In 2019, Michael Krasny was honored with Silver Spur Award by the San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association.

About Dr. Michael Krasny, PhD

Dr. Krasny was the host of the award winning KQED FORUM, a program discussing news and public affairs, current events, culture, health, business and technology. FORUM can be heard daily on Northern California’s public radio station, KQED, as well as on Sirius/XM Satellite with National Public Radio, Comcast digital cable, and on the Internet as a podcast on iTunes. He has interviewed a wide range of major political and cultural figures. He is also a veteran interviewer for the nationally broadcast City Arts and Lectures series. Focus Magazine named him Best Bay Area Talk Show Host, and he was selected Best Talk Host and Best Interviewer by the editorial staff of San Francisco Weekly, as well as in their annual reader’s poll.

“Krasny’s erudition and talent have no boundaries. What he has brought via the spoken word and the entertainment it provides now comes via the written word. It is a gift.” – Robert Redford

Interviewer: Dr. Krasny’s abilities and reputation as one of the world’s finest interviewers are enhanced by his creative work as an author and educator. A former regular contributor to Mother Jones magazine, Dr. Krasny has published a great deal of fiction, literary criticism and political commentary. He is the author of Off Mike: A Memoir of Talk Radio and Literary Life (Stanford University Press) which was on both The San Francisco Chronicle and The Marin Independent Journal best-seller lists, Sound Ideas (with Maggie Sokolik McGraw-Hill) and Let There Be Laughter (Harper Collins). He also released a twenty-four lecture series DVD, audio and book on “Short Story Masterpieces” for The Teaching Company, and is the author of Spiritual Envy (New World Press), which was also on the best-seller lists in The San Francisco Chronicle and the Marin Independent Journal.

“Michael Krasny sets the standard by which all public affairs and cultural radio is measured.” – Michael Chabon

Professor: A professor of English at San Francisco State University, he has been Visiting Professor at the University of San Francisco, Adjunct Professor at the University of California San Francisco and taught in Continuing Education at Stanford University, as well as being an Associate of the San Francisco Urban Institute. He coordinated the Nexa Dissemination Program in Science and Humanities under the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Carnegie Foundation, taught in the Fulbright Institutes for the National Fulbright Foundation, moderated the Future Forum on Global Impacts of Human Activity at the University of California, and was a Gelenter Lecturer at the University of California, San Francisco Department of Surgery. Michael conducted seminars at Esalen Institute, lectured to the San Francisco Psychoanalytic Institute and aboard the Royal Odyssey Cruise Line. In 2007, he was honored with an Award of Excellence from the National Association of Humanities Educators. In 2017 Michael was a writer-in-residence at the Mendocino Coast Writers’ Conference.

“Michael Krasny is the best interviewer on all things cultural.” – Amy Tan

Awards & Accolades: Dr. Krasny is the recipient of numerous awards for his broadcast journalism, including the S.Y. Agnon Gold Medal for Intellectual Distinction, the Eugene Block Award for Human Rights Journalism, the Media Alliance Award for Meritorious Achievement, the Lifetime Achievement Award from San Francisco State University, the Voice of Hope Award from the San Francisco Housing Development Corporation with special citation from Senator Diane Feinstein, the 2003 James Madison Freedom of Information Award from the Society of Professional Journalists, the National Public Radio Award from the American Publishers Association and many others. He was also named a Fellow by the World Affairs Council and was awarded the Koret Foundation Fellowship. Mayor Art Agnos declared Michael Krasny Day in San Francisco in 1990, in 1994 by Mayor Frank Jordan and again in 2003 by Mayor Willie Brown.

In 1990, the California State Legislature and, again in 2003, the California State Senate, passed resolutions honoring Dr. Krasny for public service.In 2018 the California State Legislature cited Michael Krasny with a resolution for twenty-five years of journalism and public service. In 2008 the California State Legislature passed a resolution honoring him for “outstanding achievements in the literary field.” In 2009 he was recipient of The Visionary Award from the Marin Interfaith Council. In 2010 Access Institute Awarded him its annual Spectrum Award for “profound impact in helping people see and think in new ways.” In 2011 he was awarded two first place Peninsula Press Club Annual Greater Bay Area Journalism Awards for interviewing and public affairs programming. The National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association honored him with an Excellence in Journalism Award in 2011. In 2013 The Society of Professional Journalists presented him with a career achievement award. In 2014 he received an award from The Radio-Television News Directors Association. In 2016 he was presented the Barbary Coast Literary Award by Litquake for Community Impact. In 2018 the California State Legislature cited Michael Krasny with a resolution for twenty-five years of journalism and public service. In 2019, Michael was honored with a 2019 Silver Spur Award by the San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association. In February 2021, California Governor Gavin Newsom presented Michael Krasny with a Certificate of Recognition. The Society of Professional Journalists awarded Michael their Career Achievement Award.

“In commemoration of your twenty-eight years as the iconic host of Forum and for your half a century long career as a Professor at San Francisco State University. Thank you for using your voice to bring integrity and moral clarity to the most pressing matters of our time. You truly represent the best of California.” – California Governor Gavin Newsom

Lecturer: Dr. Krasny has lectured for, hosted events for, emceed, led or facilitated discussions or interviews for a host of companies and institutions which include: Raychem Corporation, Pacific Bell, Visa International, Sun Microsystems, Oracle, the Silicon Valley Manufacturing Group, the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, Silicon Valley’s Technology Museum of Innovation, Stanford Law School, McGill University, University of California, Harvard University, Chevron, BEA Systems. Medtronics, Veritas Software, Elementum, American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Psychoanalytic Institute, Seibel Scholars conferences, X Foundation, the Annual Booz-Allen & Hamilton/ Korn-Ferry International/Broadview CEO Summit, University of Wisconsin CEO Summit and more.

“There are radio hosts who have programs you look to participate in. They are few in number, but Michael Krasny is certainly in that category.” – Norman Mailer

Charitable Events (hosted, emceed or moderated): National Kidney Foundation Literary Luncheon (2019), Swords to Ploughshares (annually).

“Michael Krasny is a Bay Area treasure.” – Nancy Pelosi

Education: Dr. Krasny received his BA (Cum Laude) and MA degrees from Ohio University, where he received the senior class award for leadership and scholarship, and where he is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and he holds a PhD degree from The University of Wisconsin. He lives in Marin County, north of San Francisco, with his wife, Leslie, who is a biochemist and attorney. They have two daughters.