition can transform a home kitchen into a business that delivers exceptional flavor while preserving the legacy of Mexican chocolate-making.Guests:Elizabeth "Ely" Rosales Aguilar, Raíz Chocolate founderSources:Home Kitchen Operations: Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operations (MEHKO) and Cottage Food Operations (CFO) (SanDiegoCounty.gov)California Cottage Food Operations (University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources) ​Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operations (California Department of Health)Restaurant Owner Demographics (National Restaurant Association)At-home businesses are growing. Women and people of color benefit the most (Chabeli Carrazana, The 19th, 2021)Almendra Blanca Bar - 70% Single-Origin, Finca Frida, México (Raíz Chocolate)Revival Cacao (Supplier for Raíz Chocolate)ILAB Cocoa Storyboard: Exposing Exploitation in Global Supply Chains (U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of International Labor Affairs)Mars Supply Chain Transparency (Mars) In Maya society, cacao use was for everyone, not just royals (Richard Kemeny, ScienceNews, 2022)Life, Death and Chocolate in Mesoamerica: The Aztecs and the Maya; Where did the Ritual Use of Cacao Originate? (Caroline Seawright, 2012)The Maya civilization used chocolate as money (Joshua Rapp Learn, Science, 2018)What is the chocolate and cocoa industry worth in Mexico? (Laura Islas, Merca 2.0, 2025)Mexico cocoa bean imports and exports (World Integrated Trade Solution)Cottage Foods and Home Kitchens: 2021 State Policy Trends (The Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic, 2022)

Risograph printing was built for efficiency — a fast, economical way to make thousands of identical copies for offices, churches and schools. It was never meant to be expressive or personal. After newer technology pushed the machine into obsolescence, artists began discovering risography — drawn to its unpredictability, physicality and limits. From a squatted bank in the Netherlands to DIY print spaces across Europe and the U.S., Risograph printing became a tool for people working outside traditional art and publishing systems.In San Diego, that lineage comes into focus at Burn All Books — a space that is part shop, part press and part gathering place. There, Risograph printing isn't just about what gets made, but how: through shared labor, in-person collaboration and a commitment to keeping artists connected in an increasingly expensive and isolating city."You need a network of people who want to help you. That's something cobbled together very slowly over a long period of time. I just feel like so much of our success, to me, has felt like a combination of flukes and really wonderful favors and opportunities," said Manda Bernal, who cofounded Burn All Books with her husband Nick.Guests:Manda and Nick Bernal, Burn All Books founders Kevin Huynh, artist Paloma, Jill, Phillip, Noelle, Tia, Galia and the crew at Burn All BooksJan Dirk de Wilde, Knust co-founderGeorge Wietor, Issue Press founderSources:Squatting in the Netherlands: The social and political institutionalization of a movement (Hans Pruijt, Public goods versus economic interests via EUR Research Information Portal, 2017)“KNUST, the pioneers of Riso print” documentary directed by Ivana SmudjaRISO Kagaku’s history (RISO official website)The Vintage Japanese Copy Machine Enjoying an Artistic Renaissance (Evan Nicole Brown, Atlas Obscura, 2018)Culture Report: The Rise of the Risograph (Julia Dixon Evans, Voice of San Diego, 2018)

The Finest returns with a new season, exploring the people, art and movements redefining San Diego culture. From discovering new species in local preserves to reviving forgotten arts, crafting chocolate at home and forging unexpected connections, these stories celebrate ingenuity, resilience, and community. Premiering Jan. 15, new episodes drop weekly. Search The Finest wherever you get your podcasts.

We’re dropping a special minisode during our season break with one request: Help shape Season 2 of The Finest by taking our anonymous survey at KPBS.org/TheFinestSurvey. Your feedback helps guide what stories we cover next — and it enters you in a raffle to win an exclusive The Finest T-shirt. We’ll draw winners before the Season 2 premiere on Jan. 15. Plus, KPBS Racial Justice and Social Equity Reporter Katie Hyson, a self-proclaimed The Finest fan, takes the survey live on the show.

For many people who are incarcerated, a single book can be life-changing – a rare source of freedom and connection in a system built on isolation. That was true for Cherish Burtson, who discovered during her time in federal prison that reading could be a source of survival. Books became her escape, her education and a starting point to rebuild her life. But getting books behind bars isn't easy. Across the United States, correctional systems routinely ban or reject thousands of titles each year, reflecting deeper struggles over punishment, control and compassion. According to PEN America,  correctional facilities in all 50 states contribute to the nation's largest book ban, censoring more books than schools and libraries combined. This episode follows a group of San Diego volunteers working to get books past prison walls. It explores how the simple act of reading can restore a sense of humanity in even the harshest conditions — and what it says about who we are when we decide who gets to read.Guests:Cherish Burtson, substance use disorders counselor at Family Health Centers of San DiegoMoira Marquis, Freewrite project senior manager at PEN Americaterry vargas, Books Through Bars San Diego volunteerSources:United States Incarceration Profile (Prison Policy Initiative)Incarceration Trends (Vera, 2024)Women’s Pathways to Serious and Habitual Crime: A Person-Centered Analysis Incorporating Gender Responsive Factors (Tim Brennan, Markus Breitenbach, William Dieterich, Emily J. Salisbury and Patricia van Voorhis Notes, Criminal Justice and Behavior via Sage Journals, 2012)East Bay Federal Prison Plagued by Sex Abuse Scandal Will Close Permanently (KQED, 2024)Time-In-Cell: A 2021 Snapshot of Restrictive Housing based on a Nationwide Survey of U.S. Prison Systems (The Correctional Leaders Association & The Arthur Liman Center for Public Interest Law at Yale Law School, 2022)COVID-19 Timeline (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation)Three State Prison Oversight During the COVID-19 Pandemic (John Howard Association of Illinois, the Correctional Association of New York and the Pennsylvania Prison Society, 2021)Groundwork Books Collective (Idealist)Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon (Michael P. Ghiglieri and Thomas M. Myers, 2001)Books Thru Bars 2024 Impact (Books Through Bars San Diego via Instagram, 2024)Books Thru Bars Your Donation at a Glance (Books Through Bars San Diego via Instagram, 2025)Local prison book program brings connection and humanity despite censorship (Julia Dixon Evans, KPBS, 2024)Literature Locked Up How Prison Book Restriction Policies Constitute the Nation’s Largest Book Ban (James Tager, PEN America, 2019)Reading Between the Bars: An In-Depth Look at Prison Censorship (Moira Marquis and Juliana Luna, PEN America, 2023)Disapproved Publications (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation)Perfecting the Prison: United States, 1789-1865 (David J. Rothman, Oxford History of the Prison: The Practice of Punishment in Western Society via University of Minnesota Duluth, 1995)History of Eastern State Penitentiary (Eastern State)Deterrence and Incapacitation: A Quick Review of the Research (Laura Bennett and Felicity Rose, The Center for Just Journalism, 2025)Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2025 (Wendy Sawyer and Peter Wagner, Prison Policy Initiative, 2025Custodial Sanctions and Reoffending: A Meta-Analytic Review (Damon M. Petrich, Travis C. Pratt, Cheryl Lero Jonson and Francis T. Cullen, University of Chicago Press Journals, 2021)Prison Banned Books Week: Books give incarcerated people access to the world, but tablets are often used to wall them off (Mike Wessler and Juliana Luna, Prison Policy Initiative, 2024)Books through Bars Stories from the Prison Books Movement (Dave "Mac" Marquis and Moira Marquis, University of Georgia, 2024)

Alice Barnett's music once echoed across America — her songs were performed on national radio, reviewed in major newspapers and sung in concert halls from New York to Los Angeles. But over time, her name slipped from memory. In this episode, San Diego musician and researcher Katina Mitchell brings Alice's story back into focus, tracing her journey from a gifted young composer in Illinois to an internationally recognized artist who made her home in San Diego. Through archival letters, fragile sheet music and rare recordings, Katina reconstructs a life devoted to music and performs pieces that haven't been widely heard in decades. With insight from cultural scholars, we look at how fame fades, why some artists are remembered while others vanish and what it takes to restore a legacy. The result is both a rediscovery of a remarkable composer and a reflection on the delicate ways art outlasts the people who create it.Guests:Katina Mitchell, musician, teacher and musicologistCésar A. Hidalgo, professor at Toulouse School of Economics and director of the Center for Collective Learning, Corvinus University of BudapestSwapnil Rai, associate professor in the Department of Film, Television and Media, University of Michigan, Ann ArborTina Zarpour, vice president of community engagement, education and collections, San Diego History CenterSources:Alice Barnett Stevenson Performance and Lecture (Katina Mitchell, San Diego History Center via YouTube, 2023)Amy Marcy Beach (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2025)100 Years of Marriage and Divorce Statistics, United States 1867-1967 (National Center for Health Statistics, 1973)Pantheon Project (Center for Collective Learning)How We’ll Forget John Lennon (Kevin Berger, Nautilus, 2019)

"Dispatch From Paradise" writer Cora Lee went searching for ghosts in Presidio Park, but her exploration of San Diego's supernatural underbelly didn't stop there. She visited San Diego's many mysterious cults in person, meeting members and observing their practices, and explored a long-running family dynasty of fortune tellers that has sometimes drawn law enforcement and media attention. In this Halloween episode, we follow Cora through the city's paranormal scene, from haunted hillsides and psychic shops to the strange and sprawling world of alternative spiritual communities. Along the way, religious studies professor Joseph Laycock helps unpack why belief in ghosts, aliens and spirits persists and what our search for "presence" reveals about being human. It's part spooky story, part San Diego history and part philosophical journey into why some mysteries endure — and why, deep down, we might not want them to end.Guests:Cora Lee, journalist and writer of "Dispatch From Paradise" SubstackJoseph Laycock, Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Texas State UniversitySources:The Junipero Serra Museum (Bill Virden, The Journal of San Diego History via San Diego History Center, 1962)Sociopolitical Aspects of the 1775 Revolt at Mission San Diego de Alcala (Richard L. Carrico, The Journal of San Diego History via San Diego History Center, 1997)Rumor Has It (Cora Lee, Dispatch From Paradise Substack, 2024)Why are people starting to believe in UFOs again? (The Conversation, Joseph Laycock, 2016)Over a third of Americans believe in ghosts and U.F.O's (Ipsos, 2021)Supernatural Belief Is Not Modulated by Intuitive Thinking Style or Cognitive Inhibition (Miguel Farias, Valerie van Mulukom, Guy Kahane, Ute Kreplin, Anna Joyce, Pedro Soares, Lluis Oviedo, Mathilde Hernu, Karolina Rokita, Julian Savulescu and Riikka Möttönen, Scientific Reports, 2017)History and Presence (Robert A. Orsi, The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2016)American Piety In The 21st Century (The Baylor Religion Survey, 2006)People of the Forest Orangutans (Mission Wildlife)Visionary Spiritual Experiences and Cognitive Aspects of Spiritual Transformation (David J. Hufford, The Global Spiral via Penn Medicine, 2008)Spirituality Among Americans (Becka A. Alper, Chip Rotolo, Patricia Tevington and Justin Nortey and Asta Kallo, Pew Research Center, 2023)Law of Three Stages (Encyclopedia Britannica)Family Business (Cora Lee, Dispatch From Paradise Substack, 2023)Gypsy Clan Facing Test as Psychics: Hearing will be held in San Diego today on difficult-to-prove 'theft by false pretense' charges against Marks family. The group has been active in county since the '40s. (Tony Perry, Los Angeles Times, 1995)ABC10 News San Diego Investigation into Marks Family (Juliette Var and Michael Gonzalez, 2009)How a Hoax by Two Sisters Helped Spark the Spiritualism Craze (Becky Little, History.com, 2022)Psychical research and the origins of American psychology (Andreas Sommer, History of the Human Sciences via National Library of Medicine, 2012)Star Gate Project: An Overview (CIA, 1993)2 arrested in 'fortune telling scheme' that duped victims out of $600,000, officials say (Rebecca Cohen, NBC News, 2025)Three Spirit Mediums: A Case Study on Grief, Death, and Alternative Religious Traditions during the COVID-19 Pandemic (Natasha L. Mikles, 2023)Cult Classic (Cora Lee, Dispatch From Paradise Substack, 2025)Heaven's Gate cult members found dead (History.com, 2010)Unarius Academy of Science (Atlas Obscura)The Frenzy About the Weirdest Continent That Never Existed (Frank Jacobs, Atlas Obscura, 2024)The media's love affair with alleged sex criminal Sri Chinmoy (Edwin Lyngar, Salon, 2014)The Cults of California (Carey Mcwilliams, The Atlantic, 1946)Is it a cult, or a new religious movement? (Tina Rodia, Penn Today, 2019)Twelve Tribes 'child caning punishment' claims (BBC News, 2013)

San Diego's rising rock trio Slacker helped launch the pilot phase of the new KPBS Music Series with a live performance — loud, joyful and a little chaotic in the best way, but played with real precision and skill. Dressed in button-down shirts and ties, the band tore through their songs on the KPBS patio as the lunchtime crowd cheered. We sat down with the band right after their set to talk about where their music comes from — the friendships (and burritos) that built it and the feelings behind their biggest songs. They also share how they recorded their debut album in a legendary San Diego studio using a bass guitar once played by one of the city's most famous bands. It's a story about finding connection, growing together and turning shared experiences into music that feels personal, powerful and magical.Guests:Slacker: Jp Houle (singer/guitar), Avery Nelson (bass guitar/backup vocals) and Sam Hockaday (drums)Mentioned in this episode:Velvet worms | Ancient invertebrates with soft, velvety skin and tiny limbs that shoot slime to catch preyJimmy Page | Legendary Led Zeppelin guitarist known for his influence on generations of rock musiciansBig Fish Recording Studio | Encinitas recording studio where Blink-182 made their 1997 breakthrough album "Dude Ranch"Skyler Deci | San Diego producer and engineer who recorded and mixed Slacker's debut albumSources:Israel: White Phosphorus Used in Gaza, Lebanon (Human Rights Watch, 2023)Israel denies using white phosphorus munitions in Gaza (Patrick Wintour, The Guardian, 2023)Tiny desk, big talent: Our favorite San Diego artists from this year's contest (Julia Dixon Evans, Anthony Wallace, Ben Redlawsk, Brenden Tuccinardi and Katie Anastas, KPBS, 2025)Tiny Desk local listening party: The Neighborhood Kids and Aleah Discavage (Julia Dixon Evans and Anthony Wallace, KPBS, 2025)

San Diego's Cameron Mofid set out on an audacious quest: to break the record for being the youngest person to visit every country in the world. His journey took him to 195 nations, from peaceful capitals to conflict zones few dare to enter. Along the way, he faced moments of danger and discovery, including assuming a fake identity in Yemen to navigating a terrorist threat in Somalia and making a buzzer-beater, last-minute entry into North Korea.But for Cameron, the record was only part of the story. His travels became a powerful lesson in privilege, perspective and humanity — and inspired him to give back. He launched Humanity Effect, a nonprofit that has built multiple schools in Nigeria. In this episode, Cameron reflects on the risks he took and the barriers he overcame. He shares the truths he discovered about the world, explores what it means to connect across borders and why these lessons matter for all of us.Guest:Cameron Mofid, youngest person to travel to all 195 countries in the world, founder of Humanity EffectSources:Everyone Who Has Ever Been to Space (Clara Moskowitz and Zane Wolf, Scientific American, 2025)Ultimate Report on People Who Visited Every Country in the World (NomadMania, 2025)Three Spanish tourists killed in central Afghanistan gun attack 17 (Thomas Mackintosh, BBC News, 2024)Counter Terrorism Guide: Terrorist Groups, Al-Shabaab (Office of the Director of National Intelligence)Attitudes on an Interconnected World, International travel (Richard Wike, Janell Fetterolf, Moira Fagan and Sneha Gubbala, Pew Research Center, 2023)When in Rome ... Learn Why the Romans Do What They Do: How Multicultural Learning Experiences Facilitate Creativity (William W. Maddux, Hajo Adam and Adam D. Galinsky, Sage Journals, 2010)The Mental Benefits of Vacationing Somewhere New (Todd B. Kashdan, Harvard Business Review, 2018)A Meta-Analytic Test of Intergroup Contact Theory (Thomas F. Pettigrew and Linda R. Tropp, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2005)"Maybe we did not learn that much academically, but we learn more from experience" – Erasmus mobility and its potential for transformative learning (Cosmin I. Nada and Justyna Legutko, International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 2022)Pack Your Bags and Travel: It's Good for You (Elizabeth A. Segal, Ph.D., Psychology Today 2022)Americans who have traveled internationally stand out in their views and knowledge of foreign affairs (Richard Wike and Janell Fetterolf, Pew Research Center, 2023)What is a Visit. Minimal Requirements according to NomadMania Rules (NomadMania, 2023)NomadMania Travel ListsWhat Is the Newest Country in the World? (Amy McKenna, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2011)Venezuelan embassy run by opposition in US closes after Guaido ouster (Jennifer Hansler, CNN, 2023)The Taliban in Afghanistan (Lindsay Maizland, Council on Foreign Relations, 2025)North Korea halts foreign tourism weeks after reopening to Western visitors (Peter Guo, NBC News, 2025)Makoko: 'Venice of Lagos' (Olamide Udoma, Smart Cities Dive)Chime Community Spotlight: Kyrie Irving recognized for civic contributions (Tamara Jolee, NBA, 2023)North Korea holds first Pyongyang International Marathon since borders were sealed during COVID pandemic (Anhelina Shamlii, CBS News, 2025)10 Times America Helped Overthrow a Foreign Government (Becky Little, History.com, 2025)Hostile Acts U.S. Policy in Costa Rica in the 1980s (Martha Honey, 1994)

For our 20th episode, The Finest team reflects on our season so far — the episodes that made the biggest impact, what still lingers with us months later and a taste of the gems left on the cutting-room floor. From Our Lady of Guadalupe to birding and romantasy books, we revisit comments from fans (and critics) and how these stories continue to resonate. Julia and Anthony also share a quick list of our favorite things in San Diego right now, from soup dumplings to hidden trails. Plus, we call up one of our first guests, indie musician Julianna Zachariou, to reflect on her experience over the past six months after a clip of our interview went viral on social media. What does it mean when a million people hear a piece of your story?" I had never had anything with that much reach. It felt necessary and helpful, and a lot of people found it to be helpful," Julianna said. "I also wish that the thing that had taken off was something I had made and not how much I had made off of a thing that I had made." In this episode, we dig deeper into some of the stories we've shared recently, explore how listeners have reacted and take a behind-the-scenes look with The Finest crew. Guests:Julianna Zachariou, indie musicianOur current favorite San Diego things:Best Bud Floral Home Ec Bud Kearns Memorial PoolAn's Electronics RepairTasty Noodle HouseLos Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve Yipao Coffee RoastersThe Finest episodes discussed:Spotify is changing, so one indie artist is advocating for fairness in a stream-heavy world — Episode featuring Julianna Zachariou, journalist Liz Pelly and a deep dive into the economics of streamingMaking it in music: How do you create a local music scene in a 'superstar economy'? — Episode featuring musician Shua and a look at building a local music scene in a superstar economyRomantasy rising: How a dismissed book genre became a publishing powerhouse — Episode exploring the incredible growth of the romantasy genreWorn, painted, reimagined: The power and complexity of Our Lady of Guadalupe — Episode about the Virgin of Guadalupe in textile art and cultureChasing 100 birds in 1 day in America's Birdiest County: Inside the birding boom — Episode exploring San Diego's rich birding culture and the fascinating world of competitive birdingMentioned in this episode:KPBS reel | For indie musicians like Julianna Zachariou, Spotify has made music more accessible than ever — but at a costSpotify's Terms of Use | Recently updated artist agreement terms outlining how music on the platform can be used to train AI models"Dreamer, Dreamer" | New single by Julianna Zachariou, first debuted on an episode of The FinestDramione | A Harry Potter sub-fandom imagining an "enemies-to-lovers" relationship between Draco Malfoy and Hermione GrangerJeanette Rodriguez, PhD, Professor of Theology at Seattle University"The Backyard Bird Chronicles" | Memoir by Amy Tan exploring her obsession with birding and sketchingeBird | Popular birding app for logging sightings, finding locations and tracking regional trendsMerlin Bird ID | Go-to app for birders to identify species by photo or sound, powered by Cornell Lab expertsSources:Big Deal: Legendary Pays 7 Figures for 'Alchemised,' Book That Began Life as 'Harry Potter' Fan Fiction (Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 2025)AI Implications of Spotify's Updated Terms of Use: Your Data is Their New Oil (Chris Castle, Music Technology Policy Blog, 2025)Amy Tan finds obsession, connection and endless curiosity in birding (Julia Dixon Evans, KPBS, 2025)The Shock of a Patron Saint Impugned (John Ward Anderson, The Washington Post, 1996)

Mabel’s Gone Fishing is more than a seafood restaurant in North Park — it’s a Michelin Bib Gourmand honoree that quickly became part of the neighborhood’s cultural fabric. We meet owner Chelsea Coleman, whose family history includes longtime Padres announcer Jerry Coleman and a KPBS love story. Together with her team, she has built a space that blends local ingredients, Spanish and Portuguese flavors and community-driven art into an experience rooted in San Diego. From honoring family traditions of scratch cooking to curating the Fishbowl gallery next door, Mabel’s shows how food, art and neighborhood spirit can come together to create something remarkable.Guests:Chelsea Coleman, proprietress of Mabel's Gone Fishing, The Rose Wine Bar, Secret Sister Sourdough Bakery + Tea House and FishbowlAlejandra Frank, independent art curatorTanner Stanich, head chef of Mabel's Gone FishingMentioned in this episode:Jerry Coleman | Chelsea Coleman's dad, longtime Padres broadcaster and former managerTony Gwynn | Hall of Fame outfielder, "Mr. Padre" and one of the greatest hitters in baseball historyBrucy Bochy | Former Padres manager who went on to win three World Series championships with the San Francisco GiantsThe Linkery | A pioneering farm-to-table restaurant in North Park that closed in 2014Chaparral | A native Southern California plant community that shapes San Diego's landscape and ecology Bread & Salt | Contemporary art gallery in Logan Heights housed in a former bread factoryScott Grewe | Culinary Director at Mabel's Gone Fishing David Leon | Chef at Michelin-starred Lilo in CarlsbadFauna | Modern Baja cuisine restaurant in Valle de Guadalupe, named Best in Mexico by Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2023Shane Volberding | San Diego commercial fisherman, educator and advocate for local, sustainable seafoodSan Diego's Michelin-honored restaurants:Addison, Carmel Valley | Contemporary | 3 StarsAtelier Manna, Encinitas | Californian | Bib GourmandCallie, East Village | Mediterranean | Bib GourmandCesarina, Point Loma | Italian | Bib GourmandCiccia Osteria, Barrio Logan | Italian | Bib GourmandCucina Urbana, Bankers Hill | Italian | Bib GourmandDija Mara, Oceanside | Indonesian | Bib GourmandJeune et Jolie, Carlsbad | French | StarLilo, Carlsbad | Californian | StarLOLA 55, East Village | Mexican | Bib GourmandMabel's Gone Fishing, North Park | Seafood | Bib GourmandMorning Glory, Little Italy | American | Bib GourmandSoichi, University Heights | Japanese | StarValle, Oceanside | Mexican | StarSources: What is a Michelin Star? (Michelin Guide, 2022)What Is The MICHELIN Bib Gourmand Award? (Michelin Guide, 2022)1998 World Series recap (MLB.com, 2022)San Diego County Food Program (SanDiegoCounty.gov)From TV auctions to social media bidding: How the live shopping thrill lives on (Julia Dixon Evans and Anthony Wallace, The Finest, 2025)Selling Bluefin Tuna to Chefs (The Local Fish Project, 2023)CA Sea Grant informs new law to permit Fishermen’s Markets (Deborah Seiler, California Sea Grant, 2015)North Park's 'Mabel's Gone Painting' pairs local art with Michelin-recognized dining (Julia Dixon Evans, KPBS, 2025)

What happens when a TV station pauses its regular programming to auction off everything from kitchen utensils and European vacations to toilet seats and rare art — with guests like Big Bird and Dick Van Dyke dropping by? In San Diego, those broadcasts became unforgettable. This episode dives into the history of the KPBS auction — a weeklong fundraising marathon that energized the community for more than a decade. We hear from longtime KPBS figures Tom Karlo and Ken Kramer, revisit archival footage and meet McKenna Hartman, whose father, Paul, guest-hosted auctions in San Diego and at other PBS stations, and still lights up recalling them, even as he faces dementia. The auctions weren't just about bargains. They built community, launched careers and left behind lasting memories. Now, live auctions are remerging on platforms like Whatnot. San Diego jewelry seller Angela McDuffie shows how the exciting bidding experience — and the connections it creates — remain as alive as ever.Guests:Tom Karlo, KPBS general manager emeritus, 2009-2020Ken Kramer, creator and host of "Ken Kramer's About San Diego"McKenna Hartman, daughter of Paul E. Hartman, retired PBS and NPR on-air personalityAngela McDuffie, owner of Baron's Armoire, a San Diego vintage and antique business specializing in jewelry and trinketsMentioned in this episode:KPBS: 65 Years in San Diego Tucker Carlson, television commentator and political analyst Carol Burnett, comedian and star of "The Carol Burnett Show"Jerry Coleman, San Diego Padres broadcaster and Hall of Fame second basemanDick Van Dyke, Emmy-winning actor known for "The Dick Van Dyke Show" and "Mary Poppins"David Ogden Stiers, actor best known for "M*A*S*H"Whatnot, an online platform for independent livestreamed auctions launched in 2019Cameo jewelry, antique carved or engraved gems, often featuring a raised depiction of a face or bust in relief on a pendant or broochCloisonné, a jewelry and decorative art style where metal outlines are filled with colorful enamel, creating bright, detailed designsFidget spinner, handheld toy that spins between the fingers, popular in the late 2010s as a fad and a stress reliever"Outwitted" poem by Edwin Markham "He drew a circle that shut me out– Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout. But love and I had the wit to win: We drew a circle and took him in!"Sources:Revisiting KPBS-TV: An In-Depth Look at its First Quarter Century (Darlene G. Davies, Ranch and Coast, 2019) Time-shifting and dementia (Alzheimer's Society, 2023)Inside the rise of Whatnot, the wildly-entertaining, FOMO-inducing, $5 billion shopping app you've never heard of (Jason Del Rey, Fortune, 2025)Whatnot (Contrary Research, 2024)Talkin' Auction (Ken Kramer, KPBS, 2010)Everything Went (Gloria Penner, KPBS, 2010)

In this episode, recorded live at the KPBS San Diego Book Festival, authors Emily Greenberg ("Alternative Facts") and Moses Ose Utomi ("Forever Desert" trilogy) delve into storytelling across genres. Greenberg's politically charged, experimental fiction and Utomi's fantasy, rooted in West African mythology, may appear vastly different, but both investigate how societies — real and imagined — navigate truth, lies and the narratives that guide culture.Each book in Utomi's trilogy is separated by 500 years, showing how events in his world become distorted and mythologized over time. Greenberg's short stories feature characters drawn from our real world today, bringing readers inside the mind of Kellyanne Conway and exploring formative moments in the childhood of George W. Bush.The authors' conversation reveals where their unique voices intersect, highlighting how imagination shapes understanding of identity, history and the forces that influence perception.Guests:Moses Ose UtomiEmily GreenbergSources:Storytelling and Cultural Traditions (National Geographic Society, 2025)Familiar Aliens: Science Fiction as Social Commentary (Elaine J. O’Quinn and Heather Atwell, The Alan Review, 2010)7 Speculative Fiction Works That Offer Powerful Social Commentary (Erin Crosby Eckstine, Electric Literature, 2025)Why Genre Fiction Is So Effective in Tackling Social Issues (Cindy Fazzi, Publishers Weekly, 2023)The late 19th and early 20th centuries in African American literature (Willliam L. Andrews, Britannica)Report: Conway punched a man three times at inaugural ball (Jennifer Calfas, The Hill, 2017)Man says Hawaii missile-alert panic caused near-fatal heart attack (CBS News, 2018)Welcome to Post-Truth America (Tony Rehagen, Boston College Magazine, 2020) Truthiness (Ben Zimmer, The New York Times, 2010)Deepfakes, Elections, and Shrinking the Liar’s Dividend (Josh A. Goldstein and Andrew Lohn, Brennan Center for Justice, 2024)Emily Greenberg's 'Alternative Facts': A post-truth blend of fiction, politics and pop culture (Julia Dixon Evans, KPBS, 2025)

In 1975, Lucky's Breakfast, also known as Lucky's Golden Phenix, opened in North Park with a few U-shaped booths, a short-order griddle and a man named Lucky Wong at the helm. Well into his 80s, Lucky worked as a one-man show: He took every order from memory, cooked and served every plate and made every customer feel like family."Everybody thought they were special to him," said Ruth Kramer, a longtime patron. "I don't know how he did it, but you knew he cared about you."The no-frills diner outlasted neighborhood changes, the pandemic and even a viral TikTok surge that brought lines down the block. When Lucky closed his doors in 2024 and later passed away, the loss was felt far beyond San Diego. " I felt like a family member had passed and it was sad," said Jerry Rickett of Corbin, Kentucky, who visited every other year.In his honor, the city renamed the block of Grim Avenue where the diner stood "Lucky Lane." Through stories from family, regulars and friends, this episode remembers the man who poured the coffee, cracked the eggs — and the jokes — and quietly built a community, one breakfast at a time.Guests:June WongMatt Lyons, Tribute PizzaBrian Foxworth, Jr., Mom's Chicken and WafflesAugust WangDan AndersonColleen HaynesDouglas SaboeLesley FongGail Higgins, The Girl Can't Help ItAna ChristinaRuth KramerThursday GarreauJerry RickettOmid GolchehrehHannah SweetSources:r/FoodSanDiego/ (Reddit, 2014-present)Lucky's diner viral TikTok video (@domexican1, TikTok, 2022)Lucky's Golden Phenix (Petite Films,YouTube, 2021)Lucky's Breakfast in North Park goes viral (Ciara Encinas, ABC 10 News, 2022)More Closures: Lucky's Breakfast & Wildwood Flour Bakery (Reddit, 2024)Lucky's Breakfast Owner has Passed Away at Age 86 (Reddit, 2024)Lucky's Breakfast Closes Its Doors In San Diego's North Park After Nearly 50 Years In Business (SanDiegoville, 2024)Remembering Lucky's Breakfast Founder Wong "Lucky" Chong: A San Diego Icon (SanDiegoville, 2024)Second Sino-Japanese War (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2025)What happened to San Diego's Chinatown? (Julianna Domingo and Jade Hindmon, KPBS Midday Edition, 2025)San Diego High School History (San Diego Unified)Median Gross Rent for Zip Code 92104 in 2011 (United States Census Bureau)Median Gross Rent for Zip Code 92104 in 2023 (United States Census Bureau)The Real Restaurant Failure Rate Is Lower Than You Think (2025 Data) (Adam Guild, Owner, 2024)34.7 percent of business establishments born in 2013 were still operating in 2023 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024)Gail Higgins: The PKM Interview! - Part 1 (Gillian McCain, Please Kill Me, 2015)50 Top Pizza USA 2024 (Guide to the Best Pizzerias in the world, 2024)Tribute Pizza Pop-Up Finds Permanent Home in North Park (Candice Woo, Eater San Diego, 2015)North Park block to be renamed 'Lucky Lane' after the man who served it for 50 years (Katie Hyson, KPBS, 2025)Make Lucky Lane real & take Lucky's Legacy a step further! (GoFundMe, 2025)Designating the 3800 Block of Grim Avenue From University Avenue to North Park Way in the North Park Community as Lucky Lane (The City of San Diego Official Documents, 2025)North Park's new Lucky Lane named in honor of community restaurant owner (M.G. Perez, NBC San Diego, 2025)

Blink-182 is the biggest band to ever come out of San Diego. But their path — from the dungeon of the original SOMA to global stardom — was shaped by a lot more than just talent. With music journalist Dan Ozzi, co-author of bassist Mark Hoppus' new memoir, "Fahrenheit 182," we revisit the band's early years and the lucky breaks that helped launch them, from skate videos to a last-minute drummer switch."There was kind of a Blink-182-shaped hole in pop culture at that time that they just came at the right place, right time and filled," Ozzi said.We also check in with emerging local acts at the North Park Music Fest, where bands like Peach Cooler are building community through live shows. Their stories spark bigger questions about selling out, staying local and what gets lost in an industry driven by algorithms and infinite playlists. In contrast, local music still offers something deeper: a sense of presence, a shared culture and the kind of connection that streaming can't replicate.Guests:Dan Ozzi, music journalist and bestselling authorPeach Cooler, indie pop band from San DiegoMusic heard in this episode:Blink-182 - "Fentoozler" (live at SOMA in San Diego, Oct. 7, 1994)Blink-182 - "Dammit" (live from "The Mark, Tom, and Travis Show" live album, 1999)Blink-182 - "Josie" (1997)Blink-182 - "Carousel" (live from Chicago, 2001)Blink-182 - "Lemmings" (1996 version, which appeared in "Good Times")Taylor Steele's "Good Times" (1996 surf movie that included "Lemmings")The Aquabats - "Super Rad" (1997)Travis Barker - "Violence" drum solo (live from MUSINK Festival in Costa Mesa, 2018)Blink-182 - "I Miss You" (live from Pepsi Smash concert series, 2004)Jawbreaker - "Accident Prone" (1995)Blink-182 - "All the Small Things" (live from Petco Park in San Diego, 2024)Blink-182 - "Feeling This" (2004)Peach Cooler - "Falling Forward" (Live at Capricorn Studios, 2025)Dan Ozzi's writings:"Fahrenheit-182: A Memoir" | A 2025 memoir by Blink-182 bassist Mark Hoppus, co-written with Dan Ozzi, blending personal stories, band history and reflections on life after cancer"Sellout: The Major-Label Feeding Frenzy That Swept Punk, Emo, and Hardcore" | A 2021 nonfiction book by Dan Ozzi chronicling the major-label debuts of punk and emo bands between 1994 and 2007"Tranny: Confessions of Punk Rock's Most Infamous Anarchist Sellout" | Laura Jane Grace's 2016 memoir about gender transition, punk rock life and the rise of her band Against Me!VICE | A media company that began as a punk magazine in the 1990s and expanded into digital journalism, video and documentariesMentioned in this episode:Blink-182 | San Diego pop-punk band made up of Mark Hoppus, Tom DeLonge and Travis Barker, whose catchy hooks and irreverent humor made them one of the most famous bands in the world, selling millions of albums and influencing generations of musiciansNorth Park Music Fest | Annual outdoor festival in San Diego's North Park neighborhood featuring local bands, food and craft beerSOMA | San Diego concert venue that has hosted punk, metal and alternative bands since the early 1990sSombrero | Mexican food chain in San Diego County, famously referenced in Blink-182's song "Josie"Enola Gay | U.S. Army Air Forces B-29 bomber that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, marking a turning point in World War II and the beginning of the nuclear ageNOFX | California punk band formed in the 1980s, recognized for fast tempos and political lyricsGreen Day | Grammy-winning punk band from Northern California whose breakthrough album, "Dookie" (1994), brought punk to mainstream audiencesPennywise | Los Angeles punk band known for its energetic live shows and socially conscious lyricsJawbreaker | San Francisco punk and emo band influential in shaping the 1990s underground sceneAgainst Me! | Florida punk band led by Laura Jane Grace, known for its raw sound, political themes and later groundbreaking exploration of gender identity in punk rockRick DeVoe | Longtime manager of Blink-182 and other action sports–associated bands, with deep ties to surf and skate culturePetco Park and the San Diego Padres | The Padres' home stadium, where Blink-182 songs are regularly played during gamesTony Hawk | A professional skateboarder from San Diego County whose career and lifestyle helped define modern skate culture, from competitions and video games to a global brand built around skateboardingSkate and surf brands | Labels like Airwalk, Volcom and Billabong that became staples of 1990s skateboarding and surfing style, often linked with punk rock cultureSources:Blink-182: A Timeline of the Band's History (Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 2023)100 Greatest Drummers of All Time (Christopher R. Weingarten, Jon Dolan, Matt Diehl, Ken Micallef, David Ma, Gareth Dylan Smith, Oliver Wang, Jason Heller, Jordan Runtagh, Hank Shteamer, Steve Smith, Brittany Spanos, Kory Grow, Rob Kemp, Keith Harris, Richard Gehr, Jon Wiederhorn, Maura Johnston, and Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 2016)Blink-182 Frontman Mark Hoppus Explains How His Cancer Diagnosis Brought Band Back Together (Ryan Fish, The Hollywood Reporter, 2023)Here's Everything That You Need To Know About The Tragic 2008 Plane Crash That Travis Barker Survived (Stephanie Soteriou, BuzzFeed News, 2022)100 Greatest Music Books of All Time (Billboard, 2016)Making it in music: How do you create a local music scene in a 'superstar economy'? (Julia Dixon Evans and Anthony Wallace, The Finest, 2025)Spotify is changing, so one indie artist is advocating for fairness in a stream-heavy world (Julia Dixon Evans and Anthony Wallace, The Finest, 2025)

Romantasy has become one of the fastest-growing book genres in publishing — a blend of epic love stories and magical stakes that's capturing the imaginations of readers. Once dismissed as unserious or overly indulgent, the genre is now being embraced by a new wave of fans, thanks in part to #BookTok, viral buzz and social commentary that touches on real-world issues through fantastical stories. On this episode of The Finest, we explore romantasy's rise, with roots in fan fiction, online communities and personal storytelling. We talk with San Diego authors, booksellers and fans, and hear from a professor who studies popular romance and romantasy fiction to understand what makes the genre so powerful — and why it's resonating so deeply across the culture. "This idea that romance trivializes is not new," says Netta Baker, an advanced instructor of English at Virginia Tech. "All the way back in the 18th century, Ann Radcliffe novels were thought to stir improper passions in young women."We also take you inside Comic-Con 2025, where romantasy panels drew some of the longest lines of the weekend, and unpack the genre's biggest misconceptions — that it's unserious, overly steamy or somehow not "real" fantasy. What we found instead was a powerful form of storytelling — one that reflects the real world, often giving women power and agency they don't always feel in daily life, and bringing thousands of people back to books.Romantasy might just surprise you.Guests:Netta Baker, Advanced Instructor of English at Virginia TechAdalyn Grace, #1 New York Times and internationally bestselling fantasy author of the "Belladonna" seriesKaylie Smith, #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling dark fantasy romance author of the "Wicked Games" seriesComic-Con 2025 attendees we met during romantasy panels and signings, including Autumn Mitchell and JuliaBooks mentioned in this episode:"Flame and Thorns" by Marion Blackwood"A Court of Thorns and Roses" by Sarah J. Maas"Fourth Wing" by Rebecca Yarros"Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas"Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer"A Curse Carved in Bone" by Danielle L. Jensen"Fifty Shades of Grey" by E.L. James"Belladonna" by Adalyn Grace"Phantasma" by Kaylie Smith"A Hunger Like No Other" by Kresley Cole"Game of Thrones" by George R.R. MartinMentioned in this episode:Brandon Sanderson | Bestselling fantasy author whose influence helped shift perceptions around genre fictionAnne Radcliffe | 18th century gothic novelist whose work sparked early moral panic about women reading romanceHarlequins | Mass-market paperback romances, known for being inexpensive, widely available and foundational to how romance has been consumed and critiqued Fabio Lanzoni | Male model who became the iconic face of steamy romance covers in the '80s and '90sSources:What Is Romantasy, Anyway? (M. K. Lobb, Writer's Digest, 2024)Print Book Sales Fell 2.6% in 2023 (Jim Milliot, Publishing Weekly, 2024)Print Book Sales Saw a Small Sales Increase in 2024 (Jim Milliot, Publishing Weekly, 2025)These were the bestselling books of 2024. (Emily Temple, Lit Hub, 2025)Romantasy and BookTok driving a huge rise in science fiction and fantasy sales (Ella Creamer, The Guardian, 2025)How Dragons, Magic and Steamy Sex Took Over the Book World (Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg, Ellen Gamerman and Isabella Simonetti, The Wall Street Journal, 2024)The Power of BookTok: Why TikTok's Book Community Is Driving a New Era In Publishing (TikTok via Forbes, 2025)Erotica and Pornographby: A Clear and Present Difference (Gloria Steinem, Ms. magazine, 1978)Dragons and Sex Are Now a $610 Million Business Sweeping Publishing (Ella Ceron, Bloomberg, 2024)Federal Data on Reading for Pleasure: All Signs Show a Slump (Sunil Iyengar, National Endowment for the Arts, 2024)What Helps Stress, Your Mood and Brain Health? Books (Ari Cofer, Right as Rain by UW Medicine, 2024)Does reading fiction make us better people? (Claudia Hammond, BBC, 2019)

Port of Entry is a KPBS podcast that tells cross-border stories that connect us — from people whose lives are shaped by the border itself. The show is fascinating and fun, always taking listeners to new places and introducing them to incredible people and stories from both San Diego and Tijuana.In this bonus episode, we're sharing a recent installment of Port of Entry that the whole Finest team loved. But first, we talk with co-host Alan Lilienthal about the show, his favorite episode, his connection to Tijuana's Nortec Collective and how a region can shape — and be shaped by — its music. Then, in the full Port of Entry episode, we hear from Nortec founders Pepe Mogt and Ramon Amezcua as they celebrate 25 years of creating a groundbreaking border sound that blends traditional norteño music with electronic beats. From Las Pulgas to international stages, the Grammy-nominated collective has helped redefine what Tijuana represents — both to the world and to the people who live there. Learn more about Port of Entry here.

Isauro "Junior" Inocencio, Ron Recaido and Romali Licudan grew up as second-generation Filipino Americans in Southeast San Diego during the 1990s. As violence intensified in their community, they found inspiration in comics, hip-hop and murals. They formed a crew to create large-scale, permission-granted graffiti on a neighborhood wall. Their goal was to express themselves and offer something positive to those around them. But national policing efforts blurred the line between art and crime, and the group came under surveillance. Though only one of them was arrested, all three were affected by the fallout.Years later, they return to the same wall — not to rewrite the past, but to reconnect, repaint and reflect on the power of claiming space through art."In graffiti, the basis of it is putting your name up. But a lot of people don't realize that graffiti can also be used — or it should be used — as a message board, to inspire," Romali said. "And it's also like, we can show the younger generation what they could do with graffiti and what they can do with their art."We first learned about this story from our colleague KPBS reporter Kori Suzuki. Check out his original reporting here.Guests:Isauro "Junior" InocencioRon RecaidoRomali LicudanThe crew’s influences:"X-Men”"Robotech”NWAA Tribe Called QuestDe La SoulMentioned in this episode:Microsoft Word | A word processing program by Microsoft that replaced the typewriter, used to draft everything from essays to lettersThe Gulf War | A 1990–1991 conflict after Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, marking a major U.S.-led military operation in the Middle EastParkour | A movement style focused on jumping, climbing and flipping through obstacles, often practiced in urban spacesGrommet | A slang term for a young or inexperienced kid, commonly used in surf and skate culture to describe up-and-coming ridersCIF Championships | High school sports championships governed by the California Interscholastic Federation, representing a pinnacle of athletic achievement for student athletes in the stateCyrus from "The Warriors” | A charismatic gang leader from the 1979 cult classic film, known for his iconic line "Can you dig it?” and for sparking a citywide gang truce in the film’s plotIcarus | A figure from Greek mythology whose wings melted when he flew too close to the sun, often used as a metaphor for overambition or hubris"Star Wars” trap | A reference to the iconic line "It’s a trap!” from "Return of the Jedi,” famously shouted by Admiral Ackbar, often used to signal a sudden ambush or betrayal"The Dukes of Hazzard” | A 1980s American TV show centered on two Southern cousins known for car chases, stunts and the General Lee — a Dodge ChargerCal Arts | Short for California Institute of the Arts, a renowned private arts school in Valencia, Calif., known for producing top talent in animation, visual arts and performance"The Art of Living Consciously” | A 1997 self-help book by psychologist Nathaniel Branden that explores how self-awareness and mindfulness contribute to personal growth and authenticityIlocano | A major Filipino ethnolinguistic group and languageAmpalaya | A bitter melon common in Filipino cooking and herbal medicineKamatis | The Tagalog word for tomato, a staple in Filipino dishesCalamansi | A small, sour citrus fruit used in Filipino marinades, dipping sauces and drinksSources:Skyline‑Paradise Hills Community Plan (City of San Diego Planning Department – City of San Diego)The Philippine-American War, 1899–1902 (U.S. Department of State)The Congressional Gold Medal Tribute to Filipino WWII Veterans (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs)July 4, 1946: The Philippines Gained Independence from the United States (The National WWII Museum)Agreement amending the Military Bases Agreement of 14 March 1947 (U.S. Supreme Court E-Library)Navy to Stop Recruiting Filipino Nationals (Los Angeles Times, 1992)In Paradise Hills, a legendary art wall lives again (Kori Suzuki, KPBS, 2025)What Is Redlining? How Residential Segregation Shaped U.S. Cities (Jameelah Nasheed, Teen Vogue, 2021)Modern-Day Impacts of Historical Redlining on Schools (Giving Compass, 2022)Race and the War on Drugs (National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, 2022)Despite the Recent Increase, Crime in San Diego Is Still Well Below Its 1990s Peak (Jesse Marx, Voice of San Diego, 2021)Low Crime Rates Reported In San Diego (KPBS, 2011)43 Years of Crime in the San Diego Region: 1980 Through 2022 (SANDAG, 2023)Gang Prevention: An Overview of Research and Programs (U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs, 2010)Gang Involvement as a Means to Satisfy Basic Needs (New York University’s Applied Psychology Online Publication of Undergraduate Studies, 2016)"The Roots of Rap: 16 Bars on the 4 Pillars of Hip Hop" (Carole Boston Weatherford, Vanderbilt University Library)Hip-Hop: A Culture of Vision and Voice (The Kennedy Center)Hip-Hop’s Origin Story Is One of Political Struggle, Creative Resistance (Cameron Newman, The Hoya, 2020)Unjust and Ineffective: A Critical Look at California's STEP Act (Sara Lynn Van Hofwegen, Southern California Interdisciplinary Law Journal, 2009)Graffiti: Guide No. 9 (ASU Center for Problem-Oriented Policing, 2002)7 Tagged Out in Sheriff's Graffiti Sting (Martha L. Willman, Los Angeles Times, 1991)In tagger film ruse, they star in 'The Sting' - 37 arrested, 6 sought in operation to trap vandals (Kelly Thornton, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1994)Workers United: The Delano Grape Strike and Boycott (National Park Service)"A Minority Within a Minority": Filipinos in the United Farmworkers Movement (Mariel Barbadillo, "Prized Writing 2016-2017," UC Davis)The 1965-1970 Delano Grape Strike and Boycott (United Farm Workers, 2017)What is "Isang Bagsak”? (Pilipino Cultural Exchange)Filipino American History Month: Student Stories (UC Berkeley Industrial Engineering and Operations Research)Tagalog (University of Arizona Critical Languages Program)Emo Brown: The Interviews — Ron Recaido on The Kwento Thesis: Roots & Routes (Emo Brown: The Podcast, 2025)

The Kumeyaay have long told stories through rock art, vivid images carved into stone that preserved culture, memory and meaning. Today, that tradition continues in a new comic book created by Kumeyaay educators and historians to challenge the erasure of Indigenous history in California classrooms. Co-written by SDSU professor Ethan Banegas, a member of the Barona Band of Mission Indians, the book brings Kumeyaay life — from ancestral knowledge to colonization and resistance — into a format designed for students and teachers.Photos: Peek inside the comic book, plus a handful of images from Ethan Banegas" Oftentimes history is written as: We are victims, we are passive. And what I like about this page, in general, is this is us creating and fighting for our own future. So I think that's why this comic is a real game changer for people like me growing up in today's world," Banegas said. "You just know these things are true, but you don't have any way or material to support it. They have this comic now to go to bat for 'em."Blending community memory, academic research and lived experience, the comic is both a resource and a tool of reclamation. It replaces silence with story, and invisibility with truth.Download the comic book ↗ Guest:Ethan Banegas:Co-author of "Our Past, Present, and Future / Beyond Gaming" along with Michael Connolly Miskwish, Lorraine Orosco and Stanley Rodriguez, and illustrated by John SwoggerHistorian at the San Diego History CenterProfessor at San Diego State UniversityMentioned in this episode:Barona Band of Mission Indians | A federally recognized Kumeyaay tribe located in San Diego County, known for preserving language, culture and history while running one of the region's most well-established tribal casinosFisherman's Wharf | San Francisco waterfront near Alcatraz, where Native activists staged part of the 1969 occupation to demand Indigenous rights and recognitionTom-tom | A type of hand drum used across many Native American tribes in ceremonies, storytelling and musicEvent: 'Kumeyaay Visual Storytelling Project Exhibition'Sources:"​​First Catholic mission in California dedicated" (History.com, 2010)A History of American Indians in California: 1769-1848 (National Park Service)California Indians (Benjamin L. Madley, Oxford University Press, 2021)California's Long "War of Extermination" (John Briscoe, California State Library)California Indian History (Edward D. Castillo, California Native American Heritage Commission)"California's Little-Known Genocide" (Erin Blakemore, History.com, 2017)Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo (National Park Service)Kumeyaay Look to the Sky (Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians)"History and Memory: The Mission Indian Federation's Tools of Resistance" (Chris McCormack, California State University, Fullerton, 2019)"1969 Occupation of Alcatraz: How Native Americans took over former prison and ignited a movement" (Ken Miguel and Cornell Barnard, ABC7 News, 2021)Watch: The story of the 1969 Native occupation told through rare footage in "Escape to Alcatraz""The radical history of the Red Power movement's fight for Native American sovereignty" (Erin Blakemore, National Geographic, 2020)"Preserving Kumeyaay culture through higher education" (Jade Hindmon, Julianna Domingo and Brooke Ruth, KPBS, 2023)"Junípero Serra's brutal story in spotlight as pope prepares for canonisation" (Andrew Gumbel, The Guardian, 2015)Pope: Junipero Serra, a witness of the "Church which goes forth" (The Vatican Archive via YouTube, 2015)Pope Francis praises Junipero Serra during Mass in Washington (CNN via YouTube, 2016)The Jesuits and Native Communities (Alan Ziajka, Pierless Bridges, 2022)Eusebio Francisco Kino 1645-1711 (Kino Historical Society)"The conflict between the California Indian and white civilization" (Sherburne Friend Cook, University of California Press, 1976)"Native Americans Call For Rethink of Bering Strait Theory" (Cecily Hilleary, Voice of America, 2017)"Did humans cross the Bering Strait after the land bridge disappeared?" (Amanda Heidt, Live Science, 2023)"The 1st Americans were not who we thought they were" (Laura Geggel, Live Science, 2023)"Remarkable New Evidence for Human Activity in North America 130,000 Years Ago" (Brigit Katz, Smithsonian Magazine, 2017)FACT SHEET: President Biden Designates Avi Kwa Ame National Monument (National Archives, 2023)Gaming and Peon (Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians)"After council vote, Navajo is now the official language of the Navajo Nation" (Arlyssa D. Becenti Arizona Republic, 2025)"Kumeyaay community in Baja California seeks to preserve their language" (Natalie Gonzalez Rodriguez, KPBS, 2024)"As part of cultural revitalization, Kumeyaay community celebrates launch of 50 tule boats" (Lauren J. Mapp, The San Diego Union-Tribune, 2023)Donovan Nation Singing Kumeyaay Bird Songs (Birdy Escalanti via YouTube, 2024)Saints Tekakwitha and Serra Hall (USD Student Media, 2019)St. Kateri Tekakwitha (Britannica)

San Diego is one of the most biodiverse birding regions in North America, with more than 500 recorded species — and its annual Bird Festival draws crowds from around the country. One of its most popular (and ambitious) events is the "100 or More" challenge: a daylong sprint to identify at least 100 different birds.Photos: Meet the birds (and the birders) from the "100 Birds or More" field tripIn this episode, producer Anthony Wallace follows the action across scenic lakes, rugged foothills, city reservoirs and coastal wetlands to see how this classic hobby has taken on new energy.Map: San Diego 100+ Birding RouteAlong the way, we meet passionate birders — both seasoned listers and recent enthusiasts — learn many mind-blowing bird facts and explore how birds inspire everything from healing to obsession to joy.Anthony's top 4 reasons to love birding:Every bird has a story.Bird migration is mind-blowing.It opens up your ears — you'll start noticing sounds you never paid attention to.Bird behavior is entertaining and mesmerizing: bizarre, dramatic and constantly unfolding.Watch: Anthony's "A day in the life of a birder" video diaryGuests:Jen Hajj, San Diego Bird Festival coordinator for the San Diego Bird AllianceRick Grove, birder and wedding officiant "100 Birds or More" field trip participants and guides, including Dorothy Arnold, Samantha Richter, Mark Dayton and Jehudy CarballoBird species (in order of mention throughout the episode):Lilac-crowned amazon (Audubon)Tricolored blackbird (Audubon / All About Birds)Great-tailed grackle (Audubon / All About Birds)Yellow-rumped warbler (Audubon / All About Birds)Song sparrow (Audubon / All About Birds)Black phoebe (Audubon / All About Birds)Phainopepla (Audubon / All About Birds)Neotropic cormorant (Audubon / All About Birds)Woodpecker (Audubon / All About Birds)Townsend's warbler (Audubon / All About Birds)Orange-crowned warbler (Audubon / All About Birds)Wilson's warbler (Audubon / All About Birds)Red-shouldered hawk (Audubon / All About Birds)Allen's hummingbird (Audubon / All About Birds)Black-crowned night heron (Audubon / All About Birds)California towhee (Audubon / All About Birds)Cooper's hawk (Audubon / All About Birds)California scrub-jay (Audubon / All About Birds)Oak titmouse (Audubon / All About Birds)Gadwall (Audubon / All About Birds)Western grebe (Audubon / All About Birds)Say's phoebe (Audubon / All About Birds)Parakeet (Britannica)Cliff swallow (Audubon / All About Birds)Hooded oriole (Audubon / All About Birds)Eastern phoebe (Audubon / All About Birds)Common swift (Audubon / Birds of the World)Iceland gull (Audubon / All About Birds)Thick-billed kingbird (Audubon / All About Birds)Yellow-crowned night heron (Audubon / All About Birds)Little blue heron (Audubon / All About Birds)Reddish egret (Audubon / All About Birds)Tricolored heron (Audubon / All About Birds)Anna's hummingbird (Audubon / All About Birds)Lark sparrow (Audubon / All About Birds)American crow (Audubon / All About Birds)Common raven (Audubon / All About Birds)Clark's grebe (Audubon / All About Birds)Laughing falcon (Birds of the World)American coot (Audubon / All About Birds) Least sandpiper (Audubon / All About Birds)Whimbrel (Audubon / All About Birds)Elegant tern (Audubon / All About Birds)Birding terms to know:Listers - Birders who keep track of every species they've seen.Big Year - A challenge to spot as many bird species as possible in a single year.Vagrants - Birds spotted outside the regions where they're typically found.Rushing - A synchronized mating dance where birds like Western or Clark's grebes run side by side across the water's surface.Also mentioned in this episode:eBird | One of the top birding apps to log sightings, find birding locations and track trends across regionsMerlin Bird ID | Go-to app for birders to identify species by photo or sound, powered by Cornell Lab experts"The Residence" | Netflix murder mystery where the detective uses birding skills to spot clues others missMichael Jordan | NBA legend and six-time champion — his name's become shorthand for being the bestHonda Accord and Ford Mustang | One's an everyday car, the other a head-turner — a way to explain the gap between something common and something extraordinaryNancy Christensen | Local birder and one of California's top listersPokémon Go | Popular mobile game that gets players outside to collect virtual creatures — similar to how birders track species"The Big Year" | 2011 comedy starring Owen Wilson, Steve Martin and Jack Black as birders racing across North America to spot the most species in a calendar year — the movie's big year record is 750 species and you could get over halfway there just in San DiegoTijuana River Estuary | Cross-border birding hotspot with incredible biodiversityShih Tzu | A toy breed whose name means "lion dog" — small but spiritedSources:Local Birding Resources (San Diego Bird Alliance)"Big year for two local birders as they set county record" (Ernie Cowan, Union Tribune, 2024)"The Birds Are Not on Lockdown, and More People Are Watching Them" (Jacey Fortin, The New York Times, 2020)"Soaring to New Heights: Recapping the 2025 San Diego Bird Festival" (San Diego Bird Alliance, 2025)"Predicting co-distribution patterns of parrots and woody plants under global changes: The case of the Lilac-crowned Amazon and Neotropical dry forests" (María de Lourdes Nuñez Landa, Juan Carlos Montero Castro, Tiberio César Monterrubio-Rico, Sabina I. Lara-Cabrera and David A. Prieto-Torres, Journal for Nature Conservation, 2023)"San Diego's parrots have returned. How did they get here in the first place?" (Danielle Dawson, FOX 5/KUSI, 2024)"What is poaching?" (The International Fund for Animal Welfare, 2024)"Parrot Illegal Trade Decreases in Mexico 2022" (Juan Carlos Cantú Guzmán, María Elena Sánchez Saldaña, Emer García De la Puente and Jesús Manuel Pimentel Ontiveros, Defenders of Wildlife, 2022)"Help Study LA's Parrots" (Jacob Margolis, LAist, 2024)"The Naturalized Parrots of San Diego County" (Lesley Handa, Sketches San Diego Audubon, 2020)Interesting Facts on Hummingbirds (UC Davis Hummingbird Health and Conservation Program / School of Veterinary Medicine)"Hummingbird Hearts Beat 10 Times Faster Than Yours" (Bob Sundstrom, BirdNote, 2021)"The Hummingbird in Mexican Culture" (Vanessa Hernandez Urraca, 2022)"Hummingbirds, the champions of the sky" (Elizeth Cinto Mejía, W.K. Kellogg Biological Station Bird Sanctuary, 2022)"When Birds Get Lost, Space Storms May Be to Blame" (Rebecca Heisman, Audubon magazine, 2023)"The Common Swift Is the New Record Holder for Longest Uninterrupted Flight" (Jenna O'Donnell, Audubon, 2016)"Editorial: Vagrancy, exploratory behavior and colonization by birds: Escape from extinction?" (Richard Reed Veit, Lisa Louise Manne, Lucinda C. Zawadzki, Marlen Acosta Alamo and Robert William Henry, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolutionary Ecology, 2022)"AviList: A Unified Global Checklist of the World's Birds is Now Available" (AviList Core Team, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 2025)"With an Orange-Tufted Spiderhunter, Birder Breaks Record for Sightings" (Joe Trezza, The New York Times, 2024)"Nature's Greatest Dancers" (BBC One)

What started as a low-key folk set behind a desk in a newsroom has become one of music's most iconic stages. This year, NPR's Tiny Desk Contest drew a record-breaking nearly 7,500 entries. Among them were 75 hopefuls from San Diego, all dreaming of a breakthrough moment.In this episode, we spotlight two rising artists who stood out for their originality and emotional depth: Aleah Discavage, whose raw, autobiographical ballad is rooted in personal healing, and The Neighborhood Kids, who turned protest and passion into a high-voltage performance.Watch: Aleah Discavage's NPR Tiny Desk Contest entry "runaways"Watch: The Neighborhood Kids' NPR Tiny Desk Contest entry "BIDDI BOMB x HUSH"Plus, we'll unpack the fascinating origin story of Tiny Desk, explore why this unconventional contest continues to resonate with artists and fans alike and hear what drives these musicians to keep creating — even when the stage is small and the odds are long.Guests:Aleah DiscavageVerde and Amon the MC of The Neighborhood KidsTiny Desk Concerts mentioned in this episode:Ruby IbarraLaura GibsonAdele Yo-Yo MaThe NationalT-PainMac MillerDua LipaAnderson .PaakFantastic NegritoNaia IzumiShua / Shua's NPR Top Shelf feature Aleah Discavage's influences:Taylor SwiftHozier Olivia Rodrigo ParamoreBriston MaroneyKrooked KingsThe Neighborhood Kids' influences:Martin Luther King Jr.Malcolm XImmortal TechniqueKRS-OneRage Against the MachineMentioned in this episode:South by Southwest (SXSW) | Annual festival and conference in Austin, Texas, focused on tech, film, music, education and cultureAuto-tune | Common term for pitch-correction software used to fix or stylize vocals in music production"American Idol" | Reality TV singing competition that began in 2002 and popularized the rise of unknown singers to music stardomVoice memos | Mobile recording feature that many musicians use to capture song ideas and drafts on the goRingo Starr | Drummer of The Beatles and solo artist, often cited by musicians as a musical influence and cultural iconKeds | American shoe brand known for its simple canvas sneakers"Shrek 2" | 2004 animated sequel starring Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy and Cameron Diaz, following Shrek as he meets Fiona's royal parents"Beavis and Butt-Head" | 1990s MTV animated series starring two dim-witted teenage metalheads known for crude humor, social satire and music video commentary; later revived for new seasons and a 2022 filmSources:"Ruby Ibarra: Tiny Desk Concert" (Elle Mannion, NPR, 2025)"Laura Gibson: Tiny Desk Concert" (Bob Boilen, NPR, 2008)"Tiny Desk Unit: A deeper history" (Michael Barron, BobBoilen.info, 2007)"The 'T-Pain Effect' Is About Way More Than Auto-Tune" (Bryan Parys, Berklee, 2020)"Oakland artist Fantastic Negrito wins yet another Grammy Award" (Jim Harrington, East Bay Times, 2021)"Naia Izumi Gets a Premium Wash in 'Soft Spoken' Video for Original Tracks" (Dean Brandt, Flood Magazine, 2019)"Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, ending right to abortion upheld for decades" (Nina Totenberg and Sarah McCammon, NPR, 2022)

Our Lady of Guadalupe is everywhere in art, memory and protest. She's instantly recognizable — hands in prayer, floral dress, starry mantle — but she represents much more than religious devotion. Her 500-year history weaves through colonial violence, activism, survival and cultural adaptation. Today, she remains a powerful symbol, embraced across generations, communities and identities."She's pervasive everywhere. She hangs on cars, people tattoo her on their bodies, and artists in particular have expanded that image. They might not look at her in religious terms, but they definitely look at her culturally," said Jeanette Rodriguez, a professor of theology at Seattle University.This episode explores the evolving meaning of her image through the lens of artists and scholars. Mingei International Museum curator Ariana Torres reflects on the contradictions that give Guadalupe lasting relevance. Theologian Jeanette Rodriguez offers a decolonial interpretation of her origin. Designer Claudia Rodríguez-Biezunski draws on family and heritage to bring la Virgen into contemporary fashion. And muralist Josue Baltezar shares how he honored the connection between the Virgin and an Indigenous earth deity.Photos: See the artistry up close from Claudia Rodríguez-Biezunski's jacket to moments from our visit to the Mingei"I think that she's kind of been reclaimed since the beginning. I think reclamation is really what has built her. She's been reclaimed to be against Spain, to be the symbol of Mexican identity. And then she's been reclaimed to, I think, in a way, reject even a broader Mexican nationalist identity — to be like, this is a very personal symbol to me and it has nothing to do with maybe even just being Mexican," Torres said. "And I think it's really interesting how she has been reclaimed as a feminist figure with a lot of people."Across borders and belief systems, Guadalupe's image lives on — reshaped by those who continue to find meaning in her presence.Guests:Ariana Torres, assistant curator at Mingei International Museum Claudia Rodríguez-Biezunski, fashion designer and owner of Sew LokaJeanette Rodriguez, PhD, Professor of Theology at Seattle UniversityJosue Baltezar, muralist and designerMentioned in this episode:Yolanda López | Chicana artist and activist known for reimagining Our Lady of Guadalupe as a symbol of empowerment"Fashioning an Icon: Virgin of Guadalupe Imagery in Textile Design" | Exhibition exploring the Virgin of Guadalupe's influence on textile design and fashion currently on view at Mingei International Museum Nahuatl | Indigenous language of the Aztecs, still spoken today in parts of Mexico and the United StatesNorthridge earthquake | A 6.7-magnitude quake that struck Los Angeles in 1994, causing widespread damage and lasting traumaOur Lady of Guadalupe Church | Catholic church in Logan Heights that also runs an elementary schoolLas Maestras Center | UCSB-based organization uplifting Chicana, Latina and Indigenous feminisms through research and storytellingArianna Ystelle | Chicana photographer whose photo series in "Fashioning an Icon" captures 30 portraits taken across San Diego and TijuanaDiana Benavídez | Binational artist from the San Diego-Tijuana border region known for piñata art that blends pop culture and social commentary, including "Even Guadalupe Needs a Break," featured in "Fashioning an Icon"Sources:"Mexican Catholicism: Conquest, Faith, and Resistance" (Jessica Frankovich, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, 2019)"Mexico's Independence Day marks the beginning of a decade-long revolution" (Heather Brady, National Geographic, 2018)"Pilgrimage and revolution: How Cesar Chavez married faith and ideology in landmark farmworkers' march" (Lloyd Daniel Barba, The Conversation, 2023)"Sew Loka creates 4 x Jackets for the San Diego International Airport" (Sew Loka, 2024)"Earth system impacts of the European arrival and Great Dying in the Americas after 1492" (Alexander Koch, Chris Brierley, Mark M. Maslin, Simon L. Lewis, Quaternary Science Reviews, 2019)"Fifth Sun: A New History of the Aztecs" (Camilla Townsend, Oxford University Press, 2019)"How smallpox devastated the Aztecs – and helped Spain conquer an American civilization 500 years ago" (Richard Gunderman, The Conversation via PBS News, 2019)Yolanda M. López: Works: 1975-1978 (UC San Diego MFA Thesis Exhibition Program, 1978)"Remembering Yolanda López, Chicana Artist And Activist From Barrio Logan" (Julia Dixon Evans, KPBS, 2021)"How painter Yolanda López gave the Virgin of Guadalupe a feminist tweak" (Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 2022)"Is our Lady of Guadalupe inspired by the goddess Tonantzin?" (Mexico News Daily, 2023)"From Coatlicue to Guadalupe: The Image of the Great Mother in Mexico" (Patrizia Granziera, Studies in World Christianity, 2004Our Lady of Guadalupe Explained (Steubenville Press via The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, 2013)

In this first-ever bonus episode of The Finest, we're flipping things around. Host Julia Dixon Evans sits down with producer Anthony Wallace and editor Chrissy Nguyen in a casual conversation recorded at the SDSU theater next to KPBS. We unpack big questions (what is art?), share our hottest takes (sorry, Mona Lisa) and talk about how the show comes together each week. You'll hear how each of us brings a unique perspective to the show, why relatability is our storytelling secret weapon and what keeps us inspired. Expect thoughtful moments, surprising opinions and the kind of banter that comes from real collaboration.Prefer to watch? This episode is on video too.Mentioned in this episode:SDSU Main Stage Theatre | San Diego State University's main performance venue, home to student-led plays, musicals and showcases from the School of Theatre, Television and FilmreUnify Yoga | Ocean Beach studio Anthony attended, where a teacher once gave an artistic live singing performance during shavasanaShavasana | Also called corpse pose, the final stretch where you lie flat on your back to rest, reflect and resetThe Mona Lisa at The Lourve | Leonardo da Vinci's iconic 16th-century portrait, sealed behind glass in the world's most visited museum in ParisSan Diego's proximity to Mexico | Just 20 minutes from the border, with deep cultural, culinary and family ties to Tijuana and Baja CaliforniaSan Diego sports teams | Padres (MLB) at Petco Park, Wave FC (NWSL) and San Diego FC (MLS) at Snapdragon Stadium, and the Gulls (AHL) at Pechanga ArenaJROTC | High school program combining military structure with leadership training, public service and civic education; San Diego has one of the largest cadet programs in the U.S.G.I. Film Festival | Annual San Diego film fest spotlighting stories by and about service members, veterans and military familiesConvoy District | Foodie haven in Kearny Mesa rooted in Asian American culture, with bustling plazas, family-run businesses and grocery staples like H-Mart and MitsuwaSources:"Martin Scorsese: I Said Marvel Movies Aren't Cinema. Let Me Explain." (Martin Scorsese, The New York Times, 2019)Quiz: Toddler Art or Modern Art? (Sporcle)"How Duchamp's Urinal Changed Art Forever" (Jon Mann, Artsy, 2017)"Mona Lisa: The theft that created a legend" (Sheena McKenzie, CNN, 2013)"PARU Tea: How the viral matcha spot is transforming tea culture with love and purpose" (Julia Dixon Evans and Anthony Wallace, KPBS, 2025)"Chargers leave San Diego: A timeline of 2017" (Annie Heilbrunn, The San Diego Union-Tribune, 2018)"Soccer a la Frontera" (Jacob Aere, KPBS, 2025)

For decades, alt-weeklies like the San Diego Reader were a city's rebellious voice, digging into local politics, covering underground arts and publishing stories no one else would. But their survival depended on classified ads and print advertising, both of which were decimated by Craigslist and the rise of digital media. Now, one by one, these once-essential papers are vanishing. As the Reader ends its print run, we look at what their disappearance means for local journalism."They were irreverent. They were conversational. They had a point of view, but they also had a way of looking at the news of the day from a different angle because they knew they had to be different," said Scott Lewis of Voice of San Diego. Lewis began his career writing for an alt-weekly in Salt Lake City, Utah.Photos: A final glimpse inside the now-closed San Diego Reader office"And so I think it's demise as a print product — as something that was available, especially the music stuff — it's a bummer to think that these major cities are now going to continue, maybe forever, without that staple of the coffee shops. That thing you could pick up to look at what's coming up, just to have. Print products were the original mobile, right? That's what you could carry with you — and now it's gone."Guests:Matthew Lickona, owner and editor in chief of San Diego Reader Jim Holman, founder of San Diego ReaderScott Lewis, CEO and editor in chief of Voice of San DiegoJesse Munyoki, KPBS student assistant and host of KCR's DaCultureVoice of San Diego is a nonprofit news partner of KPBS in our Public Matters series.Alt-weekly reads: "Insomnia" by Ta-Nehisi Coates"A Pretty Good Chinese Restaurant" by Jonathan Gold"Fifty years of the Reader's best stories" by San Diego Reader authors"Tam Hoang, Coronado teacher, recounts his voyage to English" by Tam Hoang "Loma Portal and Midway District during WWII - a walking tour" by Margot Sheehan "Why Elizabeth Smart Became a Household Name" by Scott Lewis "San Diego Orchids & Onions winners, 20 years later" by Matthew Lickona "Marilyn Monroe will always be in Coronado" by Matthew Lickona"Trailblazing without a screen" by Julia Dixon Evans"'We're Gonna Make It': Bob Rabbit Transforms His Beats Into a Heroic Mission" by Anthony Wallace Matthew Lickona's reading list:"Up in the Old Hotel and Other Stories" by Joseph Mitchell"The Pump House Gang" by Tom Wolfe"On the Road" by Jack Kerouac"The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" by Tom Wolfe"The White Album" by Joan DidionMentioned in this episode:Craigslist | Online classifieds site launched in 1995, with a San Diego edition added in 2000, known for its no-frills design and endless odd findsLa Pensione Hotel | European-style boutique hotel in San Diego's Little ItalyBob Roth | Founder of the Chicago Reader, the influential alt-weekly he launched in 1971Rotten Tomatoes | Movie and TV review site launched in 1998 that distills critical consensus into one scoreGonzo Report | Recurring column in the San Diego Reader delivering boots-on-the-ground dispatches from San Diego's music scene and beyondBlockbuster | Video rental giant that ruled living rooms from its 1985 founding through the early 2000sErnie Grimm | Former managing editor of the San Diego Reader, recruited alongside Matthew Lickona by the paperKCR College Radio | Student-run San Diego State University station broadcasting indie, punk and campus voicesBurn All Books' Mail Mag | Subscription-based zine mailing packed with art, poetry and writing from BAB and friends, sent via postal mail each monthSubstack | Newsletter platform that gives writers a new way to publish and get paidThe New Yorker | Esteemed magazine known for longform journalism, fiction, and sharp cultural commentary.The Atlantic | Influential publication offering in-depth reporting and essays on politics, culture, and American life.Hotel del Coronado | Iconic beachfront hotel known for its ghost lore, Victorian design and as the filming location for 1959's "Some Like It Hot" starring Marilyn MonroeSources:"Are alt-weeklies dying or just moving online?" (Kristen Hare, Poynter, 2017)"No One's Sure What the New CityBeat Will Look Like" (Julia Dixon Evans, Voice of San Diego, 2019)"San Diego Reader ends print edition after 52 years" (Julia Dixon Evans, KPBS, 2025) "TV Guide Magazine is sold for the third time in less than 10 years to NTVB Media" (Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times, 2015)"Reader's Digest changes hands" (InPublishing, 2018)"Creative Destruction: Out With the Old, in With the New" (Carol M. Kopp, Investopedia, 2023)

For most of her adult life, artist Mary Jhun has drawn inspiration from a distinct muse: fractured silhouettes of girls, embellished with surreal details. Her paintings have been a way to process trauma, loneliness and despair, while also serving as a fascinating feedback loop into and out of her vivid dream life. She experiences the "girls" in dreams as she paints them, using these visions as fuel for future works.But when she started using a CPAP machine to treat sleep apnea, her dreams vanished overnight."What do we choose? Do we choose the thing that kind of ignites our creativity or our health? And I feel like a lot of artists go through that all the time, no matter what the topic is," Mary said.Photos: A glimpse into Mary Jhun's studio and signature styleNow, in a new solo exhibition at the Oceanside Museum of Art, Mary has found her way back — to both her girls and her dreams — by incorporating surreal CPAP machinery into her paintings and tricking her body to dream again. Yet a question lingers: What toll does creativity take on our physical, emotional and relational health?Guest:Mary Jhun, artistWatch: Mary Jhun creates intricate Etch-A-Sketch drawing of her "girls" on classic toyMary Jhun's creative touchpoints:Cafe Ghibli playlist"Kiki's Delivery Service" " Manifesto of Surrealism" by André Breton Sigmund FreudCarl JungMentioned in this episode:Snow White | Disney fairytale princess known for her woodland friends, kindness and cottagecore charmStudio Ghibli | Beloved Japanese animation studio behind dreamy, detailed films like "Totoro" and "Spirited Away""In Losing Sleep, I Painted" | Mary Jhun's 2025 exhibit at the Oceanside Museum of Art exploring the tension between health and creativity through her signature "girls" figuresEtch-A-Sketch | Red-framed drawing toy repurposed by Mary Jhun as a surprising tool for emotional expression "Nothing Lasts Forever" | 2022 gallery show centered on impermanence, featuring 20 Etch-A-Sketch works by Mary Jhun created in a one week and sold with the reminder: once it's gone, it's goneGames of Berkeley | Longtime Bay Area shop packed with puzzles, strategy games, novelties and nostalgic treasures"Dune" | Frank Herbert's sci-fi epic of sand, prophecy and power set on the desert planet of ArrakisSources:Café Table with Absinthe (Van Gogh Museum Amsterdam)"F. Scott Fitzgerald's life was a study in destructive alcoholism" (Dr. Howard Markel, PBS News, 2017) Frida Kahlo & Diego Rivera | Romance & Heartbreak (Rise Art, 2019)Sleep apnea (Mayo Clinic)Early or premature menopause (Office on Women's Health)Surrealism and Dreams (MoMA)"Sleep technique used by Salvador Dalí really works" (Yasemin Saplakoglu, Live Science, 2021)"Sleep onset is a creative sweet spot" (Célia Lacaux, Thomas Andrillon, Céleste Bastoul, Yannis Idir, Alexandrine Fonteix-Galet, Isabelle Arnulf and Delphine Oudiette, Science Advances, 2021)"Targeted dream incubation at sleep onset increases post-sleep creative performance" (Adam Haar Horowitz, Kathleen Esfahany, Tomás Vega Gálvez, Pattie Maes and Robert Stickgold, Scientific Reports, 2023)"Relationship between Lucid Dreaming, Creativity and Dream Characteristics" (Nicolas Zink, International Journal of Dream Research, 2013)

For indie musicians like Julianna Zachariou, Spotify has made music more accessible than ever — but at a cost. With payouts that amount to less than a penny per stream, she's had to turn to crowdfunding and direct fan support to fund her projects. She opens up about the personal toll these struggles take and how she's found ways to stay true to her craft while facing these challenges."On my bad days, I wake up and think, 'I've already done the best I can do. This is the most people I'll ever reach, and I'm just sinking into anonymity,'" Julianna said, reflecting on an older song that has reached more than 5 million streams."But on my better days, I'm grateful for it. I recognize that it was a different time. Spotify's kind of a monster now. There's no room for 'if it's good enough, it'll find its way.' It's just not a thing right now. It's a trap to let metrics determine that you're doing something better or worse than you were in the past," she said.Watch: Julianna Zachariou performs "Dreamer, Dreamer" live at KPBS' studioIn this episode, we break down Spotify's business model, the economics of streaming and what it really takes to sustain a career without major-label backing. Julianna's story is a powerful reminder of the need for change in the industry and how we can all play a role in supporting the artists who enrich our lives.Guests:Julianna Zachariou, musicianLiz Pelly, journalist and author of "Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist"Julianna Zachariou Track List:"church st.""Subway Song""Hero of Your Heart""Dreamer, Dreamer"Watch: Julianna Zachariou performs "Becky" live at KPBS' studioJulianna Zachariou's musical influences:The CommodoresEarth Wind and FireTotoAlison KraussBonnie RaittThe BeatlesThe Rolling StonesLed ZeppelinThe WhoTaylor SwiftKelly Clarkson, "American Idol"Photos: See portraits of Julianna Zachariou and a few snaps of her and Josh Flowers making music togetherMentioned in this episode:Josh Flowers, songwriter and musical collaboratorThe D Train | NYC subway line that runs from the Bronx to BrooklynUnited Musicians and Allied Workers (UMAW) | A grassroots union fighting for fairness in music, from streaming transparency to artist pay equityH.R.7763 - Living Wage for Musicians Act of 2024 | 2024 bill introduced by Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Jamaal Bowman, backed by UMAW, pushing for a penny-per-stream payout to make streaming fairer for working artistsSoda Bar | North Park dive for intimate sets, rising indie acts and vibrant local energyPrevious GoFundMes: Help Fund Julianna's Next Record and Help Julianna Make MusicSources:"Simulating the emergence of superstar firms: The role of luck vs talent" (A.E. Biondo, A. Pluchino, R. Zanola, ScienceDirect, 2024)"Alan B. Krueger | Rockonomics: 7 Key Economic Lessons" (John Murray Books, 2019)"How Music Streaming Platforms Calculate Payouts Per Stream 2025" (Royalty Exchange, 2025)"The Spotify conspiracy theories about 'Espresso,' explained" (Rebecca Jennings, Vox, 2024)"Loud and Clear": 2024 Spotify Annual Music Economics Report (Spotify, 2025)"Tlaib Introduces Living Wage for Musicians Act" (Office of Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, March 2024)"Data Shows 90 Percent of Streams Go to the Top 1 Percent of Artists" (Emily Blake, Rolling Stone, Sept. 2020) "A Brief History of American Payola" (Kim Kelly, Vice, 2016)"Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist" (Liz Pelly, Atria/One Signal Publishers, 2024)"The Ghosts in the Machine" (Liz Pelly, Harper's Magazine/book excerpt, 2025)

What does it mean to be a "government artist" in San Diego?Outgoing Poet Laureate Jason Magabo Perez shares the lessons he's learned from his two-year term, where he brought the city's neighborhoods to life through his vivid poetry. As Paola Capó-García takes on the mantle, she talks about her plans to bring a fresh perspective to the role and expand poetry's reach."I think that poetry has a way of winning anyone over if you're showing them that a poem can look and feel and sound like anything, that there's humor in poetry, that decoding a poem can feel like a game that you do with friends. And how one line or one word can have infinite meanings," Capó-García said.In this conversation, both poets dive into how they demystify poetry for students and the public, and how they can connect and uplift San Diego's diverse communities through verse.Guests:Paola Capó-García, San Diego poet laureate (2025-27), Professional Learning Coordinator at High Tech High Graduate School of EducationJason Magabo Perez, San Diego poet laureate emeritus (2023-24), Associate Professor of Ethnic Studies at California State University San MarcosDavid Tomas Martinez, writerWatch: David Tomas Martinez shares a poem from his second collection, "Post Traumatic Hood Disorder"Poems read in this episode:YellowPaola Capó-GarcíaWhen I was young I thought the soul was a body partTo the right of my heart and in between the pre-breaststhis soul-thing would nest—and then one day it fell out?—No It stuck around too longand made a house of my insides The walls wereyellow which I now know is the color of hunger andthat's why I crave baby chicks and gold Therewas so much furniture shoved inside of me and even ifthe décor was mid-century, the style was mortal Mymemory is hungry She wanted me to paint my faceevery morning Makeup could enhance bettermake use of this face But then my dog licked the secondface off clean That is my favorite movieFrom "CLAP FOR ME THAT'S NOT ME" (Rescue Press, 2018).Found Fragment on AmbitionDavid Tomas Martinezv.if a hood is a sense of place& a sense of place is identitythen identity is a hood & adulthood is being insecure in anyhood a hood scares the whitestfolks why folks scared to stopin the hood & why folks stopwearing a hood & call it whitenationalism if i tried i wouldfail to pass if i failed i wouldtry to pass when can i retire mybowl stop needing to beg for myperson hood you see academicallymy ghetto pass was revoked pleasesir can you direct me to the windowto turn in my man card wherecan i apply to enter the whitenessprotection program ive lostmy found identity is a hooda hood is a sense of placea place places a hood hood in usFrom "Post Traumatic Hood Disorder" (Sarabande Books, 2018).We Draft Work Songs for the CityJason Magabo PerezHere is a parable,a prayer, perhaps,for those unmapped;Here are new studentsconsidering new lives,new interrogations, newfootnotes, but no newfriendships, no news. None.Still, the problem of loans.Still, the problem of rent.Still, the problem of property.This alley off University isa gallery of abandoned mattressesStacked against limp wire fencing thatleans against wood panels thatshade the driveway where theunmapped fall asleep.Ancestral spirits areno less spectacle thanprincipled remembrance:The craft of this tissuewe often call ourselves.From "I ask about what falls away" (Kaya Press, 2024).MobilityPaola Capó-GarcíaI keep finding people living in my house mouths I've never seen expressions through paint chips and light fixtures     ‎I keep coming back to this place I label "house" because my plane tickets are designed to get me here and the bed has been made in the shape of an invitationI learned to ride a bike on Wednesday and felt new     I always resisted I didn't know how to balance on pavement or glitter     I didn't know why that would be required of me     this bike does not know the road to my houseWebsite says woman in tight dress slips on butter for twenty minutes, calls it art      well what would you call that?     an accident?      It seems really lovely to me      how the butter would go in and out of her pores as if it's always been trying to get back to that placeFrom "CLAP FOR ME THAT'S NOT ME" (Rescue Press, 2018).Jason and Paola's literary influences:I Was Born With Two Tongues  ("Pillars" plays in episode)Talib Kweli / Black Star ("Definition" plays in episode)Fredrico  García LorcaLangston HughesPoems Paola often shares with her students:Lucille Clifton on the origins of poetry"A Small Needful Fact" by Ross Gay"Literature of Resistance Re-Imagined with Pepsi" by Tiffany MidgePhotos: San Diego’s poets laureate, captured between words and worldsMentioned in this episode:San Diego Poetry Futures | Poetry initiative from Jason Magabo Perez that brings people together through workshops, collabs and community verse Love Hoops NYC | New York City-based basketball collective hosting open runs, skills sessions and events that build community on and off the courtAda Limón, United States poet laureateLee Herrick, California poet laureateSources:City of San Diego Poet Laureate (City of San Diego, 2020-2025) Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowships (Academy of American Poets)Creating Poets Laureate Positions in States, Cities, U.S. Territories, and Tribal Nations (Academy of American Poets)San Diego Poet Laureate wraps up term by dreaming and planting seeds in new festival (KPBS, December 2024)"Here’s why Kendall Jenner's Pepsi ad is so controversial" (Washington Post, May 2017)Federal Art Project of the Works Progress Admin (The Art Story)

San Diego's music scene is full of talent, but making a living off your art? That's a different story.Shua, a Southeast San Diego artist with over a million Spotify streams, has lived both extremes: signing a record deal and later facing near homelessness. In this episode, he shares the highs and lows of his career, what it means to be an independent musician today and why fan support is more crucial than ever.Watch: Shua performs his song "Broken" live at KPBS' studioWe also break down the brutal reality of the modern music industry, where the biggest stars are increasingly taking home the bulk of the earnings while local and indie artists fight to stay afloat. And we explore why local music matters, what we lose when artists can't afford to make their art." I think art, if you're willing, can cut through the noise and say to someone, 'See me. Hear me,'" Shua said.Whether you're an artist, a music lover or just curious about how the industry really works, this episode offers a perspective you won't forget.Guests:Shua, musicianDavid Hesmondhalgh, Professor of Media, Music and Culture at the University of LeedsPhotos: See snapshots of Shua Shua Track List:"Plaza Cuernavaca""You Can Only Go in Pieces""Aren't You Tired?""Broken"Shua's musical influences:Fred HammondThe WinansStevie WonderBill Withers"The Jungle Book" Original SoundtrackBeethovenColdplayWatch: Shua performs "Lucid Girl" with The Sacred Souls on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"Mentioned in this episode:Soda Bar | North Park dive for intimate sets, rising indie acts and vibrant local energySan Diego Zoo | World famous Balboa Park destination for animal lovers, families and curious mindsPetco Park | Home to the Padres — and a downtown hub for major concerts and local showsSnapdragon Stadium | Mission Valley venue where Wave FC and San Diego FC play, and top music festivals take the stageSources:"Rock and Roll, Economics, and Rebuilding the Middle Class" (Alan B. Krueger, Chairman, Council of Economic Advisers, 2013)"Music Superstars Are the New One Percenters" (Neil Shah, Wall Street Journal, 2019)"Musicians and Singers" (Data USA, 2022)"Is music streaming bad for musicians? Problems of evidence and argument" [Full PDF] (David Hesmondhalgh, New Media and Society, 2021)"Data Shows 90 Percent of Streams Go to the Top 1 Percent of Artists" (Emily Blake, Rolling Stone, 2020)"What the Ek? Spotify founder is richer than any musical artist, ever" (Daniel Griffiths, MusicRadar, 2024)"How Many Streams Would an Artist Need to Earn as Much as Spotify CEO Daniel Ek? No One's Close" (Wren Graves, Consequence of Sound, 2024)"Spotify most streamed artists of 2024" (Guillaume Vieira, Chartmasters, 2025)"Our Annual Music Economics Report" (Spotify, 2025)"Beethoven's capital" (Dr. Nicole Kämpken and Dr. Michael Ladenburger, Beethoven-Haus Bonn, 2005)

What happens when a viral tea brand moves beyond the café model? For Amy Truong and Lani Gobaleza, it meant embracing a deeper purpose — blending sustainability, mindfulness and tradition. PARU Tea has evolved from a trendy matcha destination into a space dedicated to single origin, custom loose-leaf tea and tea experiences.But their journey is more than just a business pivot, it's a love story rooted in shared passion and bold choices. In this episode, we dive into how this couple is redefining tea culture in San Diego, proving that slowing down can be just as revolutionary as going viral." It really goes into the principle of Japanese tea ceremony. 'Ichigo ichie' is one chance, one meeting. You always want to be your present self because you never know what tomorrow might bring. Everything at this moment counts," Amy said.Guests:Amy Troung, PARU Tea founderLani Gobaleza, PARU Tea co-founder/marketing & partnershipsTeas sampled during our conversation:PARU's matcha is freshly milled in their La Jolla shop from shade-grown tencha leaves.Hanadoki ("flowering season" in Japanese) is PARU's original blend of cherry blossoms, sencha (sun-grown green tea) and rose petals.Blue Chamomile, PARU's first signature blend, combines organic chamomile flowers and butterfly pea flower grown in Thailand.Photos: A look behind the scenes at PARU’s journey, space and tea culture.Mentioned in this episode:PARU Tea | La Jolla tea shop specializing in loose-leaf tea and matcha sourced from small farms around the worldAn's Dry Cleaning | North Park gelato shop featuring Sandals, a gelato made with PARU's Blue Chamomile teaBica | Normal Heights coffee shop serving drinks made with PARU teaHatsuzakura | University Heights Japanese café offering PARU loose-leaf teas and milk teas steeped with PARU blends

San Diego's creative scene is thriving in unexpected ways. Musicians are crowdfunding their careers. Tea culture is evolving. A painter's lost dreams spark a bold new vision. The city's last alt-weekly falls, but its rebellious spirit fights on. And in a rare conversation, the city's outgoing and incoming poets laureate dig into the power of words. The Finest brings you the artists, advocates and disruptors redefining culture in San Diego. Premiering Thursday, April 3.