Utah State University Eastern News Release

Utah State University Eastern is inviting the community to its Speaker Series at 6 p.m. Feb. 25 in the Central Instructional Building, Room 101. This event is the second of three lectures in the 2026 Speaker Series, held in conjunction with America250 Utah, an initiative commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States.

The evening will feature Michaelann Nelson, Associate Professor of English at USU Eastern, presenting “The Best Idea We Ever Had: Wallace Stegner and Artistic Traditions of America’s National Parks.”

Nelson’s talk centers on Wallace Stegner, a celebrated author and Utahn who became a leading voice for conservation after successfully opposing a proposed dam that would have flooded Dinosaur National Monument. Stegner’s advocacy helped redefine how Americans view and protect national parks.

Nelson will explore how Stegner and other artists and writers have used their work to shape public understanding of public lands — demonstrating the lasting power of creativity, rhetoric and storytelling in conservation efforts.

An expert in environmental rhetoric and literature of the American Southwest, Nelson is currently working on a book examining the environmental discourse surrounding Glen Canyon. She is also an award-winning educator and director of the USU Eastern Writing Center.

Whether you are interested in literature, the arts, environmental studies, history or the future of America’s national parks, join us to hear Michaelann Nelson bring Wallace Stegner’s story to life.