Donate

Lauren Ober

Reporter

Lauren is a reporter and producer based in Washington, D.C.

Lauren is an independent radio producer based in Washington, D.C. She is also an occasional writer of print media. Her radio work about stuff like competitive karaoke, Persian dodgeball, professional hockey cheerleaders and draft horse farming has been heard on NPR’s All Things Considered and Weekend Edition, PRI’s The World, 99% Invisible, Only A Game, The Story, the BBC and WAMU, among other outlets.  Back in the day, Lauren was an old school newspaper reporter, writing about everything from Canadian border security to soft-serve ice cream (creemees!) to all things maple syrup. Did you know someone once tried to run a car on maple syrup? You do now. Lauren has accumulated a couple of college degrees, including a masters in journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. She is also a proud graduate of the Transom Story Workshop in the dreamy radio wonderland of Woods Hole, MA.  Originally from the great City of Pittsburgh, Lauren naturally has a deep and abiding love of pierogi. 

"AJ" is a Saudi lesbian living in the US. She says there is no openly gay life in Saudi Arabia. "No one publicly identifies as gay."

What it’s like to grow up a lesbian in Saudi Arabia

Lifestyle

Forget about same-sex marriage. In Saudi Arabia, homosexuality is considered a capital offense. One Saudi woman now living in the US says even coming out in the kingdom is not an option.

Amira Mikhail, an Egyptian-American activist.

From thousands of miles away, an activist tries to keep change alive in Egypt

Justice
Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki was left off the invitation list to the US-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington, DC.

Eritrea’s president wasn’t invited to Washington, but does it matter?

Global Politics
Yehonatan Toker (left) and Hamze Awawde (right) in their kitchen in Washington, DC. Toker, an Israeli, and Awawde, a Palestinian, are in Washington for internships, and they're sharing a house.

In a Washington home, an Israeli man and a Palestinian man are learning to live side-by-side

Conflict & Justice
Yoga class in Washington, DC

If you’re looking for the one true yoga, you’re out of luck

Health & Medicine
Washington DC rappers Pacman and Peso.

DC rappers take their show on the road, hoping to be discovered in North Korea

Arts, Culture & Media

Not many people go to North Korea on a whim. But on Saturday, two young rappers from the DC area are boarding a plane that’s bound for Pyongyang. They’re going to make a music video.

US dodgeball player Paniz Asgari.

Dodgeball isn’t just an American recess game for this immigrant-athlete

Sports

Paniz Asgari grew up playing a Persian form of dodgeball among other Iranian immigrants in America. Now, she’s representing the US in international competitions. And it’s no longer the stuff of grade-school recess.

A Bhutanese woman harvesting rice by hand in a Vermont paddy.

Bhutanese refugees prove you can farm rice, in Vermont

Conflict & Justice

Some Bhutanese refugees are growing an unlikely crop in Vermont — they’re farming rice paddies.