Tag Archives: free

Former Republic writer talks about journey with Alzheimer’s

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Embedded journalism typically refers to news reporters attached to military units engaged in war.

Greg O'Brien

Greg O’Brien

In the case of Greg O’Brien, the term applies to the award-winning journalist’s personal battle with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. O’Brien is embedded in his own mind, chronicling his journey with hope, faith and humor in his new book On Pluto: Inside the Mind of Alzheimer’s.

O’Brien will speak and sign books from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Nov. 20 at Arizona State University Walter Cronkite School of Journalism, 555 N. Central Ave. Sponsored by Hospice of the Valley, the “Voices of Alzheimer’s” event also includes the agency’s dementia program director Maribeth Gallagher – a doctor of nursing practice and national expert on the disease, the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States.

O’Brien was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s in 2009, at the age of 59.

His mother and grandfather also had the disease; they share a common gene. O’Brien decided to face down the demon and write about it, chronicling moments like gargling with rubbing alcohol instead of mouthwash, introducing himself to a friend he’d known for decades, and getting lost for hours on a drive then coasting into his driveway at home with the lights off to escape detection.

With more than 35 years’ experience as a writer, editor, investigative reporter and publisher – including The Arizona Republic – O’Brien tells his story with grace and insight. It is a story about living with Alzheimer’s, not dying from it. O’Brien lives with his family in Cape Cod, where he served as editor of the local newspaper.

There is no charge for the event, which is open to the public. A short documentary film clip about O’Brien and his family produced by “Hoop Dreams” director Steve James will be shown. Valley businessman Ray Artigue, a Cronkite board member, will moderate the event. A question-and-answer session also will be held followed by light refreshments.

To RSVP, contact 602-636-5394 or events3@hov.org.

Free workshop on detecting corporate fraud

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Learn to dig into SEC filings and other disclosures – with an eye for fraud – during the Reynolds Center’s free workshop, Detecting Corporate Fraud, 1:30-4:30 p.m. Thursday, March 27, before the SABEW Conference in Phoenix. It will take place at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Arizona State University, 555 N. Central Ave.

This is a golden age of corporate fraud, and journalists have at least one key resource to mine for a clear sense of actual and potential wrongdoing: the voluminous flow of corporate legal and financial public filings. In this free workshop, journalists will learn techniques for digging into U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings and other disclosures. Instead of spending weeks scouring aimlessly through hundreds of pages of corporate documents, reporters will gain an understanding of what key financial information is available, where to look in the documents to quickly identify trouble spots and how to recognize when crucial details are missing.

Your guides are investigative reporters Theo Francis of The Wall Street Journal and Roddy Boyd of the Southern Investigative Reporting Foundation. SABEW registration is not required to attend this afternoon session.

For more information or to register for this free workshop, click here.

Talton speaks at Tempe Library

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Journalist and mystery author Jon Talton comes to the Tempe Public Library 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 22, to discuss his books, the economy, the state of journalism and everything Arizona.

The Tempe Public Library and Society of Professional Journalists will lead a Q&A session with the Arizona writer who worked for The Arizona Republic as a business and op-ed columnist for many years before moving to Seattle to not only pen 10 novels but also an economics column for the Seattle Times. His blog, the Rogue Columnist, regularly discusses Arizona’s environment, economy, political nature and history.

Talton is a fourth-generation Arizonan. His David Mapstone mystery series features many of the Phoenix area’s favorite restaurants, neighborhoods, destinations and celebrities. Some of the more notorious news the state has seen finds its way into the pages of the books. His thriller, “Deadline Man,” was named Best Mystery of 2010 by the Arizona Book Publishing Association. 

Mark Scarp, who serves nationally and with the Valley of the Sun chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, will lead the discussion. Scarp is a regular columnist for the East Valley Tribune as well as a communicator for the Heard Museum. 

The Tempe Public Library is located at 3500 S. Rural Road. Admission to the program is free. No registration is required.

Books will be available for sale after the presentation, with Talton generously donating proceeds to the Friends of the Tempe Public Library.

Career tips from Ryan

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Michael Ryan, a longtime Valley journalist who retired last year as vice president of The Republic’s community news operation, will discuss his book, “The Boom! Boom! Book: Practical Tips to Make Sure Your Career Doesn’t Go Bust!” 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 17 at Changing Hands Bookstore, 6428 S. McClintock Drive, Tempe.

Ryan will sign copies of his book and talk with interested readers. He also will appear 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25 at the Scottsdale Civic Center Library, 3839 N. Drinkwater Blvd. Both events are free.

HOBI speaker series features Medoff, Craft

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House of Broadcasting (HOBI) presents HOBI’s Meet and Greet, a guest speaker series featuring media personalities and others who have made significant contributions within their industry. The first speaking engagement in the series will be 5:30-7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19, with Norman J. Medoff, professor and director, School of Communication, Northern Arizona University; and John Craft, professor, Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Arizona State University.

Medoff and Craft, both highly respected educators within the world of communications, will talk about the latest industry standards and trends as well as insights into education today. There will also be an open forum for questions and answers. The event takes place at the House of Broadcasting, 7150 E. 5th Ave., Floor 2, Scottsdale. RSVP requested at 602-944-1997.

For more information, see www.houseofbroadcasting.com.

KJZZ’s O’Dowd to speak at Phoenix College on Nov. 1

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KJZZ News Director and Reporter Peter O’Dowd will speak at Phoenix College Nov. 1 about his news organization’s major project to cover the U.S.-Mexico border and provide its audience with a deeper understanding of the region’s nuanced history and present-day issues.

The lecture is part of the PC Liberal Arts Department’s Fall 2011 Lecture Series. The event is free and open to the public.

KJZZ is the Valley’s local public radio station and National Public Radio member located at Rio Salado Community College in Tempe. Reporters at the station’s Changing America desk have spent the last year examining the people, history and current circumstances found in the borderlands. KJZZ reporters, including O’Dowd, have traveled into the interior of Mexico as well as Guatemala as part of their coverage.

O’Dowd has chronicled these trips and will share why they matter in a discussion titled, “Links to Home: Reporting On the Southwestern US, Mexico and Central America and Why We Should Care.”

As news director, O’Dowd leads a staff of reporters in seven bureaus across the southwestern United States. An accomplished journalist, his work has aired on The BBC, NPR’s Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Talk of the Nation, and American Public Media’s Marketplace. He has covered technology, the housing bubble and the constant debate over immigration policy that keeps Arizona in the national spotlight.

O’Dowd has a master’s degree from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, and a bachelor’s from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Prior to his journalism career, he taught English to schoolchildren in Tokyo, Japan.

 

DETAILS:

When: Tuesday, November 1, 2011
noon-1 p.m. AND 7-8 p.m.

Where: Phoenix College Osborn site, Willo Room, 3310 N. 10th Ave. (NE corner of 11th Avenue and Flower)

Admission: Free and open to the public

For more information, call 602-285-7651.