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

An unilluminated "On Air" light in the closed studio of WHUS.

WHUS Airs New Programming as Staff Records Shows at Home

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced WHUS from their on-campus studio, but original programming continues.

A screen showing members of the UConn Choirs performing online.

UConn Choirs Go Virtual with ‘Old Connecticut’ Alma Mater

Unable to perform in their normal venues because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the UConn Choirs have taken to the Internet.

A student in a face mask stands in a mostly deserted part of campus during the COVID-19 pandemic.

UConn Students Reflect: Writing About Pandemic Validates Feelings

UConn students reflect on the experience of writing about their lives during the COVID-19 pandemic for a class.

Beth Schweitzer '98 MD, takes a sample kit from the Dairy Bar truck pressed into service for drive up COVID-19 corona virus testing outside Student Health Services on April 14, 2020.

Archiving UConn’s 2020 Pandemic Experience in Real Time for History

University Archives and Special Collections has launched an initiative to capture UConn Nation's reflections on the COVID-19 pandemic as it happens.

As part of his Goodwill Tour of Southeast Asia, American Vice President Lyndon B Johnson (left) meets with Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem at Independence Palace, Saigon (later Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam, May 1961.

UConn Historian: South Vietnam Archives Provide New Insights into War

UConn historian Nu-Anh Tran reexamines the Vietnam War through the lens of elite politics in what was formerly known as South Vietnam.

Backlit child sitting in a dark doorway in contemplation

As Families Struggle During Pandemic, Children At High Risk for Neglect

The coronavirus pandemic has created conditions that could put children at severe risk of neglect, researchers say.

Elizabeth Ellenwood, "November 3, 2018 Collection," (2018), Installation of 240 cyanotype prints (courtesy of the artist).

Adjusting to Pandemic Reality, 2020 MFA Thesis Exhibition at Benton Museum Moves Online

Undaunted by the restrictions caused by the pandemic, UConn's 2020 MFA exhibition is now online.

A store with a sign in front that says "Support Local Business."

Help For Owners of Small Businesses During Pandemic

The Connecticut Small Business Development Center is helping owners and entrepreneurs throughout Connecticut navigate the pandemic economy.

A cinema marquee listing three rules for pandemic safety: social distance, wash hands, and clean surfaces.

Study of COVID-19 Risk Communication Finds ‘Optimistic Bias’ Slows Preventive Behavior

A study has found that "optimistic bias" can hinder individuals' efforts to take precautions in the face of health threats like the coronavirus pandemic.

Humanities Institute Fellow Examines Archive of School Shootings Fiction

Humanities Institute Fellow Hayley Stefan has created an online resource to examine fictional accounts of school shootings.