RadioWest: Recent Episodes
Doug Fabrizio
KUER’s award-winning interview show explores the world through deep thinkers who host Doug Fabrizio asks to think even deeper. Join writers, filmmakers, scientists and others on RadioWest: A show for the wildly curious.
If you’ve ever wanted to share a room with two great actors talking about Shakespeare, here’s your chance — with Dame Judi Dench and Brendan O’Hea.
Time is limited. And life is short. So why, asks the writer Oliver Burkeman, do we waste so much of it trying to get on top of things before we can focus on the really meaningful parts of life?
Norman Maclean became a literary star after publishing his largely autobiographical novella, “A River Runs Through It.” A new book recounts his lifelong efforts to reconcile the different parts of himself.
You know that feeling you get when you see something so incredible that it transcends understanding? That’s awe. But, really, what is awe?
In 2021, protestors stormed the U.S. Capitol and tried to overturn the presidential election. In that moment, author Charles King turned to Handel’s Messiah.
When Warren Jeffs, the former leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was arrested in 2006 and later imprisoned, a power vacuum emerged in the polygamous sect. In time, a man named Samuel Bateman stepped up and declared himself the new prophet. He and his followers proceeded to exploit the needs of the faithful in order to satisfy their own deviant sexual desires.
This week we’re revisiting two of our favorite conversations from 2024, asking questions about life on the Red Planet and animals that inspire awe.
Talk about bad. Not only does the 1965-film “The Conqueror” feature John Wayne, of all people, in the leading role as Genghis Khan, but its production may have led to cancer diagnoses in the cast and crew.
In 2021, unmarked graves were discovered at several residential boarding schools in Canada. Then the investigations began.
It’s been a year of politics and constant news. Now, it’s time to sit back and relax over the holidays with a good book — and grab a few for your friends.
More than 400 years ago this month, a group of English protestants—separatists from the Church of England—landed in the New World in search of religious freedom. But what did freedom really mean to these pilgrims?
For many of us, cooking is an annoying, boring chore. But the food writer Bee Wilson says there’s a simple secret to an easier life in the kitchen, and it begins with the person who cooks.
If you want to get to the roots of horror in America, you have to go way back. Back to slavery, back to Salem, back to the colonization of the New World.
In 1977, Randy Bachman was a rock star. Then the guitar with which he’d written hits like “American Woman” and “Takin’ Care of Business” was stolen.
During the 1800s, the Victorians had the natural world pretty much figured out, or so they thought. Then a 12-year-old discovered the first dinosaur tracks.
In 1740, the Wager set sail from England in search of Spanish treasure. Just about everything that could go wrong did go wrong.
The author Katherine Rundell didn’t believe in love at first sight until she met a pangolin. The encounter with the anteater-like creature made her curious about other endangered animals, and now, she wants us to notice more of these exquisite creatures.
When you read this, it’s likely either Election Day or the morning after. We’re going live to talk about what we know and what’s still to come.
Arizona is one of the swing states that candidates are honing in on this year. 10,457 — that’s how many votes went to Joe Biden in Arizona in 2020, close enough to swing the state blue. So, of course, both of the 2024 presidential campaigns set up camp in Arizona weeks ago. Their target audience? Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
With “Gladiator II” set to hit theaters in November, we’re exploring the history of Rome in film and television. Are “sword and sandal” epics making a comeback?
In the early 2000s, Matt Relkin, an artist from Florida, was living in New York City, where he took in fine art at galleries and museums. But when he took a trip to southern Utah on the advice of a friend, and saw the ancient petroglyphs in Sego Canyon, his love for nature collided with his passion for art. He was instantly hooked.
A recent exposé in a British newspaper pulled back the curtain on the world of Hannah Neeleman, a hugely popular Utah-based social media influencer. Once an aspiring ballerina, Neeleman’s posts now depict her seemingly idyllic as a Mormon stay-at-home mom caring for her eight kids, brood of chickens, herd of cows and flock of sheep on a homestead in Kamas, Utah. Her Instagram account is yet another window into a surprisingly large and growing constellation of hugely popular Mormon influencers.
The howling of wolves, the mewing of your cat, dolphins whistling —these aren’t just noises. They’re animals talking, and what they say might surprise you.
Utah lawmakers called themselves into emergency special session last month to draft a constitutional amendment that would give them the power to significantly alter voter-approved ballot initiatives. That change would need to be approved by voters, if, that is, the state courts allow it.
In 2016, Utah’s Senator Mike Lee tried to stop Donald Trump from becoming the president. Today, he might become Trump’s attorney general.
Abraham Lincoln is widely regarded as the greatest president in American history, a transformational figure who guided the nation through civil war and paved the way for the abolition of slavery. But what if he was queer, by modern standards? Because historians say that may well have been the case.
In Christopher Marlowe’s “Doctor Faustus,” the titular magician trades his soul to Lucifer for power. We’ve been captivated by such demonic transactions ever since.
On July 12, 1776, James Cook set sail aboard the HMS Resolution. It was Cook’s third voyage, and this time, he wouldn’t come home again.
Roads are such a common feature of the landscape that you can forget they aren’t natural at all — that is, unless you’re an animal trying to cross one.
Donald Trump has said that surviving an assassination attempt didn’t change him. But it sure did change Utah Gov. Spencer Cox.
The scholar Marion Gibson is an expert on witches. Her latest book tells a centuries-long history through the stories of 13 witch trials.
With a major reconstruction in the works for downtown Salt Lake City, the fate of Abravanel Hall hangs in the balance.
Norman Maclean became a literary star after publishing his largely autobiographical novella, “A River Runs Through It.” A new book recounts his lifelong efforts to reconcile the different parts of himself.
UFOs undoubtedly exist. After all, people have been seeing inexplicable things in the skies for centuries. So, if the truth is out there, what does the government know about it?
If you were born in post-9/11 America, the idea of a plane getting hijacked is terrifying. But once upon a time hijackers seemed more interested in the thrill than instilling fear. And one of them even became a kind of folk hero.
We’re continuing our conversation about Black Latter-day Saints and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ long-awaited decision to grant Black men the priesthood.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints granted Black men the priesthood in 1978. It reversed a practice that had lasted for more than a century.
This one’s going out to all the local green thumbs — the Utahns who want beautiful gardens that actually thrive in the West. Our guest says it’s totally possible.
Jeff Goodell knows a thing or two about the climate crisis. He’s been writing about it for years. But it didn’t become personal until the heat nearly killed him.
Alua Arthur’s life’s work is all about death. She’s a witness and shepherd to people who have reached the end of life. And she wants you to think about death too.
One of Utah’s many oddities is its state bird: the California Gull. But did you know that the humble gull is the hero in its own miracle tale?
Louisiana just passed a law that puts the Ten Commandments in public classrooms. That got us thinking: Where do the Ten Commandments really come from?
Sebastian Junger is no stranger to death. He covered the war in Afghanistan for years. But it was a medical emergency that brought him face to face with dying — and an afterlife.
When you think of the Grand Canyon, you probably think of rocks and, of course, the Colorado River. But in the summer of 1938, two women risked their lives to study another feature of the canyon: its plants.
Johann Hari spent a year on the weight-loss drug Ozempic, and it worked — better than he could’ve imagined. But the treatment left him deeply conflicted.
If you’ve ever wanted to share a room with two great actors talking about Shakespeare, here’s your chance — with Dame Judi Dench and Brendan O’Hea.
The role that Samuel Adams played in fomenting the American Revolution once made him the most wanted man in the country.
If you’ve ever wanted to share a room with two great actors talking about Shakespeare, here’s your chance — with Dame Judi Dench and Brendan O’Hea.
Almost 60 years ago, Salt Lake City’s Japantown was condemned to make way for the Salt Palace. Now, new plans for a big development have put what’s left of the Japanese American enclave in the crosshairs of urban development.
Writer Caroline Crampton survived cancer, but she still didn’t feel well. Instead, she was stuck with a persistent, anxious fear that the cancer would come back.
Life on earth is for the dogs. There’s too much regulation, too few resources and it’s burning up besides. Better to pack up and leave for Mars. Or is it?
With summer upon us, it’s time again for a “RadioWest” tradition — gathering our trio of local booksellers to get you set up with all their favorite reads for the season.
With summer upon us, it’s time again for a “RadioWest” tradition — gathering our trio of local booksellers to get you set up with all their favorite reads for the season.
Twins have captivated the human mind since ancient times. But often what’s imagined of them reveals more about everyone else than it does about real twin life.
Look into the eyes of an owl and what do you see? Is there any way to know what’s hidden behind those eyes? Thanks to new research, there might be.
The author Amanda Montell says magical thinking is everywhere. If you’ve ever wondered if you could manifest your way to wealth, this one’s for you.
Plans for a so-called “rejuvenation zone” in downtown Salt Lake City are quickly moving ahead, but there’s a lot we still don’t know.
This isn’t really an episode about a little-known Mormon writer from the 19th century: it’s an episode about the lifelong search to figure out what you believe.
Kevin Fedarko’s best friend said it would be easy: Hike from one end of the Grand Canyon to the other. He said it would be “a walk in the park.” It wasn’t.
In 1951, the U.S. government began test detonations of nuclear bombs in the Nevada desert. It wasn’t long before people started getting cancer.
Navied Mahdavian had always been a city guy. He had never fished, gardened, hiked, hunted or lived in a snowy place. Then he, his wife and dog moved from San Francisco to an off-the-grid cabin in rural Idaho.
Mary Beard is an expert on the Roman Empire, and her latest book is about the rulers who presided over it — 30 emperors in nearly three centuries.
On July 12, 1776, James Cook set sail aboard the HMS Resolution. It was his third voyage, and his last.
Has America's gratuity culture reached a tipping point? With tip prompts popping up everywhere from butcher shops to airport kiosks, the social norms around tipping are more fraught than ever.
Scholars say the New Testament was authored by familiar names, like Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Paul. But they had important help: slave labor.
Utah’s Republican conventions have always been rancorous and incredibly contentious. But according to one longtime observer, this year’s meeting was as nasty as it’s ever been.
It’s official: Utah is getting a professional ice hockey team. But is this a hockey place?
Even if you aren’t afflicted by it, you probably know about obsessive compulsive disorder. But even if you have it, there’s a good chance you’ve never heard of scrupulosity.
For the acclaimed writer and environmental activist Rick Bass, there are no hard lines between life, art and the natural world.
In 1888, the daily Salt Lake Herald-Republican reprinted a story from a Canadian paper. The headline? That a family of whales was flourishing in the Great Salt Lake.
If you live in the Salt Lake Valley, you know a thing or two about air pollution. There are days when you can see it. But if you live on the west side it’s even worse.
If you got a poet, a neuroscientist and a theoretical physicist together to talk about beauty, what would they possibly have to say to each other?
Hotshots are the hardened individuals who fight wildfires. Gabriel Mann’s new film gets viewers as close to the fire line as you can be without becoming a hotshot yourself.
The oceanographer Helen Czerski wants you to think of the ocean as a vast, planet-spanning engine. And what it drives is no less than life itself.
Ahead of the Salt Lake Film Society’s screening of the 1992 Clint Eastwood classic “Unforgiven,” we sit down to talk about this great Western.
A recent post on the LDS Church’s official Instagram page has racked up thousands of comments, many from women who see a vast gulf between how empowered the church says they are, and how empowered they actually feel.
Life on earth is for the dogs. There’s too much regulation, too few resources and it’s burning up besides. Better to pack up and leave for Mars. Or is it?
The scholar Marion Gibson is an expert on witches. Her latest book tells a centuries-long history through the stories of 13 witch trials.
Utah is suffering from megadroughts, a dying lake (or two) and a dwindling Colorado River. So, why, then, are we watering so much Kentucky bluegrass along the Wasatch Front?
Polyamory is having a bit of a moment right now. We wanted to learn more about the history of having more than one romantic partner.
UFOs undoubtedly exist. After all, people have been seeing inexplicable things in the skies for centuries. So, if the truth is out there, what does the government know about it?
In 2018, a group of inexperienced explorers — all women — set out on a journey that lots of people thought they couldn’t possibly finish: a trek to the North Pole.
According to one report, the LDS Church’s financial holdings are in the hundreds of billions of dollars. And that raises the question: When is a church less about spirit and more about profit?
Transporting oil out of the Uinta Basin isn’t easy. The place is remote and the roads aren’t great. But a Texas oil man named Jim Finley is trying to change all that.
There is a new format for the Utah Legislative session — start with the most controversial bills up top. However, now that we near the end of the session, important bills are still in flux.
Utah is one of only four states without a lottery. A longshot bill under consideration by the Utah State Legislature could potentially change that.
“There is pain here,” “But there is also a lot of nobility.” From the book “The Forbidden Memory” by Augusto Góngora.
Look into the eyes of an owl and what do you see? Is there any way to know what’s hidden behind those eyes? Thanks to new research, there might be.
If each of us lives to be 80, we’ll have spent about four thousand weeks being alive on this planet — which isn’t really much time at all. So, how should we spend it?
American culture promotes a strong sense of individualism. But, what happens when individualism trumps community?
Clint Eastwood has been a constant in American cinema for more than 60 years. But if you think it’s all Westerns and machismo, you’d be wrong.
By now you’ve probably heard about the gondola, the one that’s slated to go up Little Cottonwood Canyon. It’s still decades away, but debate over the plan is holding steady at a fever pitch.
In 1888, the daily Salt Lake Herald-Republican reprinted a story from a Canadian paper. The headline? That a family of whales was flourishing in the Great Salt Lake.
In 2016, Utah Republicans declared pornography a public health crisis. But their resolution was merely a modern salvo in the ongoing pornography wars.
At the height of its power, the Ku Klux Klan was run by a depraved charlatan named D. C. Stephenson, until a woman's deathbed confession brought him down.
Religions and myths tell us of paradise — where there is no suffering and bliss abounds. But can a real paradise ever be reached or made?
In 2019, author and broadcaster Alvin Hall drove from Detroit to New Orleans, using the same guide that was used during the height of segregation, The Negro Motorist Green Book.
Filmmaker Sam Green is obsessed with sound. After you see his documentary, you might feel the same way.
The first known peace treaty was negotiated by Ramesses II, a pharaoh who came from a line of commoners and was the only Egyptian king known as “the Great.”
On September 11, 1857, a Mormon militia attacked a wagon train of California-bound emigrants. They killed more than a hundred men, women and children.
With the release of the new film, “The Sound of Freedom,” Operation Underground Railroad and its founder, Tim Ballard, are back in the news, so we are reposting our 2022 episode about the organization and the realities of child-sex-trafficking. This episode mentions an investigation into Operation Underground Railroad, which has since been dropped.
As the longtime editor of The New Yorker, David Remnick has profiled many of rock n’ roll and pop music’s greatest performers, often later in their lives.
On September 19, 1961, Betty and Barney Hill claimed they were abducted by “beings that were somehow not human.”
In 1740, the Wager set sail from England in search of Spanish treasure. Just about everything that could go wrong did go wrong.
Even if you aren’t afflicted by it, you probably know about obsessive compulsive disorder. But even if you have it, there’s a good chance you’ve never heard of scrupulosity.
After the birth of her son, documentary filmmaker Natalia Almada asked herself: Will technology be a better mother than me?
You know that feeling you get when you see something so incredible that it transcends understanding? That’s awe. But, really, what is awe?
Between 1995 and 2001, Stéphane Breitweiser stole 239 works of art from more than 100 museums around Europe. He never sold a single one.
The role that Samuel Adams played in fomenting the American Revolution once made him the most wanted man in the country.
What do you get when you mix conversations about burgers in Europe, debates about Madonna’s “Like a Virgin,” plus lots of violence? A Tarantino movie.
An effort is underway to bring a Major League Baseball team to Utah. But what does it mean, and what does it take to make the jump to the big leagues?
Abraham Verghese’s new novel “The Covenant of Water” is already a critical sensation. We’re talking with him about writing it, as well as the intersection between art and medicine.
What do Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon,” Led Zeppelin’s “Houses of the Holy” and “Elegy” by The Nice have in common? All are iconic albums — visually, as well as musically.
What do Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon,” Led Zeppelin’s “Houses of the Holy” and “Elegy” by The Nice have in common? All are iconic albums — visually, as well as musically.
With summer here, it’s time once again to gather our trio of booksellers, who are full of good ideas about what to read poolside this year.
What do Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon”,” Led Zeppelin’s “Houses of the Holy” and “Elegy” by The Nice have in common? All are iconic albums — visually, as well as musically.
Today, we’re talking about the history of the LGBTQ+ experience in Utah. At the beginning of Utah’s statehood, it was common for people of the same gender to live together. Think of groups of women in polygamist households or scores of men living together on ranches. So, did anyone question these groups’ sexuality?
If you’ve been following the news, you’ll know that Nova Scotia and New Brunswick are currently burning. But this area of Canada, located just above the Northeastern U.S., is not one of North America’s hot, dry, fire prone areas.
The first known peace treaty was negotiated by Ramesses II, a pharaoh who came from a line of commoners and was the only Egyptian king known as “the Great”.
Armando Solorzano, a professor at the University of Utah, says the time has come for Latino-American Utahns to reclaim their history and regain a sense of belonging to this state.
In 2008, NPR Music created the Tiny Desk concerts — a video series of live concerts performed at the desk of “All Songs Considered” host Bob Boilen. What began as a simple and intimate performance has turned into somewhat of a “cult following.”
At the height of its power, the Ku Klux Klan was run by a depraved charlatan named D. C. Stephenson, until a woman's deathbed confession brought him down.
Plan-B Theatre and “RadioWest” are back with a new hour of live radio: a world premiere by Brandan Ngo, “The Case of the Missing Dog.”
On Tuesday, Heather Armstrong died by suicide after a lifetime struggle with depression.
43 years after his death, John Wayne is still among America’s most popular and revered movie stars. Today, we’re talking about his life, roles and legacy.
In 2016, Utah Republicans declared pornography a public health crisis. But their resolution was merely a modern salvo in the ongoing pornography wars.
Have you ever wondered what Hillary Clinton might’ve said if she’d become president? Actually, you can know — by reading her speech that was never delivered.
The trial of Lori Vallow Daybell is underway in Idaho and it is bringing attention to her “doomsday” religious beliefs. This week we are revisiting our conversation with the author Leah Sottile, who wrote about Daybell in her book: “When the Moon Turns to Blood”.
When A Martínez got his first job in public radio in 2012, he was already well into a very successful radio career. He also knew nothing about public radio or the public radio world. So, how did he end up here?
Wes Anderson’s films are among the most stylistically recognizable in American cinema. And “The Royal Tenenbaums” is among his most lauded.
Dan McClellan is a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who oversaw scripture translations at the Church for years. Dan Beecher is an ex-Mormon and an atheist. Together, they host a podcast about the Bible.
Is it okay to consume — even to love — the art created by people who’ve done terrible things? What are the ethics of making a choice like that?
It was spring of 1983, Utah skiers were happy, snowpack was at a record high and temperatures kept it there well into May. Until it didn’t. Sound familiar?
In 2019, “Atlantic” writer and editor John Hendrickson wrote a piece about then-presidential candidate Joe Biden’s struggle with stuttering. It forced Hendrickson to reconcile with his own stutter, too.
For nearly a century, the murder of 120 emigrants by Mormon militiamen at Mountain Meadows in early September, 1857, existed as little more than whispers around Utah. Then a rural housewife and writer named Juanita Brooks dared to tread where others had long feared to and write the first history of the Mountain Meadows Massacre.
Religions and myths tell us of paradise — where there is no suffering and bliss abounds. But can a real paradise ever be reached or made?
Out of the polluted skies over New Delhi, India, birds of prey known as Black kites fall to the ground. Two brothers care for and rehabilitate them.
We’ll forgive you for laughing at the headline of this episode. But the thing is, butts have a serious cultural history.
Last month, a Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) poll gauged the rising influence of Christian nationalism among religious Americans. Its findings were eye opening.
You know that feeling you get when you see something so incredible that it transcends understanding? That’s awe. But, really, what is awe?
On Wednesday, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced that it will donate a permanent yearly transfer of 20,000 acre feet of water to the Great Salt Lake.
Early this month, the Utah Legislature passed a bill that would make it legal to kill mountain lions year-round. All you’d need is a basic hunting license.
On Wednesday, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced that it will donate a permanent yearly transfer of 20,000 acre feet of water to the Great Salt Lake.
On Wednesday, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced that it will donate a permanent yearly transfer of 20,000 acre feet of water to the Great Salt Lake.
A report released earlier this year declared that, if it continues to dry up at its current rate, Great Salt Lake “as we know it will disappear in five years.” So, what can be done to prevent that?
37% of American fourth-graders read at “below basic” levels, which really means they can hardly read at all. A new film asks why.
The 2023 Utah Legislative Session concludes at midnight on March 3rd. We’re processing what lawmakers did—and didn’t—get done this time around.
Last week, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission issued a cease-and-desist to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, along with a $5 million fine.
The role that Samuel Adams played in fomenting the American Revolution once made him the most wanted man in the country.
In 2019, author Alvin Hall drove from Detroit to New Orleans, using the same guide that was used during the height of segregation, The Negro Motorist Green Book.
The rapid decline of Great Salt Lake has happened within easy eyesight of the headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, leading some to ask what responsibility the church has to help.
Today, it’s received wisdom that screens ruined our ability to concentrate. But Medieval monks were obsessed with distraction, too — and the stakes were higher.
In 2019, The Atlantic published a story by John Hendrickson about Joe Biden’s struggle with stuttering. And it forced John to reconcile with his own stutter, too.
A true multi-hyphenate, writer-director-actor Lake Bell is obsessed with how we sound. Her new audiobook celebrates that “least-appreciated” trait: our voices.
By one estimate, agriculture in Utah consumes 75% of the state's water. Given that fact, along with historic drought and a drying Great Salt Lake, people are starting to ask: Can we continue to farm here?
In 2015, tribal officials for the Muscogee (Creek) Nation called an emergency session. There, they repealed the Free Press Act, gutting protections for journalism.
In 1989, The University of Utah was in the national spotlight when two of its chemists announced the discovery of a powerful energy source that would solve the world’s energy problems: cold fusion.
The Covid-19 pandemic upended just about every system we rely on, including the chain linking farmers to chefs. A new documentary examines the farm-to-table relationship.
When state and federal negotiators met in 1922 to divide up the water in the Colorado River, they did so with a mistaken understanding of how much water there actually was in the river. It’s a mistake we’ve been dealing with ever since.
The story of Covid-19 is far from over. In fact, it may not have an ending at all. But the tale of how we got here and where we’re headed is coming into focus.
In 2022, our water levels continued to shrink, LDS Church practices came under the microscope and Utah’s Republican status was tested. So, now what, 2023?
Have you ever wondered what Hillary Clinton might’ve said if she’d become president? Actually, you can know — by reading her speech that was never delivered.
When they arrived in North America 13,000 years ago, humans entered an environment teeming with animal life. But their success here had a devastating effect on other creatures.
When negotiators gathered a hundred years ago to hammer out the details of how water in the Colorado River would be divvied up, Indigenous tribes, whose relationship with the river dates back millennia, weren’t invited to the table.
Handel’s Messiah is likely the world’s most famous oratorio – it’s certainly the most performed. But what's the story behind it?
How bad are our freeways? According to land-use planner and municipal engineer Charles Marohn, if someone tried to design a transportation system to create the maximum amount of congestion possible, the result would be the United States’ current system.
We’ll forgive you for laughing at the headline of this episode. But the thing is, butts have a serious cultural history here.
If you’re online at all, you’ve probably heard the news: fasting dramatically improves your health, even cures diseases. Will it really?
Rachel Rueckert was a young writer and world traveler. And she was in love, too. So, she got married. On the first night of her honeymoon, she panicked.
With the holidays fast approaching, it’s time again for our annual tradition: Gathering a few close friends and talking books with them.
When the Maysels brothers showed up in 1972 to shoot a documentary film at the dilapidated estate of Grey Gardens in the East Hamptons, they didn't quite know what they were getting into, or what kind of movie they would end up with.
Recent reports out of Canada and Australia have raised questions about how the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints manages its global finances. While it may be entirely within the letter of the law, whistleblowers argue that, for a religious organization, it's the spirit of the law that should matter the most.
A true multi-hyphenate, writer-director-actor Lake Bell is obsessed with how we sound. Her new audiobook celebrates that “least-appreciated” trait: our voices.
If you’re into food writing or follow celebrity chefs, the chances are good that you've run across British food star Nigella Lawson. But how much do you actually know about her work?
Utah is in the national spotlight with the Lee v. McMullin Senate race. But other important races could also have an effect on Utah voters.
At the peak of her career, in the early 1900’s, Utah native Maude Adams was America’s most famous stage actress, pulling in a million dollars a year. But fame was neither her goal nor ambition. Rather, fame was something her mother, the actress Annie Adams, wanted but never realized herself.
Godzilla — the King of the Monsters — has starred in 37 feature films. But the very first one, released in 1954, stands above them all.
Farmers from across the state and around the country join RadioWest to share their reflections on the revolving course of the seasons and how the rest of us can take part in the spirit of the harvest.
‘Tis the season for ghosts, faceless killers and jump scares. In other words, it’s the time of year when you might be watching horror flicks. So, let’s talk about them.
When was the last time you were so overtaken by inspiration that the idea seemed to have its own inertia and you were just running to keep up? And where does creativity like that come from?
The Utah housing market has had a wild past few years. But new research from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute at the University of Utah reveals that it is (perhaps) worse than we thought: 76% of Utah households can’t afford a median-priced home.
22-year-old Iranian Mahsa Amini’s death in police custody sparked protests throughout the country. If this unrest leads to revolution, author Reza Aslan says it would be the fourth time in Iran’s recent history.
The scholar Richard Reeves says boys and men are in crisis, and that it’s time for us to start taking the problem seriously.
When it was released in 1999, "Fight Club", an anti-capitalist, borderline-nihilistic exploration of American male ennui, landed with a flop in U.S. theaters. The controversial film has since risen as a cult classic, and it might be even more relevant today.
The poet Rio Cortez lives in New York City, but her poetry points back to her childhood in Utah.
They may not seem like much, but those humble and colorful open-air taco carts you see scattered on roadsides and in parking lots across the country, they have an important story to tell.
Human intelligence has produced remarkable things — space travel, the Internet and fried chicken. But would we be better off if we were … more stupid?
In late 2019, a boy and a girl went missing in southeastern Idaho. The police investigation centered on the children’s mother, Lori Vallow, and her husband, Chad Daybell. It was a complex case piled with bodies, and to the journalist Leah Sottile, it was more than just a true-crime story.
If you’re online at all, you’ve probably heard the news: fasting dramatically improves your health, even cures diseases. Will it really?
It’s been more than a year since we first looked at the sobering details about the Great Salt Lake’s historic and dangerous lows. Today, the lake continues to shrink.
The bicycle is one of those inventions that hasn’t really changed much. Its status in society, though? That’s a battleground.
Think of a performance in film or theater that enthralled you — a portrayal so engrossing that actor and character seemed to become one. How does that happen?
While suffering from a gynecological infection, the science journalist Rachel E. Gross did what she does best: she researched. She wanted to know how the vagina works. But she soon ran into the big problem of how little we actually know about the female body.
Recent reporting from the Associated Press on child sexual abuse raises important questions about the usefulness of clergy-penitent privilege.
Investigative reporter Michael Rezendes, in a recent article for The Associated Press, detailed how The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints diverted reports of sexual abuse by its members away from law enforcement, sweeping them under a legal rug and “leaving victims in harm’s way.” It’s the kind of story Rezendes has seen before.
43 years after his death, John Wayne is still among America’s most popular and revered movie stars. Today, we’re talking about his life, roles and legacy.
43 years after his death, John Wayne is still among America’s most popular and revered movie stars. Today, we’re talking about his life, roles and legacy.
You’ve probably seen it on postcards, on bottles of gin or mounted on the wall in gas stations or quaint restaurants: The jackalope. Half jackrabbit, half antelope. A true icon of the American West. But why? And where does it come from?
People have known the earth is a globe for thousands of years. So, why do some contemporary conspiracy theorists still insist that our planet is flat?
As the West grows increasingly arid, Lake Powell, the nation’s second-largest reservoir, is dwindling. Its retreat has revealed glimpses of the storied red rock canyon submerged for decades under hundreds of feet of water. Environmental advocate Eric Balken says the facts of Lake Powell’s retreat and Glen Canyon’s return pose significant challenges, as well as exciting opportunities.
In 2013, researchers trained mice to fear a certain odor. Over time, the study revealed that the next generation of mice had a sensitivity to that odor. Something similar happens to humans, too.
In March 2020, a daguerreotype thought to be of Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of the LDS Church, was discovered in the effects of a direct descendant. If it is the genuine article it would be the first and only known photo of Smith in existence. Why does that matter?
In 1973, a group of Kentucky coal miners went on strike. Filmmaker Barbara Kopple witnessed their struggle, producing the landmark documentary “Harlan County, USA.”
When he last joined us, water law expert Dan McCool argued that we’re going to need a new approach to managing water. But what if that new mindset isn't new at all? Michael Kotutwa Johnson, one of our guests, calls this mindset “indigenous ways of knowing,” and it has existed in the region for thousands of years.
It’s the 1970s. President Nixon has declared war on drugs and American society is still reeling from the social revolution of the ‘60s. Enter two published diaries, each written by a troubled teen — one an addict and the other a Satanist. The only problem? They weren’t diaries.
City planner Nolan Gray is the first to admit it: Getting people excited about city zoning is tough. And yet, this seemingly dull topic shapes our lives by shaping the cities we live in.
When was the last time you were so overtaken by inspiration that the idea seemed to have its own inertia and you were just running to keep up? And where does creativity like that come from?
Get a pen and paper, open your note taking app or do your best to remember this show because it’s that time of year again: time for our summer books show!
The bald eagle is the quintessential symbol of America. But our relationship with this majestic bird has been fraught, pushing it to the brink of extinction — twice.
No matter what side of the abortion debate you are on, there's no doubt that the recent SCOTUS decision is a sea change. The question is: What does it mean for pregnant people in Utah?
As a young Batman fanatic, Michael Uslan hated the campy Adam West 'Batman' TV show of the 1960s.
“'The Lost City of Z' meets 'The Da Vinci Code'” meets cinematic history meets your summer adventure daydreams.
Imagine yourself in the middle of a forest. When you look at that forest, what do you see?
The poet and journalist Melissa Bond had terrible insomnia. Her doctor prescribed Ativan, a benzodiazepine. Then her life fell apart.
Queer people have worked at all levels of our nation’s politics and government. But in the mid 20th century, when being queer was vilified — and often associated with Communism, Nazism, and plotting against America — coming out was tantamount to social obliteration and career annihilation. So people hid.
Water policy shapes how we live in the West, and for years, we’ve carried on, changing very little in our water consumption, even in the face of megadroughts, increasing population density and shrinking lakes and rivers.
In the 1970’s 63% of Utahns were in favor of the Equal Rights Amendment until The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints opposed it.
In 1957, Elia Kazan’s film about a media influencer was received with unfavorable reviews. Viewed in 2022, A Face in the Crowd seems absolutely prescient.
It’s through the senses of taste, sight, hearing, smell, and touch that we perceive the world around us. But just how reliable, really, are those senses?
When journalist Florence Williams’ husband left their long marriage, she was heartbroken. But the breakup left more than an emotional wound: the damage was physical, too.
The climate scientist and writer Giulio Boccaletti makes the case that the history of human civilization is inextricably tied to one simple and yet powerful force: water.
Last week, the U.S. Department of Interior released an investigative report on Indigenous boarding schools in America. Of the 408 reported, eight were in Utah; three of those Utah schools are still operating.
Nature writer Craig Childs says that the placement of rock art in the American Southwest isn’t random.
Written and directed by Cheryl Dunye, The Watermelon Woman is a classic work of LGBTQ filmmaking.
More human beings are more comfortable today than at any time in the history of our species. And sure, comfort is nice, but what if we actually have too much of it?
With the future of Roe v. Wade in jeopardy, we’re looking to the history of abortion in Utah for some perspective. It’s more complicated than you might think.
Our planet is filled with sound — birdsong, music, speech. Even the earth itself makes noise. That sonic diversity is in danger.
The first draft of the Supreme Court’s opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson suggests that Roe v. Wade will be overturned. Abortion-rights advocates in Utah anticipated this and have been working on how to serve our community, if the law changes.
On Monday night, the online news magazine, Politico, published the first draft of a U.S. Supreme Court opinion that, if accepted, would create a very different future for abortion rights in the United States.
With the snowy months coming to a close, the question on many Utahns mind is: Will our winter snowpack pull us out of the drought?
The FX adaptation of Jon Krakauer’s 2003 book Under the Banner of Heaven premiers on Hulu this week, and we’re talking about it with its creator, Dustin Lance Black.
Last Friday, CNN revealed a series of text messages sent between former White House Chief of Staff and Utah Senator Mike Lee. The texts have raised questions about Lee’s involvement in the Trump administration’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
People have known the earth is a globe for thousands of years. So, why do some contemporary conspiracy theorists still insist that our planet is flat?
Stories of near-death experiences are not uncommon, but science generally dismisses them as tricks of the brain. But is dying really the end of consciousness?
Climate scientist and evangelical Christian Katharine Hayhoe says one of the most important ways to fight climate change is to talk about it. And she wants to show people how.
In 1995, Japanese director Mamoru Oshii’s Ghost in the Shell changed the way audiences — and other filmmakers — thought about animated films.
In the 1970s, a Brigham Young University graduate student named Max Ford McBride conducted an experiment. The goal? To cure homosexuality with shock therapy.
Utah is the epicenter of the so-called “troubled-teen” industry, with many programs seeing thousands of young people pass through their doors. And yet, for as many people as this industry has served, until recently, it had little-to-no government oversight.
The city of Jerusalem is widely thought of as the gateway to heaven. And yet, as the journalist Andrew Lawler reveals in a new book, what lay below the Holy City is almost as intriguing as what many believe awaits above it.
On Tuesday, Governor Spencer Cox vetoed a bill that would’ve banned young transgender athletes from competing on girls’ teams. On Friday, the Utah legislature will attempt to overturn the governor’s veto.
In recent years, many Americans have cut carbs and sugar, reduced fat and tried every diet. Yet millions of us still have high blood pressure, are pre-diabetic and obese. Why?
Take a look at the tag in your collar and you’ll see where your shirt was made. But what does made in China, Vietnam or anywhere else really mean?
You’ve probably seen it on postcards, on bottles of gin or mounted on the wall in gas stations or quaint restaurants: The jackalope. Half jackrabbit, half antelope. A true icon of the American West. But why? And where does it come from?
Utah Lake is in dire straits. At least, that’s the opinion of the company behind a massive engineering plan proposed for the lake. To save it, they say, we need to dredge it and build dozens of islands on it. Opponents say the project, rather than save Utah Lake, would likely lead to ecological disaster.
John Ford’s 1956 Western The Searchers is a masterpiece of the genre. In advance of our in-person screening the film, we'll spend this hour talking about its complex legacy.
Listen to the second episode of Sent Away, an investigative partnership between KUER, The Salt Lake Tribune and APM Reports about Utah's youth treatment industry.
Listen to the first episode of Sent Away, an investigative reporting partnership between KUER, The Salt Lake Tribune and APM Reports about Utah's youth treatment industry.
The 2022 Utah Legislative Session concludes at midnight on March 4. Hours before the session ends, we'll talk with a panel of journalists to help us understand which bills passed, which didn’t and why.
Suffering from a gynecological infection, the science journalist Rachel E. Gross did what she does best: She researched. She wanted to know how the vagina works. But she soon ran into the big problem of how little we actually know about the female body.
Debate is swirling around a proposed project to dredge Utah Lake and use the recovered sediment to build nearly three dozen islands. Proponents of the plan claim it’s the only way to save the ailing lake, while a chorus of detractors say it’s a boondoggle with no scientific basis. But what about the lake itself?
In September of 1993, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints excommunicated or disfellowshipped six academically-minded members, including former BYU professor and historian Michael Quinn.
Lynn Casteel Harper, a Baptist minister and nursing home chaplain, has born first-hand witness to the ravages of Alzheimer's. She says the way we think and talk about the disease often only adds to the pain and suffering.
Think of a performance in film or theater that captured you — a portrayal so engrossing that actor and character seemed to become one. How does that happen?
Think of a performance in film or theater that captured you — a portrayal so engrossing that actor and character seemed to become one. How does that happen?
D.W. Griffith’s 1915 film Birth of a Nation is widely regarded as a landmark of cinema history. It’s also deeply and disturbingly racist. So, why would an avant-garde hip-hop artist want to revive the film and bring it to the attention of a modern audience?
What book changed you as a kid? Was it To Kill a Mockingbird? Lord of the Rings? Perhaps a coming-of-age graphic novel or a dense instruction manual on assembling your bike?
Everybody seems to agree the Great Salt Lake is in dire straits. So, what can be done to help it?
When journalist Florence Williams’ husband left their long marriage, she was heartbroken. But the breakup left more than an emotional wound: the damage was physical, too.
In 1860, the Clotilda docked in Mobile, Alabama — the last known slave ship to land on U.S. shores. The ship's story and legacy are the subject of Descendant, a documentary screening at this year's Sundance Film Festival and the focus of our show this hour.
In a new book, the film critic Dana Stevens explores the creative genius of Buster Keaton. She is, of course, interested in Keaton’s indelible contributions to cinema, but she also sees him as a window, or better yet, a mirror of his cultural era.
Four teenagers left their homes in the U.S. to live in Finland for the next eighteen months or two years. Why? They're missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — and a 2022 Sundance Film Festival documentary shares their stories.
The city of Jerusalem is widely thought of as the gateway to heaven. And yet, as the journalist Andrew Lawler reveals in a new book, what lay below the Holy City is almost as intriguing as what many believe awaits above it.
Tuesday, Jan. 18, is the kick-off date for the 2022 General Session of the Utah Legislature. So, how does our state government actually pass laws? And who are the people who decide the rules that affect all of us?
In a new documentary film, the artist and painter Nathan Florence explores a collective of influential Utah artists who aimed to use their creative gifts to make the kind of work collected in major museums that also expressed their deeply held faith in the LDS Church.
Late last year, the Department of Justice chastised the Davis School District for failing to address “serious and widespread” racist behavior. But where does the buck stop for that problem?
The Utah-based anti-child sex trafficking group Operation Underground Railroad has gained immense popularity on social media in recent years. But according to a recent article in The Atlantic, the group and many of its well-meaning followers are spurred on largely by conspiratorial thinking.
Looking to feel more peaceful this year? Maybe even a little more transcendence? The writer Meghan O’Gieblyn has some advice: Lean into daily routines. Cultivate habits.
We can probably all picture the stereotype of cult members: glassy-eyed, dressed alike, fixated on their leader. And then we might feel smug, because we’re nothing like them. Right?
If it feels like a slog to get to the gym and hit the weights, the reason may be much deeper than laziness — it could be evolution asking you to stay home.Our guest, paleoanthropologist Daniel Lieberman, says regular exercise — working out, on purpose, to get healthier — was never part of the plan for natural selection. (Hey, as long as the species keeps breeding, right?) But we’re also not supposed to sit around all day and do nothing. We did evolve to use our bodies and even to work them pretty hard — when necessary. With medical professionals lamenting our sedentary lifestyles, the key, Daniel Lieberman told us, is to exercise the right way. He'll join us Friday at 11 a.m. to share his research. (Rebroadcast)
Desmond Tutu passed away on December 26th, 2021. We’re sharing Doug Fabrizio’s 2002 interview with him.
Handel’s Messiah is likely the world’s most famous oratorio – it’s certainly the most performed. But what's the story behind it?
On this 2021 Christmas, we know the holidays still might look different than in years past. RadioWest’s gift to you is something familiar – two of our favorite holiday stories.
Journalist and author George Packer is one of the country’s most astute observers of American society – with all of its flaws. But after years of reporting on our decline, Packer experienced a new feeling while writing his latest book: hope.
What would it look like, and what would it mean, if the United States acted to reconcile its brutal treatment and violent dispossession of Indigenous people?
On December 8th, RadioWest’s Doug Fabrizio and the Salt lake City Public Library hosted a virtual conversation about homelessness. Is it a problem that can actually be solved?
Climate scientist and evangelical Christian Katharine Hayhoe says one of the most important ways to fight climate change is to talk about it. And she wants to show people how.