Where Do You Go to Find Your People?

Social isolation has been declared a public health crisis by the U.S. Surgeon General. And you’ve likely heard about the male loneliness epidemic or how people are turning to AI bots for
companionship. But across the Bay Area, shared hobbies are transforming strangers into close knit communities. We’ll talk about KQED’s Finding Your People series and hear from local subcultures – from mermaids to rock climbers – about the activities that have brought them together. How have you found your people?

Guests:

• Nastia Voynovskaya, editor and reporter, KQED Arts
• Beth LaBerge, photographer and visual journalist, KQED
• The Mermaid Atlantis, part of the Northern California mermaid scene
• Phillip Lang, rock climber and rapper, organizes meetups for the Black Rock Collective, a group of Black climbers in Oakland
• Simrill Smith, skates under the name Creech with the roller derby team San Francisco Rolling Dead, Bay Area Derby league
• Hannah Phamvu, a regular at meetups for romance novel fans at A Novel Affair bookstore in Los Altos