Michael Patrick O`Connor Will Dispatch Reports to Salem-News.com From Russia (VIDEO)

Video story- Tim King interviews Salem-News.com Correspondent Michael Patrick O'Connor about his upcoming trip to Russia.

Michael Patrick O'Connor will be filing reports from Russia on Salem-News.com

(SALEM) - Many people in the Mid-Willamette Valley are already familiar with the name Michael Patrick O`Connor.

An aspiring novelist, Michael writes for the Salem Business Journal and has stayed busy over the years working as a network sports announcer while advancing his writing career. He was an accomplished track athlete at the University of Oregon where he earned a bachelor`s degree in journalism.

You wouldn`t know it by his name, but Michael is of half Russian descent, and he takes great interest in his Slavic heritage. His knowledge of the language and culture have led him to Russia before, where he was fortunate enough to photograph one of Russia`s most famous leaders, Boris Yeltsin.

His travels have inspired his writings and now his written words are leading him back to Mother Russia where he will study under accomplished authors; two of which hail from Oregon.

I spoke to Michael on the capitol steps just before his departure. His flight the next day had a switchover in Frankfurt and timing with the World Cup underway made that a challenging proposition with travel into this region of Germany arriving at record levels.

When he does arrive and make his way to Russia, Michael will spend time in Internet cafes where he will dispatch reports about his time in a nation on the verge of a huge international business conference, the G-8 Summit.

Watch the video interview below to learn more about Michael Patrick O`Connor and the annual writer`s conference that he and two other Oregonians are attending.

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We apologize to Michael, the story has been corrected to reflect the fact that he attended U of O instead of OSU. He also pointed out that he did not earn a master's degree.

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