Spend an evening with veteran National Public Radio reporter Debbie Elliott.

Debbie Elliott hosts a free community talk and Q&A.
Gain some insight about how NPR works and listen to a first-hand account of what it's like to be a reporter covering everything from the disappearing Louisiana coastline to the federal-state immigration battle, to the presidential primaries.

About Debbie Elliott
Based in Alabama, Elliott's reporting has ranged from hurricanes and oil spills to industry and politics. Her coverage of the BP oil spill in 2010 and its aftermath focus on the human impact of the spill, the government's response and the region's recovery. In 2010, she launched a series on Morning Edition and All Things Considered, "The Disappearing Coast," which examines the history and culture of south Louisiana, the state's complicated relationship with the oil and gas industry and the oil spill's lasting impact on a fragile coastline.

Elliott has covered the efforts to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina and the other storms that have hit the coast. She also tracks what the economic downturn means for states and municipalities, and whether the federal stimulus package is helping. In Elliott's political reporting, she watches vulnerable Congressional seats and follows southern governors who have higher political aspirations.

While based in Washington, D.C., Elliott covered Congress and was part of NPR's 2008 election team. She co-hosted late election night returns, reported live from the floor of the Democratic National Convention in Denver and broadcast from the grounds of the US Capitol during the Inauguration of President Barack Obama.

Elliott is a former weekend host of NPR's All Things Considered. In that role she interviewed a variety of luminaries and world leaders, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. She celebrated the 40th Anniversary of "Alice's Restaurant" with Arlo Guthrie, and mixed it up on the rink with the Baltimore's Charm City Roller Girls. She profiled the late historian John Hope Franklin and the children's book author Eric Carle.

Since joining NPR in 1995, Elliott has covered the re-opening of Civil Rights-era murder cases, the legal battle over displaying the Ten Commandments in courthouses, the Elian Gonzales custody dispute from Miami, and a number of hurricanes, from Andrew to Katrina. On Election night in 2000, Elliott was stationed in Tallahassee, Fla., and was one of the first national reporters on the scene for the contentious presidential election contest that followed. She has covered landmark smoker lawsuits, the tobacco settlement with states, the latest trends in youth smoking and tobacco-control policy and regulation. She's been to a Super Bowl, the Summer Olympics and baseball spring training.

Explore some of Debbie Elliott's stories on NPR:

The Disappearing Coast – a series of  reports examining the history and culture of south Louisiana, the state's  complicated relationship with the oil and gas industry and the BP oil spill's lasting impact on a fragile coastline.

Immigration Fight  - a group of reports on Alabama law
"States Take Steps To Curtail Illegal Immigration," 6/16/11
"Clergy Sues To Stop Alabama's Immigration Law," 8/23/11
"Tough Ala. Immigration Law Changes Ways Of Life," 10/6/11
"Ala. Immigration Law Worries Latino Parents," 10/6/11
"Labor Worries Rise As Planting Season Nears In Ala.," 10/24/11

Prison meditation
"At End-Of-The Line Prison, An Unlikely Escape," 2/8/11

Haitian orphans
"In Haiti, Quake's Orphans Long For A Home," 3/9/10

Obesity Series
"Mississippi Losing The War With Obesity," 5/19/11
"Tackling Obesity Amid Poverty In A Mississippi County," 8/9/11

In memory of a Birmingham civil rights icon
"Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, Civil Rights Pioneer, Dies," 10/5/11
 
A profile of quilters of Gee’s Bend, Alabama
"The Women of Gee's Bend," 11/28/04