John O'Brien
Producer, Speakers Forum
About
John O’Brien produces Speakers Forum at KUOW. He learned to love radio as a child waking up one summer morning to the harmonies of Simon and Garfunkel. As a teenager, he would drive the back roads of Indiana and Michigan late at night listening to vintage radio theater. The question of whether or not he had the legal right to drive then remains a mystery. Only The Shadow knows. Inspired by a chance meeting with Noah Adams, he learned to make radio as an intern on KUOW’s The Conversation with Ross Reynolds. John has been recording talks for Speakers Forum since 2007. Early on he learned Seattle is a Mecca for any touring speaker because Seattleites read so much, support a wide variety of venues and ask smart questions. He says that makes his job easy and always interesting. John is a graduate of St. Johns College in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Podcasts
Stories
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Speakers Forum
‘A crisis of welcome.’ Sonia Shah on The Next Great Migration
‘Migration is not a catastrophe… it’s actually the solution.’
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Speakers Forum
What’s in store in the coming election? NPR reporters help us look ahead
Mary Louise Kelly, Tamara Keith and Ayesha Rascoe go Inside 2020
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Speakers Forum
Solastalgia and you. ‘The pain was necessary to know the truth.’
Dr. Jennifer Atkinson shares strategies for handling existential distress caused by environmental change
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KUOW Newsroom
A safe space for Black people to center on healing and joy on Juneteenth
Blackout CHOP creates a place to rest, grieve, celebrate, and not hold space for others
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Engage
Protest Book Club: Great reads for change with Seattle's hip-hop professor
Dr. Daudi Abe along with KUOW's Ross Reynolds and public radio listeners explore recommendations for revolutionary reads.
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Engage
8 Tips for navigating the perks & problems of love in lockdown
Drs. John and Julie Gottman join KUOW to explore the challenges and adventures of coupledom during Coronavirus.
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KUOW Newsroom
A view of the SCOTUS Title VII decision from Justice Mary Yu
Until Monday, it was legal to fire workers for being LGBTQ in more than half of U.S. states
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KUOW Newsroom
A moment where protest leads to change? UW professor sees an historic arc
Historical context on historic protests, with Professor Michael McCann
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Engage
Trouble concentrating? Forgetting things? Our brains are doing strange things during this time of crisis.
Leading brain experts talk with KUOW's Ross Reynolds and Deborah Wang to explore tips for well-being as we move into the acceptance phase of this "new normal."
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Speakers Forum
‘I know it’s going to sound crazy:’ How one man exposed government surveillance
“I’m a member of the intelligence community… I have an explosive story about a threat to democracy."