John O'Brien
Producer, Speakers ForumYear started with KUOW: 2006
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.
To see more of John's KUOW portfolio, visit our current site.
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What happened during the creation and growth of Mars Hill Church made waves in Seattle and beyond. A charismatic minister, Mark Driscoll, preached in a… -
Perhaps it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the author of “The Botany of Desire” chose to experiment with and write about psychedelic drugs. They are… -
Ignite Seattle is an unusual event. The organizers like to surprise the audience when they can — like that time a couple got married on stage. Thrills… -
Viet Thanh Nguyen is a Pulitzer Prize-winning author. He was awarded that honor in 2016 for his debut novel “The Sympathizer.” Then he received a… -
Lisa Blackmore says the question she is asked most as a foster parent is: Don't you get too attached?“And the answer is yes. We absolutely love this… -
On her website, Leslie Jamison writes: “I've worked as a baker, an office temp, an innkeeper, a tutor, and a medical actor. Every one of these was a… -
Author Nomi Prins used to be a Wall Street banker. Now she writes with a critical eye about how banks and economies work.One example: how in 2017, U.S.… -
It sometimes seems as if author Barbara Ehrenreich has seen it all and done it all. From “Witches, Midwives, and Nurses: A History of Women Healers” to… -
The Civic Cocktail series brings political, business and community leaders to Seattle for a drink and a line of questioning from reporters and attendees.… -
KUOW’s Ask A series is three years old now. The conversations we host bridge cultural, political and philosophical divides. As you might imagine, people…
