KQED's Forum

America's kids are overworked and stressed-out. At least, that's become the conventional wisdom. But a report published this week by the Center for American Progress finds that many students say their school work is actually too easy. We'll discuss this apparent contradiction. What are schools doing to improve academic engagement?

Why do writers use pen names? For many, it's to conceal their gender. For others, it's an attempt to hide a criminal past. Carmela Ciuraru's book "Nom de Plume" reveals the stories behind some of the most famous pseudonyms in literary history.

Mobile phone carriers have seen a dramatic increase in requests from law enforcement for customers' phone records, according to new data provided to Congress. Police say that the information -- which can include location information, text messages and call records -- is critical to fighting crime. But civil liberties advocates are calling for new standards to protect customers' privacy.

Will City College of San Francisco be shut down? That's the worry after the president of the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges granted the school eight months to make tough financial and leadership decisions or lose its accreditation, and subsequently its public funding. What's ahead for the largest college in San Francisco and its 90,000 students?

African-Americans make up just over 12 percent of the U.S. population, but account for nearly half of the 1 million people infected with HIV in this country. We talk with filmmaker Renata Simone about her Frontline documentary, "ENDGAME: AIDS in Black America." We'll also talk with two African-American East Bay residents living with the disease.

California lawmakers gave the green light to start building the nation's first dedicated high-speed rail line, a $68 billion project that will eventually link San Francisco and Los Angeles. The state is now authorized to sell a portion of a $10 billion bond that voters approved in 2008. But that only covers a fraction of the cost. Where will the rest of the funding come from, and what other hurdles remain?

Marin-based mystery writer William Gordon dedicates his latest book to his wife, internationally acclaimed author Isabel Allende. He writes that Allende "created the space for me to hear the voices." Michael Krasny talks with the couple about their work and life together, and about Gordon's latest novel: a noir mystery set in the Bay Area in the early 1960s. Are you part of a literary or otherwise artistic couple? What are the perks and challenges?

On July 1, new federal regulations went into effect to make your child's school lunch more nutritious, like adding additional fresh fruits and vegetables. After the usual pizza and chicken nuggets, it sounds like needed change. But are schools ready? According to research from California Watch, 60 percent of schools in the state have trouble meeting the old nutrition requirements. How will they get up to speed?

On Wednesday, physicists at the multinational research center CERN in Geneva confirmed the rumors: they had discovered a new subatomic particle which by all appearances resembles a Higgs boson. The long-theorized Higgs boson, predicted by the Standard Model of physics but never observed, is thought to convey mass to all other particles. Does this discovery truly mark the end of a long search, or is it just the tip of a new iceberg? We discuss the findings, and what they might tell us about the nature of matter.

We talk with the chief representative of the Palestine Liberation Organization in Washington, Maen Rashid Areikat. We'll discuss the ongoing quest for a Palestinian state and recent developments in the region.

Does it take you 15 minutes to tell a waiter how you want your food prepared? You're probably a picky eater. Writer Stephanie Lucianovic was one. She lived in fear of having dinner at friends' houses or going to restaurants. Today, she's a foodie and food writer -- and she'll brave eating most anything.

Bestselling novelist and Academy Award-winning screenwriter John Irving has authored many notable works during his long career, including "The World According to Garp" and "The Cider House Rules." His 13th novel, "In One Person," chronicles the life of its bisexual narrator through the 1950s to the present day and explores what it means to be a sexual outsider.

Celebrated screenwriter, film director and author Nora Ephron died last week at the age of 71. In this special holiday edition of Forum, we revisit our interviews with Ephron from 2006 and 2010. Ephron was a triple nominee for the Academy Award for original screenplay, for "Silkwood," "When Harry Met Sally..." and "Sleepless in Seattle."

Local musician and naturalist Bernie Krause has made a career of recording and arranging the sounds of nature. In his book "The Great Animal Orchestra," Krause explores how animals use sound to survive in their habitats, and examines the contributions of natural rhythms to human musical expression. We listen back to a conversation with Krause from May 14, 2012.

Aboriginal people in Australia are better at finding their way around because they use compass directions instead of simply describing things as to the left or right. That's just one of several findings from Stanford psychologist Lera Boroditsky, who claims language greatly influences our thoughts and perceptions. It's a radical departure from modern linguistic theory.