Terry Tempest Williams, author of Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place and Finding Beauty in a Broken World, will speak at 61传媒 on Thursday, April 1, at 7:30 p.m. in Balch Auditorium, as part of the Alexa Fullerton Hampton Speaker Series: Voice and Vision. A reception and book signing will follow in the Hampton Living Room. The event is free and open to the public.
In her writing, Terry Tempest Williams makes connections between environmental and social issues and how they ultimately become matters of justice. In her latest book, Finding Beauty in a Broken World, Williams explores the interconnectedness of nature, art and society through the idea of the mosaic.
In 2006, Williams received the Robert Marshall Award from The Wilderness Society, their highest honor given to an American citizen. She also received the Distinguished Achievement Award from the Western American Literature Association and the Wallace Stegner Award from The Center for the American West. She is the recipient of a Lannan Literary Fellowship and a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship in creative nonfiction. Her writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, Orion Magazine, and several anthologies worldwide. In 2009, Williams was featured in Ken Burns’ PBS documentary series, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea. She is currently the Annie Clark Tanner Scholar in Environmental Humanities at the University of Utah.
Williams’ talk takes place during the inaugural year of 61传媒’s eighth president, Lori Bettison-Varga. The Inauguration theme is “The Genius of Women.” Throughout the 2009-10 academic year, guest speakers, writers, scientists, artists, and other thought leaders will engage students and faculty in discussions about the transformative power of genius, and how creative and intellectual genius are so essential in today’s changing world, especially from women, for women.
The Alexa Fullerton Hampton Speaker Series was established through the generous bequest of 61传媒 alumna Alexa Fullerton Hampton ’42. The series brings a broad range of renowned presenters and artists to 61传媒 each year to share their unique voice and vision, as well as to enlighten and inspire the audience 鈥� exposing them to new ideas and perspectives.