A Conversation with Terry Tempest Williams

If you missed our live broadcast, the recording is available for you to watch on our Facebook Page until Thursday, October 21. 

During the event, Terry Tempest Williams shared an essay she wrote specifically for our conversation. She has graciously made the essay available to us that we may share it with you. Access “Believe” here*. 

Other references used during the conversation include: 

“Take Place” by Terry Tempest Williams. A discussion with N. Scott Momaday published in the Paris Review on September 15, 2021.

“Gods Among Us” by Terry Tempest Williams. A featured essay focused on the National Monuments of Southern Utah published in Orion Magazine on September 23, 2019. 

“Obituary for Great Salt Lake: Even Lakes are not Immortal” by Bonnie K. Baxter, PH.D and Jaimi K. Butler. Published in Catalyst Magazine on November 30, 2020. 

As part of Think Water Utah, a statewide conversation on the critical topic of water presented by Utah Humanities and its partners, and as part of the 24th Annual Utah Humanities Book Festival, Terry Tempest Williams will engage in a virtual discussion with the Director of the Brigham City Museum of Art and History.

The discussion will focus on Williams’ book “Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place,” the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, and the role that water plays in Northern Utah’s delicate landscape.

This event is offered within the context of the Museum’s “Hometown Habitat” exhibit, which focuses on the formation, flood, and future of the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge as part of H20 Today in the Bear River Heritage Area. The exhibit is on display now. 

This event is part of the 24th annual Utah Humanities Book Festival. This annual free festival is the Utah Humanities’ gift to the community, allowing us to explore all sorts of ideas by interacting with great writers. The complete program is available at www.utahhumanities.org.

Our thanks to the Book Festival’s major sponsors: George S. and Dolores Dore Eccles Foundation, Salt Lake City Arts Council, Salt Lake County Zoo, Arts, and Parks Fund, Summit County RAP, Weber County R.A.M.P., The Charles Redd Center for Western Studies, The King’s English Bookshop, Weller Book Works, The National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Endowment for the Arts and Catalyst.

“Hometown Habitat” is part of Think Water Utah, a statewide collaboration and conversation on the critical topic of water presented by Utah Humanities and its partners. 

*”Believe”copyright belongs to Terry Tempest Williams and was written in anticipation of our conversation on October 8, 2020.