John Donvan


John Donvan is a four-time Emmy Award-winning journalist, broadcaster and debate moderator whose bestselling book, In a Different Key: The Story of Autism, was a Pulitzer Prize Finalist. He serves as host of the Intelligence Squared US, a debate series dedicated to raising the level of public discourse in America.

Early life

Donvan attended Regis High School in New York City.

Career

Donvan is host of Intelligence Squared US, a forum that gathers together experts to debate propositions concerning serious topics of public interest in Oxford Union-style debates which may be heard on NPR, and on Fora.TV. In addition, Donvan is an avid storyteller, premiering his first one-man show Lose the Kid in Washington, DC in September 2013, under the auspices of SpeakeasyDC.
In 2016, Donvan and Caren Zucker, a journalist and television news producer, co-authored In a Different Key: The Story of Autism. Issues that they discuss include the Refrigerator mother theory and the possibility of an autism epidemic. One autistic individual they cover in particular is Donald Triplett. Another point they covered was psychiatrist Leo Kanner. This book has additionally discussed the debate concerning the neurodiversity movement, especially with respect to low-functioning autistics.

Awards

Donvan's broadcast work has won four Emmy Awards, several Overseas Press Club Awards, two Cine Golden Eagles, and has been honored by the National Association of Black Journalists, the Committee of 100, and the Media Action Network for Asian-Americans. As a writer, he was a named finalist for the 2017 Pulitzer Prize in general non-fiction for "In A Different Key: The Story of Autism," and also a finalist for the 2011 National Magazine Award for his profile of Donald Triplett, the first child officially diagnosed with autism. Both works were co-authored with Caren Zucker.