Alex Beam, author of Wallace Stenger: Dean of Western Writers

Schedule

Mon Oct 20 2025 at 03:00 pm to 04:30 pm

UTC-06:00

Location

Marriott Library | Salt Lake City, UT

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Wallace Stegner’s roots in Utah and his influence on literature, education, and environmental thought
About this Event

American writer and journalist Alex Beam will speak about his new biography, , published by Signature Books.

Beam’s biography follows Wallace Stegner from his upbringing on the Canadian-American frontier and in Salt Lake City, to his prominent roles as novelist, essayist, teacher, and environmental advocate. The book examines Stegner’s time on the faculty of Stanford University, where he founded the Stegner Writing Fellowship, and his work with the Sierra Club and the U.S. Department of the Interior, including the authorship of the influential “Wilderness Letter” on the importance of open spaces. It also addresses the controversies and debates surrounding his career, including a plagiarism dispute over his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Angle of Repose. Stegner was a student at the University of Utah, graduating in 1930.

Beam has written extensively on literature, history, and culture. A longtime columnist for The Boston Globe, he has also worked for Newsweek and BusinessWeek. His nonfiction works include American Crucifixion: The M**der of Joseph Smith and the Fate of the Mormon Church (PublicAffairs); The Feud: Vladimir Nabokov, Edmund Wilson, and the End of a Beautiful Friendship (Pantheon); and Broken Glass: Mies van der Rohe, Edith Farnsworth, and the Fight Over a Modernist Masterpiece (Random House). His writing has also appeared in The Atlantic, Slate, and Forbes.


  • Location update: Marriott Library, Learning Space 2753
  • Directions and parking information

Find out more about this and other events at , or .

The Obert C. and Grace A. Tanner Humanities Center at the University of Utah supports academic research, public engagement, and educational programming in the humanities. Views expressed in events and programming do not represent the official views of the Center or University.

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Where is it happening?

Marriott Library, 295 South 1500 East, Salt Lake City, United States

Event Location & Nearby Stays:

Tickets

USD 0.00

Tanner Humanities Center

Host or Publisher Tanner Humanities Center

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