The Grand County Public Library will host five special author events this season at the library’s Moab location, 257 E. Center St.
The library is bringing the free events to the community through partnerships with multiple organizations, including the Moab Festival of Science, Utah Humanities Book Festival and Back of Beyond Books.
On Thursday, Sept. 28, at 7 p.m., novelist Sylvia Torti will discuss and read from her new book “Cages.”
Torti is an adjunct professor in biology, as well as the current dean of the Honors College, at the University of Utah.
Her novel comes out of a decade of conversation with her colleague Franz Goller in his birdsong lab. Torti was intrigued by how birds communicate and remember songs, and she was curious how it applied to human communication. “Cages” centers around people working in a similar lab and exploring these questions.
On Friday, Oct. 6, at 7 p.m., writer Ian Doescher will bring his Shakespearean retelling of George Lucas’ epic “Star Wars” to the library.
His writing is full of fretful droids, faithful Wookiees, and fearsome Storm Troopers, and library staffers said the evening will be a delight to “Star Wars” and Shakespeare fans alike.
On Tuesday, Oct. 10, at 7 p.m., former Utah Poet Laureate David Lee will return to the library.
Few poets working today have a keener eye for the complexities of small-town life and mythology, and how the two blend together. Lee is the author of nearly 20 books and is professor emeritus at Southern Utah University.
On Friday, Oct. 13, at 6:30 p.m., writers Peter Anderson and Rick Kempa will read from and discuss their collection “Going Down Grand: Poems from the Canyon.”
Anderson and Kempa co-edited the book, which is a collection of poems by 61 writers offering poetic perspectives on the Grand Canyon from the rim, the river and places in between. The book was a finalist for a 2016 Colorado Book Award.
On Tuesday, Oct. 17, at 7 p.m., historian Mark Fiege will discuss the environmental history of the United States and its complex relationship with its national parks.
Fiege is the author of “The Republic of Nature” and an editor for the collection “National Parks Beyond the Nation: Global Perspectives on ‘America’s Best Idea.’” Fiege is also the Wallace Stegner Chair in Western American Studies at Montana State University.
The evenings with Torti, Doescher, Lee and Fiege are all brought to the library in partnership with the Utah Humanities Book Festival. The evening with Torti is also part of the second annual Moab Festival of Science.
Novelist Sylvia Torti kicks off free series on Sept. 28
For more information, call the library at 435-259-1111, or visit www.moablibrary.org.
