Conversation

It’s the time of year when media outlets do stories on the top 10 news stories of the year. But we don’t live our lives in the news. What are the top stories from your personal life in 2012? A birth, a death, a graduation, a move? Did you finish that book, get that small business rolling? Learn to make sushi? What are the hallmark events of 2012 in your life? Ross Reynolds reviews the year with KUOW listeners.

  Here are five programs we did in 2012 that I loved. Each is an interview about a Seattle person. And they all have big, bold personalities. Who knew?

1. Who Is Nancy Pearl? 

You’ve heard librarian Nancy Pearl share her picks for great books and stories on NPR and KUOW. But what is Nancy Pearl’s own story? What does she do when she’s NOT reading books? Much is revealed when she sits down with Ross Reynolds.

2. Who Is David Brewster? 

To give or not to give? That's the question many of us face when encountering panhandlers on Seattle's sidewalks. Some people make up their minds about how to act and don't deviate from the script. For others, the ethical questions resurface with every encounter.

Now, it seems we're at a crossroads. Many people are still out of work. Yet social services will probably be cut even further next year. Will that change how you give?

Futurist and author Ray Kurzweil thinks we’re headed for a future where machines will become more like people, people will integrate computers and machines into their bodies, and we will live longer — much longer. Ross Reynolds talks with Ray Kurzweil about his latest book, "How to Create a Mind."

I feel extremely fortunate that I get to work on The Conversation with Ross Reynolds and David Hyde (and the interns — hi interns!) But! I've been tasked with picking a mere five conversations that are my favorite from 2012 and thus, in no particular order here are my favorites. 

1. There is a joke around here that if a book has been written about the way the brain works, I will pitch a show on it. It is funny because it is true. My very favorite interview from the year was when Ross sat down with neuroscientist Simon LeVay to talk about his book on the science of sexual orientation, "Gay, Straight and the Reasons Why."

So many great interviews and call-ins to choose from! Novelist's Jennifer Egan and John Irving, William Broad on the science of yoga, Sam Harris on free will, Charles Duhigg on the power of habit, Portlandia's Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein, director Lynn Shelton, actor Gary Oldman, our Sub Pop Records tour with Megan Jasper.

But if I had to boil it down to my top five (and I do!) here they are in no particular order.

You think you know him: red suit, white beard, jolly old elf, etc. But do you why St. Nicholas became the Patron Saint Of Prisoners? David Hyde talks with Adam English, author of "The Saint Who Would Be Santa Claus: The True Life And Trials Of Nicholas Of Myra."

The weather outside is frightful, so why not curl up by the fire with a nice holiday cocktail? David Hyde talks to veteran bartender Kristen Naranjo about her favorite holiday cocktails.

Some people believe the world is ending today (and they are completely wrong about that). But let’s say today really is your last day on Earth. How would you want to spend it?  It’s kind of like your one day bucket list.  We’ll hear from listeners and special guests including John Moe, formerly of KUOW and now host of Wits. 

Designing safer schools doesn't mean turning them into military bunkers. That might have been an easy remodel back when schools were built like jails, filled with "cells" and controlled by bells. Today's schools are open, flexible spaces that allow students to combine and recombine into groups that learn from each other as much as they learn from the teacher.