On Thursday, March 5, poet, farmer, novelist, and essayist Wendell Berry will appear at a reception and book signing and read from his work in Salt Lake City. The evening events are being held in conjunction with the 14th Annual Stegner Symposium, which begins the following day, March 6, and focuses on the life and legacy of Wallace Stegner.
Wendell Berry is the author of more than 40 books of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. His works include the novel Hannah Coulter, the essay collections Citizenship Papers and The Way of Ignorance and Given: Poems. The latest novel in his acclaimed Port William series, Andy Catlett: Early Travels, was published in 2007. Berry’s works have been widely lauded, with The New York Times noting in a review of his Collected Poems, 1957-1982, that “Many of Mr. Berry’s short poems are as fine as any written in our time.”
Berry earned a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from the University of Kentucky. In 1958, he received a Stegner Fellowship at Stanford University, where he studied with Wallace Stegner. In addressing the influence of Stegner on his work, Berry said, “Following the example of Mr. Stegner, I have tried to help conserve wilderness, the health of economic landscapes, and the cultures of husbandry.”
On March 5, Berry will appear at a reception and book signing at Ken Sanders Rare Books, 268 S. 200 East, from 5: 00 to 6:00p.m. At 6:30 p.m. he will read from his works at the Salt Lake Masonic Temple, 650 E. South Temple. All events are free and open to the public. For more information, call the Wallace Stegner Center at 801-585-3440.
Principal funding for “An Evening with Wendell Berry” is provided by Chevron, the R. Harold Burton Foundation and the Cultural Vision Fund.
For more information on the 14th Annual Stegner Symposium, “Wallace Stegner: His Life and Legacy,” to be held March 6-7 at the Marriott University Park Hotel, call 801-585-3440 or visit www.law.utah.edu/stegner