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Reconsidering Desert Solitaire

Crowd of people looking at a redrock arch
Thomas Jundt / Flickr CC
https://goo.gl/b1bj38

Edward Abbey’s love letter to redrock country, Desert Solitaire, is 50 years old now. But a lot has changed in that time. The writer Amy Irvine joins us to offer a different take on Abbey’s season in the wilderness.

RadioWest divider.

Thursday, we’re taking a different look at Edward Abbey. His love letter to redrock country, Desert Solitaire, is 50 years old now. It has inspired a lot of people through the years, including the writer Amy Irvine. In her latest book, she offers a tribute and a challenge to Abbey and his work, from his thoughts on solitude and his passion for the land, to his misogyny and misrepresentation. Irvine joins us to talk about Abbey’s season in the wilderness, and her own. (Rebroadcast)

  • On Wednesday, April 17, 7:00 p.m., Amy Irvine will take part in a panel discussion about the work of Utah writer Ellen Meloy. She'll be joined by KUER's Elaine Clark and by writer and journalist Zak Podmore. The event is in conjunction with the publication of Meloy's KUER radio essays and takes place at the Bears Ears Education Center in Bluff, Utah. [Event information]
  • Irvine will also join a panel about Meloy at Weller Book Works in Salt Lake City on May 1. [Event Information]

Amy Irvine is a writer, public lands activist, and a sixth-generation Utahn. Her writing has appeared in OrionHigh Desert Journal, and Climbing. She's the author of the memoir Trespass: Living at the Edge of the Promised Land. Her latest book is called Desert Cabal [Indie bookstores|Amazon]

 

Doug Fabrizio has been reporting for KUER News since 1987, and became News Director in 1993. In 2001, he became host and executive producer of KUER's RadioWest, a one hour conversation/call-in show on KUER 90.1 in Salt Lake City. He has gained a reputation for his thoughtful style. He has interviewed everyone from Isabel Allende to the Dalai Lama, and from Madeleine Albright to Desmond Tutu. His interview skills landed him a spot as a guest host of the national NPR program, "Talk of the Nation." He has won numerous awards for his reporting and for his work with RadioWest and KUED's Utah NOW from such organizations as the Society of Professional Journalists, the Utah Broadcasters Association, the Public Radio News Directors Association and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.