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
Author Casey Schwartz on distraction, stimulants, and her love of paying attention
Focus, people! On paying attention
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Engage
Pandemic Book Club: Reading recommendations from Nancy Pearl and KUOW listeners
Book Lust author Nancy Pearl talks with KUOW's Ross Reynolds and public radio listeners about great reads for lockdown
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KUOW Newsroom
Rural Skamania County is cautious about reopening to visitors amid few confirmed Covid-19 cases
While having more business activity sounds like good news, many Skamania County residents are worried about what lies ahead. Philip Watness, the editor of the Skamania County Pioneer newspaper, spoke to KUOW about those concerns.
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Speakers Forum
Clifford Thompson confronts race and indifference in the Trump era
His new essay collection explores “the cold heart of the trouble”
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Speakers Forum
The System: It’s about class and power
Robert Reich joins us from his home office
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Engage
Your stories of surviving Covid-19 – from the frontlines to sheltering at home
KUOW's Ross Reynolds takes listener calls about getting creative during the crisis.
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Speakers Forum
Drop that cheese puff! Food sustains us, and we live more sustainably, if we make good food choices
Author Sophie Egan shares thoughtful ways to build a conscious food pantry
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Speakers Forum
Ignite Seattle enlightens us, and they make it quick!
If you had five minutes on stage, what would you say?
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Speakers Forum
Violence, suffering, survival, and metamorphosis in Paisley Rekdal’s ‘Nightingale’
‘A haunting and haunted collection’ splits us open
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KUOW Newsroom
Seattle research institute launches fast track Covid-19 immunotherapy trial
‘We're in a whole new world now with how clinical trials are being conducted in the era of this pandemic.’