Access Utah

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."

Terry Tempest Williams says the Glorians are not distant deities, but ordinary presences — animal, plant, memory, moment — that reveal our vulnerability and interconnectedness with the natural world.

Today we're doing another nonprofit spotlight. Amy Anderson, regional coordinator for A Bolder Way Forward joins us, and we hear from representatives of other nonprofits throughout the hour.

We revisit our conversation from October 2025 with Deseret Magazine reporter Natalia Galicza, talking about her essay titled "Breaking a Language Barrier Brought My Family Together."

We're joined by Nick and Melanie Herrmann. We tell Nick’s story, including living with a brain injury, neuroplasticity, vocational rehabilitation, low level light therapy, and more.

Lonnie Anderson of Albuquerque, New Mexico, is known as the "King of Valentine's Day." Every year for nearly 30 years, he has staged a grand gesture for his wife. This year he's doing it in Logan.

We remember writer Winston Groom, who died in 2020. We revisit our conversation from November 2015, talking about his most famous book, 'Forrest Gump', as well as his then new book, 'The Generals'.

William Shakespeare wrote his plays more than 400 years ago. They’re still being performed today, along with adaptations in film and opera and more. On this episode, we explore why.

Our guest is Great Salt Lake Commissioner and Great Salt Lake Strike Team Co-Chair Brian Steed. We talk about the current state of the lake and look at next steps in trying to restore it to health.

We check in with Utah State University President Brad Mortensen. We get his reaction to the Utah Legislature’s audit of USU, the university's strategic reinvestment plan, and more.

We're joined by Molly McCully Brown, author of the essay collection "Places I’ve Taken my Body" and the poetry collection "The Virginia State Colony For Epileptics and Feebleminded."

We talk with USU alum Peter McChesney about his new book "Quinto’s Challenge," which poses the question: What if science and religion collided and resurrection became a present reality?

We broadcast live from the State Capitol in Salt Lake City on the opening day of the 2026 session of the Utah Legislature.

We talk with Utah author Gabriel Tallent. His new novel is called "Crux." Dan and Tamma are two teenagers in their last year of high school in the southern Mojave Desert

On this year's poetry roundup, we feature conversation with and poetry from Utah Poet Laureate Lisa Bickmore, along with poets Danielle Dubrasky and Olivia Dudding Rodriguez.

Larry Morris recounts the 19th-century experience of the Arikaras, Crows, Cheyennes, and Arapahos by detailing their interactions with four legendary survivors of a fight with the Arikaras in 1823.

We talk with medical anthropologist Emily Mendenhall about her new book, "Invisible Illness: A History, from Hysteria to Long COVID."

Once again we present great music and funny and heartwarming stories for the holidays. Guitarist Mike Christiansen plays music and playwright Tim Slover performs readings for the season.