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
Lyric World presents poetry of loss and collective grief
‘Elegies ceased being / elegant.’
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KUOW Newsroom
‘Definitely is the same fight:' Two Garfield High grads talk two eras of civil rights protests
This conversation is part of our Beyond the Protest series, led by people involved in the struggle for social justice, from different generations and viewpoints, from protesters to police.
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Speakers Forum
Race and justice in journalism, with Nikole Hannah-Jones
The 1619 Project is a New York Times undertaking led by reporter Nikole Hannah-Jones. It was launched in 2019, on the 400th anniversary of the arrival of enslaved Black people in America.
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Speakers Forum
Ijeoma Oluo on Seattle: ‘We are NOT a liberal city’
More than talk, Ijeoma Oluo wants action and what is owed to people of color
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KUOW Newsroom
A journalist and his son on running from tear gas, and why the protests are personal
Home from college this summer, Omari Salisbury never thought he’d get pepper sprayed by police. He never thought he’d see a cop car set on fire right next to him.
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Speakers Forum
Pramila Jayapal achieved political power through empathy and advocacy
Use the Power You Have: A Brown Woman’s Guide to Politics and Political Change
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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