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Associate Editor

Barbara O'Neil

Associate Editor

Barbara O’Neil is an associate editor at 5280 and writes for both the print magazine and 5280.com. Barbara was born in Santiago, Chile, and although she misses fresh seafood, she wouldn’t trade living in Colorado for the world’s best salmon. She graduated from the University of Denver with a degree in journalism. Prior to joining the 5280 team, she interned for 303 Magazine. While Barbara has yet to bring in a Pulitzer, she’s proud to have at least received recognition from the Society of Professional Journalists for “Limited Company,” a look at the world of rare diseases in Colorado. When not drowning in assignments, Barbara can be found exploring Denver’s art scene, attempting to visit all 50 states, or simply scrolling through miles of social media posts.

Articles By Barbara O'Neil

A girl reading in the woods

9 Spring Reads Chosen by the Experts at Denver’s Tattered Cover Book Store

Ditch your Snuggie for a hammock and dive into one of these new releases—all with Colorado ties—this spring.

Aimee Bushong poses with a guitar

Go Behind the Curtain of Denver’s Strip Club Scene in This New Memoir

Aimee Bushong’s Rock ’N’ Pole gives an unfiltered look at the local’s time dancing in Mile High City nightclubs and her dreams of pursuing music.

A photograph of a woman sitting in between a ton of goods for sale at a market, including fruits and yarn

5 Events You Can’t Miss During Denver’s Month of Photography

This biennial festival runs through the end of March. Here are the exhibits you have to catch before they’re gone.

The inside of Bloom at Children's Museum with a decorative artistic plant sculpture

10 of the Best Indoor Playgrounds In and Around Denver

Snow and rain don’t have to mean more screen time for your kiddos.

Anna Kaye’s “Dusky and Checkered Wings”

How One Denver Artist Explores the Science and Beauty of Wildfires

Anna Kaye’s latest exhibit at the Denver Botanic Gardens studies how Colorado’s wildfires are both devastating yet necessary.

A crowd of people dances at downtown's Disco Pig

10 of the Best Places to Go Dancing in Denver

Whatever your style may be, these dance floors are the go-to destinations to get your groove on in the Mile High City.

Two men look at something off camera

5 Movies to Watch at the Denver Jewish Film Festival

From a dramedy about an Eritrean refugee to a documentary on Senator Joe Lieberman, here’s what you can’t miss at this year’s festival, which kicks off January 23.

A figure plays the saxophone surrounded by psychedelic colors and lights in a film still from "Whitelines."

5 Local Artists To Look for at This Year’s Art of the State Exhibit

Every three years, painters, sculptors, and photographers from across Colorado show off their magnum opuses. Here are the creators people are raving about.

A herd of horses run down the entrance road at C Lazy U Ranch in Granby, Colorado.

This Colorado Author Saved Hundreds of Horses From the East Troublesome Fire

Ami Cullen was inspired to write Running Free after rescuing horses from C Lazy U Ranch during the 2020 wildfire in Larimer and Grand Lake counties.

10 Sober Things to Do in Denver During Dry January

It might be known for its legal weed and craft beer, but you don’t need to light up or suffer hangovers to have a good time in the Mile High City.

Jake Brasch

With The Reservoir, Jake Brasch Examines His Own Addiction and Recovery Journey

The Denver playwright’s latest production premieres at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts on January 17.

A plate of red and green tamales with sides in the background.

8 of the Best Places To Get Tamales in and Around Denver

Pick up a dozen corn-husk-wrapped delights at one of these family-owned Mexican restaurants.

Where to See the Best Christmas Light Displays Around Denver This Year

From decked-out houses to dazzling public exhibits, here are some of our favorite spots to see holiday lights this year.

The 10 Best Colorado Gifts for Less Than $50

We scoured the state for some of this year’s hottest holiday goods, all for less than a Grant.

6 Must-See Films With a Local Twist at This Year’s Denver Film Festival

The 47th Denver Film Festival returns November 1 to 10. We found six films with Colorado connections in the lineup that you shouldn’t miss.

5 Old-School Film Photographers To See at This New Denver Exhibit

Forget Photoshop—Lost & Found throws it back to photographs created with film negatives.

5 Artisans to Shop at Denver’s Inaugural Transgender and Nonbinary Market

Hear ye, hear ye! The new ThemFaire bazaar celebrates nonbinary and transgender small business owners.

Aerial view of Hurricane Helene

This Colorado Scientist Predicted the Crazy Hurricane Season Six Months Ago

Phil Klotzbach, a Colorado State University researcher who develops yearly hurricane forecasts, talks about why this year’s season is so unusual—and why it might be the new normal.

Power of Poison exhibit at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science

5 Surprising Things We Learned From the Power of Poison Exhibit

No, how to poison your spouse and make it look like an accident is not part of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science’s latest display.

Meet the Colorado Astronauts Aboard the Polaris Dawn Mission

Scott Poteet and Sarah Gillis are among the four astronauts hoping to make the first commercial spacewalk and reach the highest crewed Earth orbit ever flown.

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