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
Three shades of erotic desire
Author Lisa Taddeo was getting questions, such as, “What the f**k are you doing in the middle of Indiana?”
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Speakers Forum
Killer whales go through menopause, too, but the other orcas respect them
Coming to terms with the millennia-long struggle to normalize and respect menopause
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Speakers Forum
How social media ate news media’s lunch, and what to do about it
It’s a brave new world for news media. The advertising revenue that kept newspapers afloat has dwindled. Reporters are being laid off.
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Speakers Forum
She needed answers about pregnancy. So she wrote them herself
So Angela Garbes did her own research and wrote a book about it
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Speakers Forum
A defense of liberalism in illiberal times
Adam Gopnik waxes philosophical on the historic arc of a high ideal
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Speakers Forum
They defend the science. But who defends the scientists?
A philosopher fights back against post-truth and science denial
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Speakers Forum
Student voices shine through Seattle Arts & Lectures program
Hear the results of writerly mentorship from area students
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Speakers Forum
Eve Ensler’s journey to recovery from an unconscionable abuse
Author Eve Ensler was the victim of prolonged sexual, physical and mental abuse at the hands of her father.
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Speakers Forum
‘More guns than people': America’s firearm culture
Author Thom Hartmann argues that the intent inherent in the concept of “a well regulated militia” was warped in relatively recent years, resulting in an epidemic of gun violence.
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Speakers Forum
Is catastrophic wild fire and smoke exposure our new normal?
Forest fires threaten our region. This PacSci panel discussion considers solutions