Access Utah

Colin Woodard, a bestselling author, historian, and award-winning journalist, directs the Nationhood Lab at Salve Regina University’s Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy.

Martha Barnette has spent two decades as the co-host of "A Way with Words," lauded by Mary Norris in The New Yorker as “a virtual treasure house” and “‘Car Talk’ for Lexiphiles.”

We revisit our conversation from April 2019 with Kirk Wallace Johnson about his book, 'The Feather Thief ', the story of a bizarre and shocking crime, and one man's relentless pursuit of justice.

We revisit our conversation from November 2013 with Val Holley about his book "25th Street Confidential."

We revisit an episode from October 2018. This was part of “Our Favorite Books” series. We celebrated the 100th anniversary of the publication of Willa Cather’s “My Antonia.”

It’s time again for us to compile another UPR community booklist. So we want to know what you’re reading. What’s on your nightstand or device right now?

We revisit our conversation from October 2025 with writer Michael Kleber-Diggs, who Stokes Nature Center brought in to headline the kickoff event to their participation in the NEA Big Read.

We talk with Beth Macy about her new book "Paper Girl: A Memoir of Home and Family in a Fractured America."

On this episode, we’re doing another non-profit spotlight. There are many needs in our communities and many step up to help.

We talk with Sarah Stein Lubrano about her book "Don’t Talk About Politics."

Craig Johnson is the New York Times bestselling author of the Walt Longmire mystery novels, which are the basis for Longmire, the Netflix series.

Today we talk with Tony Juniper about his new book "Just Earth: How A Fairer World Will Save The Planet."

We talk with Sadie Webb, associate director of the College Debates and Discourse Alliance, a program that teaches students and faculty how to honor ideological diversity and foster civil discourse.

In 1893, Matilda Joslyn Gage was arrested for registering to vote. We talk about women's suffrage and Gage's connection to "The Wizard of Oz."

Today we talk with Caroline Fraser, author of the new book "Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers."

Salt Lake Tribune reporters Robert Gehrke, Julie Jag and Paighten Harkins talk about the week’s top stories, including the Legislature picking Utah’s new congressional map on Oct. 6.

On today's Access Utah, we highlight Top of Mind with Julie Rose, a show that's coming to UPR in October. And we talk with Nikki Bedi of BBC's The Arts Hour, a favorite program of ours.

On this fund drive special we talk with Utah Food Bank President and CEO Ginette Bott. We talk about food insecurity, the hunger cliff, the services the Utah Food Bank provides, and how to help.

We talk with Mark Sundeen about his book "Delusions and Grandeur: Dreamers of the New West."

As you know, public media is in a post-rescission world. With the loss of federal funding, public radio and television stations face big new problems and maybe new opportunities.

Jerome Charyn is the award-winning author of more than fifty works of fiction and nonfiction. Today we’ll talk with him about his new book about opera singer Maria Callas titled, "Maria, La Divina."

Our guest today is folklorist Lynne McNeill. Lynne McNeill is an associate professor of folklore at Utah State University, as well as co-founder of and faculty advisor for the USU Folklore Club.

We talk with Jaxon Didericksen, Access to Justice program coordinator with the Transforming Communities Institute at USU, about the recent launch of their community justice advocate program.

As a child in the foothills of the Himalayas, Priyanka Kumar was entranced by forest-like orchards of diverse and luscious fruit — especially apples.

Today we revisit our conversation from December 2018 with environmental journalist Ben Goldfarb, talking about his book "Eager: The Surprising Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter."