Authors & Activities 2008    

Utah Humanities Book Festival is pleased to announce a rich lineup of authors.
Idris AndersonIdris Anderson is winner of the 2008 May Swenson Poetry Award. Anderson earned her Ph.D in English Literature from the University of South Carolina.

Will BagleyWill Bagley has appeared in more than a dozen documentary films, including the American Experience episode of “The Mormons” on PBS. He is a Wallace Stegner Centennial Fellow at the U of U.

Jo Ann BeardJo Ann Beard is a former New York secretary turned essayist, author of The Boys of My Youth (1998), a book of essays including: “In the Current,” “The Fourth State of Matter,” and “The Family Hour.”

Book ArtsBook Arts Program, J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah, encourages appreciation for books through bookmaking workshops, classes, lectures, exhibitions, and community outreach.

Erika Marie BsumekErika Marie Bsumek is assistant professor of history at the University of Texas at Austin. She is the author of Indian-Made: Navajo Culture in the Marketplace, 1868-1940.

Ann CannonAnn Cannon writes books for young readers, as well as a weekly column for the Deseret News. She teaches creative writing and works as a bookseller at The King’s English Bookshop in Salt Lake City.
Wanda ColemanWanda Coleman  has been writing poetry and fiction since age five; her work appears in more than 80 anthologies. Her most recent book is Wanda Coleman’s Greatest Hits 1966-2003 (2004).

Katharine ColesKatharine Coles is a professor of English at the University of Utah, where she teaches creative writing and literature. In 2006, she was named to a five-year term as Poet Laureate of Utah.

   

Community Writing CenterThe SLCC Community Writing Center supports, motivates and educates people of all abilities who want to use writing for practical needs, civic engagement and personal expression.

Jared FarmerJared Farmer is Assistant Professor of History at The State University of New York at Stony Brook and the author of Glen Canyon Dammed: Inventing Lake Powell and the Canyon Country.
    Paul FleischmanPaul Fleischman received the Newbery Medal for Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices, a Newbery honor for Graven Images, and the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction for Bull Run. Sherri HaabSherri Haab is the award-winning author of twenty-one best selling crafting books. Award winning titles include The Art of Metal Clayand Metal Clay and Mixed Media Jewelry, and The Art of Resin Jewelry.
    Teresa JordanTeresa Jordan is the author or editor of seven books including the memoir Riding the White Horse Home and Raging River, Quiet Mind: Field Notes from the Grand Canyon. Glen LeonardGlen Leonard served for twenty-six years as director of the Museum of Church History and Art in Salt Lake City. He graduated from the University of Utah in 1970 with a Ph.D. in history and American Studies.
    T.J. LeydenT. J. Leyden spent fifteen years in the Skinhead movement before renouncing racism and going to work as a consultant to the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles.

Jeff McCarthyJeff McCarthy is Chair of Environmental Studies and Associate Professor of English at Westminster College. His writing is found in academic journals and climbing magazines.
    Honor MooreHonor Moore, author of The Bishop’s Daughter, a story that chronicles a turbulent father-daughter relationship with a father who struggled privately with his sexuality. Robert NewmanRobert Newman is Associate Vice President for Interdisciplinary Studies and Dean of the College of Humanities at the University of Utah.
    Richard PeckRichard Peck has written over twenty novels and has become one of America's most highly respected writers for young adults. His presentation is, "Celebration of real books in an age of Facebook."

Pilar PobilPilar Pobil is a self-taught internationally known artist, whose work has been exhibited around the world. She produces works that combine rich colors with a finely-honed sense of personal expression.
    Red Rock RondoRed Rock Rondo is a six member ensemble including the internationally-known recording artist Kate MacLeod. Their music is a well-crafted synergy of folk and classical styles. Jana RichmanJana Richman, born and raised in Utah's west desert, is the author of a recent novel, The Last Cowgirl.
   

Ken SaundersKen Sanders owns and operates Ken Sanders Rare Books, a new, used and rare bookshop in downtown Salt Lake City and has been in the antiquarian book trade for 35 years.

Starry-Eyed PuppetsThe Starry-Eyed Puppets are a professional puppet theater company that has been performing original puppet entertainment for active minds of all ages since 1999.
    Robert SteensmaRobert C. Steensma has published five books, the most recent being Wallace Stegner’s Salt Lake City, and several hundred articles, reviews, and professional papers. Arthur SzeArthur Sze is an acclaimed Chinese-American poet who has written various books of poetry, including The Ginkgo Light (2009), Quipu (2005), and Archipelago (1995).
    RaeAnne ThayneRaeAnne Thayne is an award-winning author of more than thirty books for Bantam Loveswept, Silhouette Intimate Moments/Romantic Suspense and Silhouette Special Edition. Steve TrimbleStephen Trimble's new book, Bargaining for Eden: The Fight for the Last Open Spaces in America, explores how we make decisions as a community about the landscapes we love.
    Richard Turley Jr.Richard Turley Jr. is the Assistant Church Historian and Recorder for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He also served as managing director of the Family and Church History Department. Thrity UmrigarThrity Umrigar is the author of the national best-seller, The Space Between Us, which was also a #1 BookSense pick and a finalist for the 2007 PEN/Beyond Margins award.
    Ronald WalkerRonald Walker is a professional historian living in Salt Lake City, and was formerly a professor of history at Brigham Young University. He is the author or editor of eight books

Tony WellerTony Weller is a third generation bookseller and is President and principle owner of Sam Weller's Zion Bookstore, which was founded in 1929.
Terry Tempest WilliamsTerry Tempest Williams is an impassioned advocate for a just relationship between humankind and the natural world. Her upcoming book is Finding Beauty in a Broken World: A Mosaic. Sara ZaarSara Zarr is the author of the critically acclaimed National Book Award Finalist Story of a Girl, a moving first novel that deals with forgiveness and redemption.