Access Utah

“The Man Who Caught the Storm” is the saga of the greatest tornado chaser who ever lived: a tale of obsession and daring, and an extraordinary account of humanity’s high-stakes race to understand nature’s fiercest phenomenon.

There are many needs in our communities, and there are dedicated individuals and nonprofits working to meet those needs. They sometimes don’t get the recognition they deserve, and you may want to help but don’t know where and how. On Access Utah we’re inviting you to send us email or tweet to give you the opportunity to spotlight a nonprofit or individual doing good in your community.

Today, a conversation with Matthew Bowman about his book “Christian: The Politics of a Word in America.”

Historian Philip Dray joins us for the hour to talk about two of his books:

When Jackson Olsen graduated from college, he had every intention of going to law school and becoming a lawyer.

We have established an Access Utah tradition: On or near Earth Day each year we invite Utah writer Stephen Trimble and other guests to talk about the earth, the land, and the environment. Trimble suggested we focus on the Torrey House Press this year and specifically focus on their blog which is full of powerful posts written by young authors who are passionate about our beautiful planet. Stephen Trimble joins us for the hour along with writers Mishka Banuri, Brooke Larsen, Tim Glenn, and Forrest Cuch.

Wednesday’s Access Utah is a part of USU’s Year of the Arts. We’ll talk about Henry Purcell’s opera “Dido and Aeneas,” and related topics. Our guests will include conductor Nicholas Kraemer and Purcell scholar and Syracuse University professor Amanda Eubanks Winkler. And we’ll hear some music from the opera.

When Graham Cavanaugh divorced his first wife it was to marry his girlfriend, Audra, a woman as irrepressible as she is spontaneous and fun. But, Graham learns, life with Audra can also be exhausting, constantly interrupted by chatty phone calls, picky-eater houseguests, and invitations to weddings of people he’s never met. Audra firmly believes that through the sheer force of her personality she can overcome the most socially challenging interactions, shepherding her son through awkward playdates and origami club, and even deciding to establish a friendship with Graham’s first wife, Elspeth. Graham isn't sure he understands why Audra longs to be friends with the woman he divorced. After all, former spouses are hard to categorize—are they enemies, old flames, or just people you know really, really well? And as Graham and Audra share dinners, holidays, and late glasses of wine with his first wife he starts to wonder: How can anyone love two such different women? Did I make the right choice? Is there a right ch

Today we’ll revisit an episode from October 2018. This was part of “Our Favorite Books” series, and we celebrated the 100th anniversary of the publication of Willa Cather’s “My Antonia.”

Edward Hirsch is the celebrated author of nine books of poetry. He is also the author of “A Poet's Glossary,” a complete compendium of poetry terms and the author of the bestseller about poetry, “How to Read a Poem and Fall in Love with Poetry.” He has received numerous awards and fellowships, including a MacArthur Fellowship, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and the Prix de Rome. He is an international advocate for poetry and serves as a chancellor of the Academy of American Poets. He taught creative writing at Wayne State University and the University of Houston and is now president of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, which offers fellowships to those engaged in any field of knowledge and creation of the arts.

Utah Patients Coalition, which is leading a ballot initiative campaign in support of medical marijuana, says that “right now, Utah patients battling cancer, seizures, and other life-threatening conditions must break the law in order to relieve their pain and suffering. By passing the medical cannabis ballot initiative … Utah can end this cruel and unjust policy.” A recent poll, published by UtahPolicy.com, shows that 77% of Utahns strongly or somewhat favor access to medical marijuana. It appears likely that this measure will appear on the November ballot in Utah.

David Roberts has spent his career documenting voyages to the most extreme landscapes on earth. In his new book, “Limits of the Known,” he reflects on humanity’s—and his own—relationship to extreme risk; and he tries to make sense of why so many have committed their lives to the pursuit of adventure.

Some 200 years after her death, Jane Austen's books are still widely read and loved. Many film adaptations and spin-offs such as 'Pride, Prejudice and Zombies' are also adored by many. The BBC said this about Austen.

Fifty years after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., just one in 10 African Americans think the United States has achieved all or most of the goals of the civil rights movement. That’s according to a recent poll by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. On Wednesday’s Access Utah, on the 50th anniversary of Dr. King’s death, we’ll talk about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., his legacy, and the future of the ideals he so eloquently articulated and strove for.

Last week USU’s Department of Languages Philosophy and Speech Communications hosted a panel discussion titled “Meaning and #MeToo.” Panelists discussed the #MeToo movement and provided historical, cultural, and legal analysis. On Tuesday’s Access Utah we’ll continue the discussion with the panelists: Erica Holberg, USU Assistant Professor of Philosophy; Mattie Burkert, USU Assistant Professor of English; and Nicole Vouvalis, Director of USU’s Institutional Review Board Office.

This episode of Access Utah is part of the “Democracy and the Informed Citizen” Initiative administered by the Federation of State Humanities Councils in partnership with the Pulitzer Prizes Board for a collaboration between UPR, Utah Humanities, and The Salt Lake City Library. The initiative seeks to deepen the public’s knowledge and appreciation of the vital connections between democracy, the humanities, journalism, and an informed citizenry. The initiative is supported by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

It’s the final pledge drive special edition of Access Utah for our Spring drive today. My special guests this hour are some of the great people who have served as student interns and producers of Access Utah. We’ll be talking with Dani Hayes, Adison Pace, Katie Swain, Bennett Purser, Aimee Cobabe and Connor Rivers. We’ll reach into the archives for parts of some of our most memorable episodes. We’ll revisit discussions about lifting the ban on gay Boy Scouts, and about Sex Positivity. And we’ll hear some music from our program on the history of the Banjo. We’ll invite you to pledge your support to UPR to ensure that Access Utah continues strong on this last day of UPR’s Spring Pledge Drive.

It’s a pledge drive special edition of Access Utah today. My special guest for the hour is Ken Sanders from Ken Sanders Rare Books in Salt Lake City. We’ll reach into the archives for parts of some of our favorite episodes of the program. We’ll hear from Evelyn Funda, Associate Dean of the USU College of Humanities and Social Sciences and author of “Weeds: A Farm Daughter’s Lament.” Evelyn Funda will tell us the gripping story of her mother’s escape from communist Czechoslovakia. Then we’ll hear part of my conversation with Colin Dickey, author of the forthcoming book “The Unidentified,” about conspiracy theories. And Ken Sanders will read poems of Ken Brewer and prose of Edward Abbey. We’ll invite you to pledge your support to UPR to ensure that Access Utah continues strong.

It’s a pledge drive special edition of Access Utah today. My special guest for the hour is folklorist and USU Assistant Professor of English Lynne McNeill. We’ll reach into the archives for parts of some great episodes of the program. We’ll hear from Eric Nuzum, former Vice President of Programming at NPR and author of “Giving Up the Ghost: A Story About Friendship, 80s Rock, A Lost Scrap of Paper, and What It Means to Be Haunted.” We’ll also hear part of my conversation with National Geographic photographer Paul Nicklen about global warming and rapid changes in the Arctic. And Lee Austin will introduce us to the soundscape of Zion National Park. We’ll invite you to pledge your support to UPR to ensure that Access Utah continues strong.

It’s a pledge drive special edition of Access Utah today. My special guest for the hour is former UPR Station Manager Richard Meng. We’ll reach into the archives for parts of some of my most memorable interviews. We’ll hear from explorer and educator Helen Thayer; indomitable Holocaust survivor Eva Kor; and singer-songwriter Rosalie Sorrells. And we’ll invite you to pledge your support to UPR to ensure that Access Utah and all the programming you value continues strong.