Writer

Kenneth Best

Ken Best served as editor of UCONN Magazine for 10 years. He is a co-host of the UConn 360 Podcast. He previously covered news and sports in Connecticut for The New York Times, edited the Weekend section for the Stamford Advocate and Greenwich Time, wrote arts and culture stories syndicated by the Los Angeles Times-Washington Post News Service and was the media coordinator for Yale-New Haven Hospital. During the summer of 2015 he hosted “Walking a Blues Road,” a weekly program on WHUS in Storrs based on the holdings of the Samuel and Ann Charters Archives of Blues and Vernacular African-American Musical Culture at UConn’s Thomas J. Dodd Research Center. He is the author of Eight Days a Week: An Illustrated Record of Rock ‘n’ Roll (Pomegranate Books).


Author Archive

Cathy Schlund-Vials, Professor of English and Asian American Studies, at her office. (Peter Morenus/UConn Photo)

Coveted Class: Asian American Literature

'I try to make the experience of Asian American people relevant to non-Asian Americans,' says English professor and Asian American studies director Cathy Schlund-Vials.

Cover of 'Where the Wild Things Are,' ©1963 by Maurice Sendak, copyright renewed 1991 by Maurice Sendak. Used with permission from HarperCollins Children’s Books.

UConn Archives to House Maurice Sendak Artwork

The finished artwork for his published books and other materials created by leading children's book artist the late Maurice Sendak will be hosted and maintained at the University.

Sixth-graders work on writing projects with teacher Kim Albro at Dr. Joseph S. Renzulli Gifted and Talented Academy in Hartford on Dec. 14, 2011. (Peter Morenus/UConn File Photo)

Students in Poverty Less Likely to be Identified as Gifted

The fact that high-potential students in poverty are less likely to be recognized and served in programs for the gifted may increase, rather than decrease, social inequities, according to a new UConn study.

Lewis Gordon, professor of philosophy, lectures at Storrs Hall. (Peter Morenus/UConn File Photo)

Bringing Black Issues in Philosophy to the Blogosphere

UConn philosophy professor and editor Lewis Gordon says the new blog aims to provide a forum for examining questions and issues that the global community of black philosophers cares about.

Students are overwhelmed with snow as they exit the Field House. (UConn File Photo)

The Impact of Winter Storm Names

If the storm is large enough and enough people are within the storm warning range, it gets a name. But a UConn researcher found the name does not add credibility.

A little girl holds up Supergirl, left, and Wonder Woman, two characters from Mattel's DC Super Hero Girls collection. The appearance and dress of the new generation of fashion doll characters is a departure from Barbie’s idealized image and has changed the way children play, according to graduate student Sara Austin. (Tristan Fewings/Getty Images)

From Barbie to Superheroes: The New Femininity in Dolls

The appearance and dress of the new generation of fashion doll characters is a departure from Barbie’s idealized image and has changed the way children play, according to graduate student Sara Austin.

A communication professor says embarrassing social media posts can cause just as strong emotional reactions as face-to-face interactions. (Getty Images)

Losing Face on Facebook

A communication professor says embarrassing social media posts can cause just as strong emotional reactions as face-to-face interactions.

Spectrophotometry is the science of measuring chemical absorption and reflection of light. Illustration by Jessica Ortegon ’18 (CLAS)/(SFA), a double major in chemistry and art and art history. The animation was developed by Alexandra Sailer ’19 (SFA), a digital media and design major.

Animating Biological Concepts

Biology majors enrolling for next semester in the lab section of Biology 1107 will be among the first to benefit from a series of five instructional animations developed by students in digital media and art.

Mourners gather at the Oklahoma City National Memorial around chairs representing relatives killed during the 1995 bombing, on the day perpetrator Timothy McVeigh was executed, June 11, 2001. On the wall behind them, the time when the bomb was detonated is recorded at 9:01. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Should the Vegas Mass Murder Be Memorialized?

'One of the real tensions is that by drawing attention to the killing, it also draws attention to the killer,' says geography professor Ken Foote, who has written a book about memorialization of place.

Kerri Raissian, assistant professor of public policy, at the Hartford campus on Sept. 28, 2017. (Peter Morenus/UConn Photo)

Adding $1 to Minimum Wage = Less Child Neglect

A recent study co-authored by a UConn public policy professor found that a dollar increase in the minimum wage can result in a nearly 10 percent decline in child neglect reports.