Access Utah

We hope you’ll join us on Thursday for the Access Utah Holiday Special. Lightwood Duo, Mike Christiansen on guitar and Eric Nelson on clarinet, will play music for the holidays and playwright Tim Slover, author of The Christmas Chronicles, will present readings for the season.

Today we talk with Heather Lende about her new book Of Bears and Ballots: An Alaskan Adventure in Small-Town Politics.

Today we present some readings for the season from a special holiday edition of The Zesty Garden from 2013. This gardening program, hosted by Bryan Earl, ran for several years on UPR and included a regular segment called Petals and Prose. Helen Cannon and Nancy Williams were regular contributors. Today we'll hear from Helen's husband, Larry Cannon, along with Nancy Willians and Bryan Earl with stories, memories and at least one holiday recipe.

In a world where rational, scientific explanations are more available than ever, belief in the unprovable and irrational–in the fringe–is on the rise. There’s a new book out called “The Unidentified: Mythical Monsters, Alien Encounters, and Our Obsession with the Unexplained.” The author, Colin Dickey, will join me for the hour on Monday’s Access Utah. We’ll talk about everything from the great Kentucky Meat Shower of 1876 to UFOs to QAnon and Pizzagate.

Today on Access Utah we’re doing another non-profit spotlight. There are many needs in our communities, especially during this extraordinary year and this special time of year. We’d love to shine a light on your favorite non-profit or individual doing good in your community.

Katharine Coles, former Utah Poet Laureate and current Distinguished Professor in the Creative Writing Program at the University of Utah, joins us today for Access Utah to talk about her seventh collection of poems, Wayward, published last year.

USU Professor Emeritus Ross Peterson is among the most beloved American history teachers ever to step inside a college classroom. Several generations of students have voted him their favorite instructor, and a fair number became teachers themselves. Ross Peterson’s new book “Christmas in Montpelier” offers a look into his early life, where his wry humor, work ethic, and kindness were honed. Twelve Christmases come to life as he grows from a small boy in a hardscrabble farmhouse with no running water inside and a two-hole privy outside, to one of the nation's most honored educators.

With a surge in Covid-19 cases continuing in Utah and a vaccine on the horizon, we’ll look at the current situation and look ahead today. Our guest for the hour is Doctor Stuart Fischer, Medical Director of Bronx Gardens Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in New York City. We’ll talk about the impact of holiday travel on the spread of the virus, how people living with chronic conditions can stay healthy, and lessons learned from the pandemic, among many other topics.

Poet Ben Gunsberg will join us for Access Utah on Wednesday. He’s been writing poems for the pandemic. We’ll hear some of those poems today. His latest collection is “Welcome, Dangerous Life.” He writes about the vulnerability of being a parent.

Thursday on Access Utah we’ll spotlight the ongoing Moab Music Festival. We’ll talk with master fiddler Alasdair Fraser, cellist Natalie Haas, and violinist Charles Yang, all of whom are performing at the festival. We’ll also hear music performed by these artists.