Alexis
Madrigal
Journalist in Oakland, California. Co-host of KQED's Forum. Author of The Pacific Circuit. Proprietor of Local Economy.
Journalist in Oakland, California. Co-host of KQED's Forum. Author of The Pacific Circuit. Proprietor of Local Economy.
Alexis co-hosts Forum with Mina Kim on KQED, the Bay Area's NPR station. Weekdays 9–11am, they host conversations that inform, challenge, and unify listeners with big ideas and different viewpoints. Alexis anchors the 9 o'clock hour.
All EpisodesA community resilience hub at 6028 College Ave in Oakland. Local Economy is an antidote to chaos and isolation—a sunny storefront where neighbors gather, ideas grow, and local relationships form the basis of something stronger.
Open Wednesday–Saturday, 8:30am–4pm, with evening events ranging from liberation ecology workshops to worldbuilding salons. Supported by members who believe that local spaces and the relationships within them are a real counter to the disconnection of modern life.
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An electrifying account of how a logistical revolution that began in Oakland has transformed urban America. The product of nearly a decade of reporting on Oakland, the technology industry, and the global economy.
Published by MCD × FSG
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An archival documents depot exploring the physical and social infrastructure of the San Francisco Bay Area. Primary sources, maps, planning documents, and the material record of how a region was made.
Explore the ArchiveAn 8-part podcast about how global trade, the technology that makes it possible, and the labor that makes it run have reshaped the world. Told through the lens of the Port of Oakland and the people who keep goods moving.
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Alexis Madrigal is a journalist in Oakland, California. He co-hosts KQED's current affairs show, Forum, and is a contributing writer at The Atlantic, where he co-founded The COVID Tracking Project.
His book, The Pacific Circuit, explores how a logistical revolution that began in Oakland has reshaped American cities. He previously served as editor-in-chief of Fusion and as a staff writer at Wired.
He created the 8-part podcast Containers and is the proprietor of Local Economy, a community space in Oakland's Rockridge neighborhood. He also runs the Oakland Garden Club, a newsletter for people who like to think about plants.
He has been a visiting scholar at UC Berkeley's School of Information and the Center for Science, Technology, Medicine & Society.