The Finest

KPBS Public Media
  • 4.9 (27)
  • BOOKS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

San Diego earns its title as America’s Finest City through the people, art and movements redefining the region’s cultural identity. The Finest is a podcast that highlights the emerging voices and dynamic forces reshaping community and expression. Through personal stories and critical perspectives, each episode brings forward the artists, advocates and ideas driving change and pushing boundaries in the region’s cultural landscape. New episodes premiere Thursdays.

  1. Risograph revival: How a forgotten printer built a global DIY art movement

    20H AGO

    Risograph revival: How a forgotten printer built a global DIY art movement

    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 founder Sources: 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)

    37 min

  2. 6D AGO

    The Finest: New season, new stories

    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.

    2 min
  3. A special episode where a superfan takes our survey — plus your chance to win a Finest T-shirt

    12/11/2025

    A special episode where a superfan takes our survey — plus your chance to win a Finest T-shirt

    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.

    11 min
  4. The nation's largest book ban: Inside the fight to read in America's prisons

    11/06/2025

    The nation's largest book ban: Inside the fight to read in America's prisons

    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 volunteer Sources: 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)

    37 min
  5. The lost composer: Alice Barnett and the paradox of fame and memory

    10/30/2025

    The lost composer: Alice Barnett and the paradox of fame and memory

    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 Center Sources: 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)

    40 min
  6. The science of the supernatural: Psychics, cults and why we believe

    10/23/2025

    The science of the supernatural: Psychics, cults and why we believe

    "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)

    32 min
  7. Big guitars, bigger feelings: Slacker's San Diego story of growing pains and friendship

    10/16/2025

    Big guitars, bigger feelings: Slacker's San Diego story of growing pains and friendship

    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 album Sources: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)

    23 min
  8. By 25, one San Diegan visited every country on Earth — here's what he found

    10/09/2025

    By 25, one San Diegan visited every country on Earth — here's what he found

    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)

    33 min
See All (29)

Ratings & Reviews

4.9
out of 5
27 Ratings

About

San Diego earns its title as America’s Finest City through the people, art and movements redefining the region’s cultural identity. The Finest is a podcast that highlights the emerging voices and dynamic forces reshaping community and expression. Through personal stories and critical perspectives, each episode brings forward the artists, advocates and ideas driving change and pushing boundaries in the region’s cultural landscape. New episodes premiere Thursdays.

Information

  • Creator
    KPBS Public Media
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    29
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © KPBS Public Media
  • Show Website
    The Finest

You Might Also Like