KUOW Seattle News and Information Creators & Guests

Sallie Tisdale is a nonfiction writer and essayist. She also teaches part-time in the writing program at Portland State University.Tisdale began her career by writing in her off-hours from medical practice, where she worked as a nurse. Her work has appeared in Harper’s, The New Yorker, The New York Times, and Tricycle. Her first book, "The Sorcerer’s Apprentice: Medical Miracles and Other Disasters," was published in 1986. She is the author of ten books, mostly on various aspects of the human body.

Franco Ordoñez is a political reporter, currently servicing as the White House Correspondent for NPR's Washington Desk.Previously, Ordoñez covered the White House for McClatchy. He has also written about diplomatic affairs, foreign policy and immigration, and has been a correspondent in Cuba, Colombia, Mexico and Haiti.Ordoñez has received the Casey Medal, the Gerald Loeb Award and the Robert F. Kennedy Award for Excellence in Journalism. He has been a reporting fellow with the International Center for Journalists.Ordoñez received his undergraduate degree from The University of Georgia, and his M.Sc. in Journalism from Columbia University.

Tim Elfrink is a reporter. Currently, he is Deputy Political Investigations Editor at The Washington Post.Previously, Elfrink was an investigative reporter and editor at the Miami New Times, an alt weekly in South Florida. In 2013, he received a George Polk award for his investigation into the Biogenesis steroid scandal, which resulted in a record number of suspensions in Major League Baseball.Elfrink's first book, co-written with Gus Garcia-Roberts, "Blood Sport: A-Rod and the Quest to End the Steroid Era," was published in 2015.Elfrink graduated from the University of Missouri School of Journalism.

April Glaser is an investigative reporter. Currently, she works for NBC News.

Lisa Daugaard is a criminal justice reform activist. She is the director of the nonprofit organization Purpose Dignity Action. She is also a commissioner of the Community Police Commission in Seattle.Daugaard received her B.A. from the University of Washington, her M.A. from Cornell University, and her J.D. from Yale Law School. After law school, she worked in New York City as a fellow at the ACLU National Legal Department, as Legal Director of the Coalition for the Homeless, and as Organizing Project Director at the Urban Justice Center.

Peter Sokolowski is a lexicographer. Currently, he is an editor-at-large for Merriam-Webster and an adjunct professor at Amherst College.Sokolowski is also a freelance musician and has often appeared as a guest host on New England Public Radio's "Jazz Beat."Sokolowski received his M.A. in French from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Samuel Woolley is a writer, researcher, and the founding director of the Digital Intelligence Lab.

Lili Loofbourow is a writer and media critic. She is currently a staff writer at Slate.Prior to Slate, Loofbourow wrote for The Week. Her work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The Guardian, The New Republic, Talking Points Memo, PMLA, Salon, Slate, Al Jazeera America, The Awl, Post 45, The Los Angeles Review of Books, New York Magazine’s The Cut, Oyster Books, Boston Review, The Virginia Quarterly Review, The New Inquiry, Avidly, Buzzfeed, The Hairpin, Refinery 29, Racked, and PressPlay.

Brenda Cooper is an author and futurist. She writes science fiction, fantasy, poetry, and non-fiction. In addition to writing, she is a Director of Information Technology.Cooper has written ten novels. Her first solo novel, "The Silver Ship and the Sea," was published in 2007. Her short fiction has appeared in many publications and anthologies.Cooper received her B.A. in Management Information Systems from California State University, Fullerton. She is also pursuing an MFA at StoneCoast, a program of the University of Southern Maine.

John Hodgman is a comedian, writer, and actor best known for his work on The Daily Show and as the "PC" in Apple's iconic "Get a Mac" ad campaign. Hodgman's series of books, including The Areas of My Expertise and Medallion Status. He has appeared on shows like Bored to Death and Parks and Recreation, and voiced characters in animated series like Adventure Time. In addition to his comedy, Hodgman hosts the popular podcast Judge John Hodgman, where he humorously settles disputes among listeners. He frequently performs live shows, blending stand-up and storytelling.

Pramila Jayapal is a politician and activist.

Scaachi Koul is a culture writer, currently reporting for BuzzFeed Canada, and hosts the Scamfluencers podcast. She was a reporter on BuzzFeed's Netflix documentary series "Follow This."Previously, Koul worked at Penguin Random House Canada. Prior to that, she was an intern at Maclean's magazine.Koul's first book, "One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter," was published in 2017. Her work has appeared in Flare, HuffPost Canada, The Thought Catalog, The Guardian, The New Yorker, The New York Times, and The Globe and Mail.

Sarah Vowell a historian and writer. She has written seven books on American history. She was a contributing editor for This American Life from 1996 to 2008.