John m glionna biography

I’m an award-winning journalist who has traveled the world as both a newspaperman and magazine writer. After spending 26 years at the Los Angeles Times, a career that included stints as a foreign and national correspondent, I am now a human-interest blogger and literary nonfiction writer looking for new foreign and domestic adventures. My work has been included in such national anthologies as “Best American Sports Writing” and “Best Los Angeles Times Foreign Reporting.” Over the years, I have optioned the film rights to numerous stories and wrote a screenplay for Jon Peters based on my Los Angeles Times story that delved into the subculture of drag queens in Los Angeles. I currently have two film projects in the works: one on the sad and sweet life of a Jewish baker who cooked for the Nazis during World War Two and another on tent boxing in the Australian Outback. As a Seoul-based LA Times foreign correspondent from 2008 through 2012, my beat covered one-quarter of the world’s water mass: South Korea, North Korea, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and the Pacific Islands. Whew. I chronicled an often-raucous South Korea, and pulled stories out of North Korea, one of the most opaque places on earth. I also reported widely on Japan, including the deadly 2011 tsunami, Fukushima nuclear power plant meltdown and its aftermath, As the Times Las Vegas bureau chief, I covered a large swath of the American West, writing about everything from people to politics. I’ve also written extensively about California and have co-taught a journalism course at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. I left The Times in 2015. I am currently a freelance writer, dividing my time between Las Vegas, San Francisco and Los Angeles. My work has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, the Guardian, Los Angeles Times, Outside, California Sunday Magazine, Las Vegas Review Journal, Desert Companion magazine, Phoenix New Times and other publicatio

Writers’ Wednesday – On The GO!

Wednesday, October 8, 2025
5:00 – 5:30 pm – Building open
5:30 – 6:30 pm – Lecture

Speaker: John Glionna, author, and Randilynn Beach, photographer

Title of Talk: Rebels and Outliers: Real Stories of the American West

Book Overview:

Rebels and Outliers: Real Stories of the American West shines a spotlight on the unforgettable characters that author and journalist John M. Glionna has encountered during his more than 30 years crisscrossing the western United States for some of the nation’s top newspapers. With sharp insights, Glionna captures the essence of the modern West through the lives of its most intriguing, unconventional inhabitants. From the struggles of a Navajo Nation police officer grappling with the tension of enforcing laws among her own people to the quirks of a pig farmer who feeds his livestock with leftovers from Las Vegas’s extravagant buffets, Glionna fearlessly delves into topics that reveal the complexities of life on the fringes. Each showcase Glionna’s remarkable talent for uncovering the universal truths that connect us all.

This vibrant collection invites readers to journey through the rugged landscapes and tight-knit communities that define the American West. Along the way, you’ll meet individuals whose grit, resilience, and pioneering spirit embody the heart of this region’s legacy. A captivating follow-up to Glionna’s 2022 book, Outback Nevada: Real Stories of the Silver State, Rebels and Outliers is a testament to the untamed, enduring character of the people who call the West home.

Speaker Bio:

Author and Photographer Bios

John M. Glionna was a Seoul-based Los Angeles Times foreign correspondent from 2008 to 2012 and covered South Korea, North Korea, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore,

"No Friday Night Lights features a smart, sharp reporter taking us to a place we'd never be able to visit on our own—a place, frankly, we probably wouldn't want to visit. Glionna finds humanity and community there, and occasional glimpses of hope."—Will Leitch, Los Angeles Review of Books

“In his nuanced, deeply reported, and beautifully written book, John Glionna takes us to a tiny town with a rugged past, uneasy present, and uncertain future. Still, the indomitable residents and their high school’s struggling eight-man football team carry on. Glionna reminds us why such towns and teams matter.”—Steve Padilla, editor with the Los Angeles Times

“With a lysergic flair for heart-of-America storytelling, John M. Glionna takes us deep into a football country where few boys are left with what they need to bring a much-needed win to a town on the other side of glory days. Get in the truck and let Glionna take the wheel. You’re in good hands for a periscope view into a contemporary slice of the American West you’ve never before seen.”—Ed Komenda, reporter for the Associated Press

“Veteran reporter John Glionna tells the story of McDermitt, Nevada, population 114, a dying former mining town steeped in poverty where the fielding of an eight-man high school football team is a Sisyphean task that underscores how, even in the face of crushing defeat, sport offers hope by building character. For the McDermitt Bulldogs, winning isn’t the goal—simply being able to play the game is.”—Mike Anton, former reporter for the Kansas City Star and Los Angeles Times

“Ever a friend of the underdog, John M. Glionna travels the secluded backroads of Nevada to chronicle the travails of a hardscrabble reservation football team. Along the way we encounter all manner of characters, from the young high school athletes and their fan