THE VIEW FROM
T O R R E Y H O U S E
February 2018
by Ayja Bounous,
Environmental Humanities graduate and upcoming author of Shaped by Snow, narrative nonfiction from Torrey House Press (September 2019)
“The silver wave in me ignites me to take my grandfather’s love for and intimacy with our mountains a step further—to a passion and willingness to fight for snow and our climate, so that silver waves of snowfall will continue to grace the Wasatch.”
With a new piece every month, Voices Rising elevates millennial voices through a digital platform to publish diverse forms of storytelling. From poetry and creative nonfiction to song and visual art, we hear from young people grappling with the greatest challenges society faces.
Launching the Breathing Stories blog
After delivering Breathing Stories: Utah Voices for Clean Air to the Utah State Legislature (see February's events below), we launched a blog to keep the stories coming. Every week we're sharing two essays, poems, or stories about Utah's air quality. The blog will feature online-exclusive pieces in the future, so check back every week!
Want to share your breathing story? Submissions remain open.
If you want to get your hands on the physical chapbook, you can order it here.
What was really behind the 2015 Gold King Mine disaster in southwestern Colorado?
When the river that his ancestors had settled next to in the 1870s turned orange with mining-related pollution in 2015, Jonathan P. Thompson knew he would write a book about it. Thompson, an award-winning investigative environmental journalist, digs into the science, politics, and greed behind the 2015 Gold King Mine disaster, and unearths a litany of impacts wrought by a century and a half of mining, energy development, and fracking in southwestern Colorado. Amid these harsh realities, Thompson explores how a new generation is setting out to make amends.
“Thompson shines in giving a sense of what it means to love a place that’s been designated a sacrifice zone.” —Publishers Weekly
“An elegy of sorts for a beloved natural area with a long history of human exploitation.” —Foreword Reviews
“. . . meanders through Western history, family stories, and pollution-causing activities to create a vivid and, at times, horrifying time line that shows the aftereffects of human exploitation of nature . . . Aficionados of Western history, environmentalists, and even general readers will enjoy this cautionary tale that takes an intimate look at the side effects of human industry.” —Library Journal (Feb. 1, 2018)
Subscribers get books all year!
There's still time to subscribe to Torrey House Press! Subscribers will get signed copies of 2018 books right to their doors, a week before release. Plus, each subscription includes a tax-deductible donation that directly supports the work of Torrey House Press.
We're thrilled about this year's line-up: Jonathan P. Thompson's nonfiction River of Lost Souls (March), Scott Graham’s Yosemite Fall (National Park Mystery Series #4, June), Alison Hart’s multi-generational novel Mostly White (October), and Eli Knapp’s nonfiction collection The Delightful Horror of Family Birding: And Other Essays on Sharing Nature with the Next Generation (November).
Learn more about the perks of each subscription level, and prepare for great reads:
March 8, 12:15 to 1:15 p.m.: Lunch and lecture with Stony Mesa Sagas author Chip Ward at the University of Utah's Wallace Stegner Center (S.J. Quinney College of Law)
See the Facebook event details here
March 17, 6:00 p.m.: Edge of Morning event with editor Jacqueline Keeler at Paulina Springs Books (Sisters, OR)
See the Facebook event details here
March 14, 7:00 p.m.: Inhabited event with Charlie Quimby at The Printed Garden bookstore (Sandy, UT)
See the Facebook event details here
March 15, 7:00 p.m.: “Oh, Give Me a Home!” Inhabited event with Charlie Quimby at St. Joseph Catholic High School, Evans Black Box Theater (Ogden, UT)
Books will be sold by Booked on 25th
See the Facebook event details here
March 30, 7:00 p.m.: Contributors will read from Breathing Stories, followed by an artivism activity and light refreshments, at Impact Hub (Salt Lake City, UT)
Keep up to date on the event details here
FEBRUARY'S NEWS AND EVENTS
Left: Constituents approach the legislative chamber to deliver Breathing Stories on Feb. 1.
Right: Q&A session with Breathing Stories contributors and UPHE presenters at Air Our Voices on Feb. 3.
Breathing Stories to Utah Legislature and Air Our Voices
On February 1, Breathing Stories: Utah Voices for Clean Air was distributed by concerned constituents to the Utah State Legislature. Read about the event in "Clean Air Now, Ask Them How" in Salt Lake City Weekly and watch the video coverage from Fox 13.
The following Saturday, February 3, Utahns gathered at the Air Our Voices public gathering and press conference. Doctors with Utah Physicans for a Healthy Environment shared statistics and personal thoughts on air pollution in Utah. Readings from Breathing Stories—including Lauren Wilder's "The Right Story," ten-year-old Gracie Larsen's "Air Pollution," and pieces fro Kirtly Parker Jones and Daniel Mendoza—moved the audience with their very personal and human concerns. Read more about the event in this article from The Salt Lake Tribune.
On February 5, Scott Graham joined two other authors—Chuck Greaves and Paul Berkowitz—at the Cortez Public Library for a discussion on writing crime that takes place in the Four Corners area.
Yosemite Fall, the fourth in Graham's National Park Mystery Series, comes out in June. It's a great time to catch up on the previous titles, with 33% off when you use the code MYSTERY at torreyhouse.org/shop. Or get the eBook versions from your favorite eRetailers for $2.99!
Yearning for a great read?
Use the code PUBLICLANDS to get 20% off your order!
I want to urge you to take just 10 minutes to watch the Tom Fitton speech at CPAC video below:
I know that with your hectic schedule, 10 minutes can sometimes seem like an eternity…
But, I can almost guarantee you that when you start watching this captivating and compelling talk, you won’t want to stop until you get to the end.
It’s that informative, revealing – and actually entertaining!
Sincerely,
Carter Clews
Director of Communications
The Utah Women & Leadership Project (UWLP) has a number of women and leadership announcements this month:
First, we are releasing a new research snapshot today titled “Sexual Harassment: What Utahns Need to Know.” Thanks to co-authors Robbyn Scribner and Dr. Amber Thackeray for their wonderful work. We have also started tracking other research on sexual harassment, as well as articles and documents that have tips or guidelines for organizations on the topic. Two other resources we have just finished include (1) a new infographic that highlights some of the results of our 2017 Mammography Among Utah Women research snapshot, and (2) a new one-page handout titled, “Why Should Utah Women Graduate from College? The Benefits of Higher Education.”
Second, this is your final reminder about our event on March 7, 2018 (6:30-8:30pm) at Utah Valley University (we will also live stream the opening keynote and the workshop for young women). The gathering is titled “Strengthen Your Impact in the Community: Conversations that Matter.” RSVP Online Now, and find more details on our homepage. The keynote will be given by President Matthew and Paige Holland, and then attendees will choose from one of five workshops (presenter information and session descriptions can be found on the event flyer):
Third, one of our partners, Mormon Women for Ethical Government (MWEG), is holding a 2018 Spring Conference on March 24, 2018 at Brigham Young University. It is titled, "A Significant Force for Good: Empowering Women in Politics and in Life" and is co-sponsored by BYU's Romney Institute of Public Management. Keynote speakers include Carole Mikita and Dr. Susan Madsen, and there will be many fabulous workshop presenters as well. For more information and to register: https://mwegconference2018.wixsite.com/mwegconf2018. There are still some seats available, and early registration ends tomorrow!
Fourth, the Real Women Run Spring Training is Saturday, April 7, 2018 (8:00 AM - 2:00 PM) at the Thomas S. Monson Center in SLC. This training will be focused on the core skills, strategies, and information needed to run your campaign, and features workshop sessions as well as time for individualized consulting with campaign experts. Attendees who will benefit most include candidates and campaign managers, staff, and volunteers. More information and registration can be found here.
Finally, we have a newly updated list of camps and summer programs for Utah girls and young women (this was a popular feature last winter; please send us links to any others that you know about that are not on our list). Also, if you are in the Heber City area you can join us for an event for girls/women the evening of March 28, 2018. In April I’ll also be speaking at events in Vernal, Ephraim, and St. George, so I hope to meet many of you outside of the Wasatch Front!
Have a great March!
Susan
Dr. Susan R. Madsen
Orin R. Woodbury Professor of Leadership and Ethics
Utah Valley University, Woodbury School of Business
Director, Utah Women & Leadership Project
