I Never Thought of It That Way

Mónica Guzmán is Senior Fellow for Public Practice at Braver Angels; author of I Never Thought of it That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times; host of A Braver Way podcast; and founder and CEO of Reclaim Curiosity. She was a 2019 fellow at the Henry M. Jackson Foundation, and a 2016 fellow at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University.

In 2023 Monica was the inaugural McGurn Fellow at the University of Florida, working with researchers at the UF College of Journalism and Communications and beyond to better understand ways to employ techniques described in her book to boost understanding. A Mexican immigrant, Latina, and dual US/Mexico citizen, she lives in Seattle with her husband and two kids and is the proud liberal daughter of conservative parents.

Steve Scher is a writer, broadcaster, and interviewer. His children’s book, The Moon Bear, came out in 2022. Over his 28 years on local public radio, he won awards for his incisive coverage of public affairs, breaking news and his beyond-the-headlines approach to issues. His in-depth interviews with award-winning authors, political leaders, scientists, artists and active citizens are noted for their intelligence and sensitivity. Most summers since 2009, he has taught a Communications Department class on interviewing at the University of Washington.

Graduate School Public Lectures are brought to the community through three very generous private endowments:

Walker-Ames Fund

Jessie and John Danz Fund

Mary Ann and John D. Mangels Fund

Learn more about the University of Washington Office of Public Lectures Series here.