Who is Baratunde?
Hi. I’m Baratunde Thurston. Here’s a bio in the third person: Baratunde is a storyteller exploring interdependence across our relationships with each other, nature, and technology. He is an Emmy-nominated host, writer, public speaker, and proud Earthling. His newest creation is Life With Machines, a YouTube podcast focusing on the human side of the A.I. revolution. He is also host and executive producer of the PBS TV series America Outdoors, creator and host of the How To Citizen podcast, and a founding partner and writer at Puck. His comedic memoir, How To Be Black, is a New York Times best-seller. In 2019, he delivered what MSNBC’s Brian Williams called “one of the greatest TED talks of all time.” Baratunde is unique in his ability to integrate and synthesize different and difficult topics in a style that’s intelligent, compassionate, and humorous. Baratunde serves on the boards of Civics Unplugged and the Brooklyn Public Library and lives in Southern California
What’s this newsletter about?
It’s evolving. Consider this space my unfettered, less reverent, more comedic thoughts. I like cocktails so “speakeasy” is a reference to that kind of space, but I’m also a consummate communicator so “speak easy” is what I’ll try to do about things that seem to be hard.
Basically this is a place where I metaphorically and actually kick back with a drink and bring it all together: my thoughts and experiences across my projects. They’re all connected, and this is where the threads meet.
What happens if I pay for it?
I don’t have the paywall up yet, but I’m considering it for lives, extra articles and content and deeper interaction,.
