American Stories: A Reading Road Trip
July 2
6 - 7 PM MDT
Virtual Event - Facebook and YouTube Live Premiere
Roll into Utah with PBS Books and the Library of Congress on our next stop in American Stories: A Reading Road Trip. Join us on July 2nd 6pm MT for the live premiere on the PBS Utah and PBS Books YouTube channels, or watch in the video player below, on the PBS Books Facebook page, the PBS app, or pbs.org. Visit pbsbooks.org/readingroadtrip to learn more.
Utah’s Famous Five national parks, towering red-rock canyons, desert silence, and wide-open skies have inspired generations of writers to imagine the West in bold new ways. Across this rugged landscape, authors have explored freedom, identity, history, and the enduring relationship between people and place. From Edward Abbey, whose years as a park ranger at Zion National Park inspired the rebellious spirit of The Monkey Wrench Gang, to Wallace Stegner, the celebrated “Dean of Western Writers” and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Angle of Repose, Utah has long been fertile ground for literary voices. This journey also highlights Zitkála-Šá, whose American Indian Stories blends personal experience with Native activism; Wallace Thurman, the Harlem Renaissance writer who challenged colorism and social convention in The Blacker the Berry; and historian Juanita Brooks, whose groundbreaking research transformed understanding of the Mountain Meadows Massacre and reshaped Utah’s historical narrative.
Today’s Utah writers continue that tradition, using literature to preserve memory, inspire change, and spark imagination. Terry Tempest Williams illuminates the lasting impact of nuclear testing on both land and community in Refuge. Former Utah Poet Laureate Paisley Rekdal gives voice to the overlooked laborers who built the transcontinental railroad in West. Ally Condie captivated readers worldwide with her bestselling Matched trilogy, while Shannon Hale has delighted generations of young readers with stories of fantasy, friendship, and self-discovery, including Princess Academy and Real Friends.
With landscapes that often feel otherworldly, Utah invites visitors to step directly into a story. From the soaring sandstone arches of Arches National Park to the dramatic cliffs of Zion, inspiration can be found around every bend. Book lovers can explore beloved independent bookstores like The King’s English Bookshop in Salt Lake City, visit welcoming libraries such as Grand County Public Library, home to the famous library cat, Cosmo, or immerse themselves in the state’s vibrant literary culture at the Utah Shakespeare Festival and the Utah Book Festival. In Utah, the spirit of storytelling is woven into the land itself.
Learn more HERE!
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