Rachel Hopkin
KGOU Host-ProducerRachel is a British-born and U.S.-based radio producer and folklorist. She began her career as a radio producer in various music departments at the BBC in the United Kingdom. She then moved to Argentina and continued to work on an independent basis for broadcasters around the world.
In 2010 she settled in the U.S. and in 2013 was awarded a rare “National Interest Waiver” Green Card in recognition of her work as a folklorist/radio producer with a special focus on U.S. traditional culture. She became a naturalized American citizen in 2019. Rachel has earned an M.A. in Folk Studies from Western Kentucky University, and a doctorate in English and Folklore from The Ohio State University.
Rachel is passionate about sound and storytelling and how one can be harnessed to enhance the power of the other. At KGOU, she brings her talents and passion to the How Curious podcast; she’s also responsible for initiating and overseeing various special projects.
Send Rachel your questions and curiosities about anything related to Oklahoma at curious@kgou.org.
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Which Oklahoman Got a Hippopotamus for Christmas? Today’s story features a local girl with a belter of a voice, several hippopotamuses, some zoo history, and a hit song. -
Kendall’s Restaurant in downtown Noble, Okla., is famous for chicken-fried steaks, cinnamon rolls, and GHOSTS. Rachel Hopkin explores some strange goings-on under its roof. -
The Morgan Horse is the earliest surviving breed of American horse. But it's from Vermont. So why is it so important to Oklahoma? -
Which of Oklahoma's cities was designated "America's Model City" in 1951? And how did the diminutive Shetland pony help that city to grow? -
Many settlers in Oklahoma are of German descent but had ancestors who lived as Germans in Russia for a century or more. Who are these “other Germans?” -
Did you know that the Tulsa Oktoberfest played an important role in fueling the craze for the Chicken Dance? Find out how in this episode of How Curious. -
Does a massive man-hunting octopus inhabit Oklahoma’s lakes? Rachel Hopkin looks into one of the Sooner State’s unique legendary monsters, the Oklahoma Octopus. -
In 1913 a young Oklahoma came to be known as “The Richest Black Girl in America” after oil was found on her land. How Curious explores Sarah Rector’s extraordinary life. -
For decades, stories have circulated about a violent Chicago gangster living in rural Norman, Okla. In this How Curious episode, Rachel Hopkin, digs for the truth behind the rumors. -
The Texas Longhorn is typically associated with, er, Texas. But KGOU heard a rumor that when the breed was on the verge of extinction a century ago, it was a group of Oklahomans that saved the bovine.
