Michael Jay Krasny (born September 22, 1944) is a professor and retired American radio host of Forum, a news and public affairs program on San Francisco public radio station KQED-FM, covering current events, politics, and culture from 1993 to 2021.^[1][2] Additionally, Krasny is currently a professor of English literature at San Francisco State University.

Born in Cleveland and raised in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, Krasny is a second-generation American whose grandparents immigrated from Russia and Lithuania and grew up in a Jewish household.^[3][4]

Michael is among the outstanding graduates of Cleveland Heights High School (class of 1962) featured in the book Every Tiger Has a Tale.^[5] Despite his intellectual reputation today, Krasny admits to having had a "bad boy" reputation while growing up in Cleveland Heights.^[6]

In the late 1970s, Krasny hosted a weekly Marin County talk show called "Beyond the Hot Tub" on low-power rock radio station KTIM-FM.^[7][8] He went on to host a popular radio program on KGO (AM) from 1984 to December 1992.^[9] He became the host of Forum in 1993, expanding the focus of the program to more national themes.^[10] On November 9, 2020, Krasny announced that he would retire from Forum on February 15, 2021.^[11] His last Forum broadcast was on February 12, 2021.

Krasny is a professor of English at San Francisco State University where he has taught primarily American literature since 1970.^[2] He received his B.A. cum laude in 1966 and M.A. in 1967 from Ohio University, where he attended the Honors College and became a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He holds a Ph.D. in 20th century American literature from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.^[2]

Krasny is a widely published scholar, critic and fiction writer. He has also worked widely as a facilitator and host in the corporate sector and as a moderator for nonprofit events.^[2]

Krasny is a long-time resident of Greenbrae, California.^[7] SFSU Online Magazine reports that Krasny's wife is an attorney and an alumna of San Francisco State University, and that Krasny has two daughters.^[12]

In his 2010 book, Spiritual Envy, Krasny revealed that he became agnostic later in life.^[3]

• Krasny, Michael (2007). Off Mike: A Memoir of Talk Radio and Literary Life. Stanford General Books. ISBN 978-0-8047-5671-6.
• Krasny, Michael (2010). Spiritual Envy: An Agnostic's Quest. New World Library. ISBN 978-1-57731-912-2.
• Krasny, Michael (2016). Let There Be Laughter: A Treasury of Great Jewish Humor and What It All Means. HarperCollins. ISBN 9780062422057.