Access Utah

Digital Assets Librarian Darcy Pumphrey joins us to talk about a Utah State University library exhibit on Brigham Young College 100 years after its closure.

“The truly happy man ought to stay at home.” This is one of many quotes preserved from the ancient Greek dramatists, now translated by classicist James Romm into verse.

The Stokes Nature Center's NEA Big Read program is focusing on "You Are Here: Poetry in the Natural World," edited by Ada Limon. Featured in the book, author, poet, and essayist Molly McCully Brown joined us in January to discuss the collection and other works.Molly McCully Brown is the author of the essay collection "Places I’ve Taken my Body" and the poetry collection "The Virginia State Colony For Epileptics and Feebleminded," which won the 2016 Lexi Rudnitsky First Book Prize and was named a New York Times Critics’ Top Book of 2017. With Susannah Nevison, she is also the coauthor of the poetry collection "In The Field Between Us." She is director of creative writing at the University of Wyoming and editor-in-chief of Image Journal.

Critics of a major upcoming canal project in Cache Valley join us today to discuss water conservation, Great Salt Lake, and more on Access Utah.

On this episode, we talk about the key drivers of workplace wellbeing, as well as a decline in suicide rates and an increase in residents seeking mental health services in the Bear River Health District.

Chris Ballard, a senior writer at Sports Illustrated for two decades, is the award-winning author of four books. Today he joined us to talk about his new book, "The Plunge."

Our guest is Gary Paul Nabhan, celebrated ethnobotanist and biocultural conservationist. In his new book "Water in the Desert," he traces the fascinating story of his life.

Ahead of USU's Brain Health Fair, we learn how to combat cognitive decline, reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s Disease, promote healthy aging and improve your overall brain health.

"The Once and Future Lake" brings together nature writers, scientists, and storytellers to reveal the beauty of Great Salt Lake and a hopeful future for it.

Our guests today are Ryan Jackson and Ned Weinshenker. We discuss a new CRISPR system that can be used to selectively kill cells, and some recent breakthroughs in the growing technology.

We talk with award-winning journalist and podcast host Cristina Quinn about her new podcast "Fighting Crime."

Following an author spotlight by the Logan Library, Tom Williams talked with four Cache Valley authors about their various published books and what's in the works.

Kimberly Blaeser is an Anishinaabe activist and environmentalist. She is founding director of Indigenous Nations Poets and past Wisconsin Poet Laureate.

Today we talk with Dr. Brian Moench, president of Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment about data centers, air pollution, nuclear power, Great Salt Lake, and more.

Today we talk with Rachel Miner, founder of Bellwether International, and Jennie Lloyd, Board Chair of Utah Global Diplomacy, about how to promote peace in our communities.

Thomas Lowe Fleischner invites us to see clearly and feel deeply the living world around us, while recognizing the vital link between our well-being and the health of the Earth.

Live from Zion Canyon Mesa in Springdale, Corey Flintoff joins us to discuss coverage of the war in Iran, international reporting, and the effects of the war in Ukraine.

Geology is the star attraction in many national parks, but Arches National Park reveals erosional wonders like no other place on Earth.

A hyperscale data center in Box Elder County is making headlines, but there are 48 data centers in operation in Utah, with seven under construction and more being proposed.

Archaeology has long captivated the American public, but pop mythology often obscures the harsh realities, thrilling discoveries, and complex moral decisions that archaeologists confront in the field.

Google Data Editor Simon Rogers joins us to discuss spikes in Google searches and what they suggest about humankind.

In his new book, Nick Greene calls on a turf manager, an expert on color theory, a landscape historian, a paleoanthropologist, and an Anglican priest to understand the history and culture of soccer.

Mitt Romney’s presidential run, the hit Broadway musical "The Book of Mormon," and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ “I’m a Mormon” media campaign all drew the public eye in the 2010s.

For most Americans, fairy tales feel like Disney inventions. But the "original" stories were filled with sharp moral lessons, psychological terror, and bizarre magic.

On today's episode, we talk with Shawn Teigen, president of the Utah Foundation, about Utahns' concerns about healthcare costs and the housing market.

"A Reed Shaken with the Wind" traces the Bear River Marsh from its creation during the last ice age to its current status as an imperiled national wildlife refuge.

In his new book, acclaimed science writer Michael Bond explores how animals have profoundly influenced our minds and cultures.

We talk with Jay Neugeboren whose new book is "Dickens in Brooklyn: Essays on Family, Writing, & Madness," a collection of essays in which he explores experiences that have been central to his life.

We preview the USU Student Short Film Festival 2026. This film festival invites emerging filmmakers from every discipline to showcase their vision, craft, and originality on the big screen.

Every year on or near Earth Day, we check in with writer and photographer Stephen Trimble. Today we talk with Trimble and three scientists.

We check in with Susan Madsen, director of the Utah Women &Leadership Project. This conversation comes after the Utah Legislature eliminated the bulk of the project's ongoing funding.

Today we talk with Patrick Guzzle, vice president of food science for the National Restaurant Association. We talk about food safety, standard practices, food allergies and more.

We talk with historian Charlotte Brooks about her new book "The Moys of New York and Shanghai."

Los Angeles and smog have been synonymous for decades. But the last smog alert happened in 2003, and lead has virtually disappeared from the air.

We check in with USU’s Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art about their exhibits, including Jim Mangan: The Crick, a meditation on religious succession, patriarchal systems, zealotry and fraternity;

You've probably heard his name associated with regular listener challenges during our fund drives. Now a chance to meet long-time UPR friend Alberto Brizolara on this fund drive Access Utah special.

Today we talk with former UPR student reporters who have gone on to great things. Our guests will include: Aimee Van Tatenhove, and Clarissa Casper.

National Geographic says that tree canopy ecologist Nalini Nadkarni "has spent four decades dangling among the branches to study how forests inform our daily lives.”

We talk with several of the hosts of Eating the Past about a variety of food and history topics, including a food quiz.

In the 2026 Fife Honor Lecture at USU, professor Katherine Borland of Ohio State University’s Center for Folklore Studies, focused on miracle narratives. She joins us for the hour.

Intermountain Song Trails is a new oral history project exploring how songs travel across generations, families, and migration routes, from lullabies to work songs to church or scouting traditions.

Gardening expert and UPR friend Dan Drost joins us. Whether you’ve got a large backyard garden, participate in a community garden, or have a small box near your window, Dan can help.

On this episode we talk with Wil Wood, author of “And It Was Beautiful” and Zack Garner and Rachel Quillen Garner, writer and illustrator, respectively, of “Half Moon on the Moon.”

In his book Three Revolutions: Steering Automated, Shared, and Electric Vehicles to a Better Future, Dan Sperling says transportation is on the cusp of revolutionary change. He joins us for the hour.

We revisit our conversation from October 2025 with Gary Ferguson, talking about his book "The Twilight Forest."

As a result of childhood learning disabilities and educational neglect, Oliver James graduated from high school and became one of approximately 45 million functionally illiterate Americans.

Beloved USU professor Norm Jones has died. We remember him by revisiting our conversation from May 2019, talking about his book "Being Elizabethan: Understanding Shakespeare’s Neighbors."

We revisit our conversation with historian Richard E. Turley Jr. about his Leonard J. Arrington Mormon History Lecture, titled "Team History: The Latter-day Saint Historical Enterprise, 1986–2025."

We revisit our conversation from October 2025 with Gary Ferguson, talking about his book "The Twilight Forest."

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