Keith Berner is a proud resident of Takoma Park, Maryland, which Utne Reader once called “the leftiest suburb in America.” He observes, “We are sometimes called the ‘Berkley of the East’ but that has it backwards: Berkley is actually the Takoma Park of the West.

Berner has been a political activist his whole life. In 1963, his parents moved to the only purposely integrating community in the country (the Ludlow community in Shaker Heights, Ohio) and promptly dived into the Civil Rights Movement. At age 8 (1968), he was going door-to-door raising money for the “Chicago 7″ (victims of Mayor Daley’s police riots at the Democratic convention that year). His first trips to Washington, DC came the following years, as the whole family protested the Vietnam War. He appeared in Time as a 12-year-old campaigner for George McGovern in 1972.

In recent years, Berner has been involved in local, county, and state politics, getting to spend a lot of time with politicians, party officials, and the like. The result has been significant disillusionment with the people and processes. Which, of course, provides lots of fodder for blowing off steam and the occasional piece of insightful analysis.

Berner holds an MA from the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) of the Johns Hopkins University (1989) and a BS in Communications from Northwestern University (1982). He has lived abroad, in Germany and Sweden, and speaks both languages. Berner serves currently as IT projects manager for the International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX) in Washington, DC. Past professional positions include stints as a US defense policy analyst at Congressional Research Service, a nonprofit executive director, and as writer/editor.

Berner recently launched a new blog: Left-Hand View (lefthandview.wordpress.com).

Berner lives in Takoma Park with his wife, Marty Ittner - a graphic designer, and their dog and 3-1/4 cats.

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