Nerdfighter and author John Green comes home

Nerdfighter and author John Green comes home

WBEZ brings you fact-based news and information. Sign up for our newsletters to stay up to date on the stories that matter.

John Green is a superstar. And I don’t just throw that title around. He has over 1.1 million followers on Twitter. His vlogbrothers YouTube page has over 648, 000 subscribers. And John’s newest book, “The Fault in Our Stars” has been #1 on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and the New York Times Bestseller lists.

Listen to John Green interviewed by Steve Edwards on Afternoon Shift

But did you know that before John was the original Nerdfighter he was a regular commentator for WBEZ? John used to write commentaries about the news in Chicago. He would have humorous takes on the issues affecting Chicago and we would play them (3-4 minutes) on Eight Forty-Eight.  John’s first piece was writing about Googling ex-girlfriends for the literary radio program Writers Block Party with WBEZ blogger Amy Krouse Rosenthal. I’ll find it. It has to be in the archives somewhere.

See, John Green is a YA author. If you have a 16 year-old daughter, she is quite possibly smitten with Mr. Green. He has a uncanny way of writing for teenagers. And communicating to young people. Take, for instance, his latest video on his vlogbrothers page. It’s essentially telling young people why they should care about what is happening in Syria:

This should be a fun interview. John made his literary name performing on WBEZ and on local stages around Chicago. So this is a homecoming of sorts. John is coming back to WBEZ today to talk to Steve Edwards on the Afternoon Shift.