Mormon History Association Conference
2025-06-05 - 2025-06-08 | Ogden, UT, Ogden, UT, United States
The Mormon History Association invites you to Ogden, Utah for its sixtieth annual conference to be held June 5-8, 2025. Situated on the Ogden and Weber Rivers near where they join the Great Salt Lake, and nicknamed “Junction City” when it became the connecting point between numerous railroad lines, Ogden has long been a site of junctions. Long before Latter-day Saints dreamed of an American Zion in the Great Basin, ancestors of Shoshone and other indigenous peoples criss-crossed the region, establishing trade networks and sharing languages, settlements, and cultures.
Ogden highlights a confluence of events and dynamics that shaped Mormon settlement, identity, and culture, and ensured that the tradition would always be intertwined with the wider world. The railroad especially brought diverse groups to Ogden. Wealthy investors and industrialists as well as Black Americans and Chinese, Japanese, German, and Irish immigrants were drawn to the burgeoning railroad town and its economic opportunities, bringing greater influence from the margins. They built communities that both constituted and contradicted centers of Latter-day Saint power, resulting in diversity, and alternative directions. Conversely, families like Apostle Franklin D. and Jane S. Richards represented Ogden’s influence on the highest levels of the church.

Steve Kemp - An Exaltation of Parks: John D. Rockefeller Jr.'s Crusade to Save America's Wonderlands
2025-08-14 18:00 - 19:00 (America/Denver) | City Lights Bookstore, 3 E Jackson St Ste 1, Sylva, NC, 28779, United States
Steve Kemp will visit City Lights on Thursday, August 14th to share his new book, An Exaltation of Parks: John D. Rockefeller Jr.’s Crusade to Save America’s Wonderlands.
America’s national parks are facing unprecedented challenges. With visitation pressures mounting and the National Park Service struggling to keep up, author and former park ranger Steve Kemp looks toward one exceptionally effective historical example of conservation philanthropy and park building—the collaboration between John D. Rockefeller Jr. and NPS legends Stephen Mather, Horace Albright, and Arno Cammerer.
An Exaltation of Parks reveals the inspiring story of this collaboration, showing how the partnership transformed some of America’s most cherished national parks, including Acadia, Grand Teton, Great Smoky Mountains, Yellowstone, and Yosemite. It recounts Rockefeller’s lifelong dedication to conservation, digging into his own pockets and toiling as a volunteer to achieve his goals for converting private land into public use. Bringing to life the history and significance of America’s most magnificent landscapes, this volume is both a tribute to past conservation victories and a call to action for the future, emphasizing the need for continued vigilance to preserve these national treasures for generations to come.
Steve Kemp is a former seasonal ranger in Yellowstone and Denali and served as publications director for the Great Smoky Mountains Association. He has written for National Parks, Outside, Outdoor Life, and Smokies Life Journal, and is the author of Trees of the Smokies, and Great Smoky Mountains Simply Beautiful.

Steve Kemp - Our Story Series: John D. Rockefeller, Jr.’s Crusade for the National Parks
2025-08-28 18:00 - 19:00 (America/Denver) | Anna Porter Public Library, 159 Mills Park Rd., Gatlinburg, TN, 37738, United States
This August, Kemp will be releasing his new book, An Exaltation of Parks: John D. Rockefeller Jr.’s Crusade to Save America’s Wonderlands. The book focuses on how John D. Rockefeller Jr. collaborated with renowned NPS figures Horace Albright, Stephen Mather, and Arno Cammerer to establish beautiful national parks in America. Kemp will be giving a talk about the importance of national parks and the challenges they face today at Anna Porter Public Library on Thursday, August 28, at 6:00 p.m. The presentation will be followed by Q&A, and books will be available to purchase and get signed! The event is free to attend, and you can go to the library’s website, annaporterpl.org, to RSVP to get email reminders. The library is located at 159 Mills Park Rd., Gatlinburg, TN, next to the schools on Highway 321.

Lori Wrankle - Southern Utah Book Festival
2025-09-15 08:00 - 2025-09-20 17:00 (America/Denver) | Cedar City, UT, Cedar City, UT, United States
The 2nd annual Southern Utah Book Festival will be held September 15-20, 2025, in Cedar City. Our website will update as we continue to solidify plans for this year. You can expect to engage with more of your favorite authors and illustrators during this free festival.

Steve Kemp - An Exaltation of Parks: John D. Rockefeller Jr.’s Crusade to Save America’s Wonderlands
2025-09-16 10:00 - 17:00 (America/Denver) | History Jackson Hole Center and Museum, 175 E Broadway Ave., Jackson, WY, 83001, United States
More information will be included at a later date.

The Water Commons: Living Legacies of Utah Waterways
2025-09-19 09:00 - 16:15 (America/Denver) | J. Willard Marriott Library, Gould Auditorium, 295 S 1500 E, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84112
Date & Time: Friday, September 19, 2025
9:00am-4:15pm
Location: Gould Auditorium, Marriott Library

This symposium works to coordinate efforts to preserve the waterways that are the basis of life, health, and prosperity for all life in Utah.
Gather with local water scholars, stewards, and artists to learn about ongoing projects, discover practices of stewardship from stakeholders across the state, and participate in fostering networks for further collaboration.
We will share strategies of sustainability and water management as well as oral history and art projects to document and preserve stories and histories of the Colorado River, the Bear River, Great Salt Lake, and Utah Lake.
Free and open to public and academic audiences.

Steve Kemp - Iowa City Book Festival
2025-10-05 - 2025-10-12 | Iowa City, IA, IA, United States
The 17th annual Iowa City Book Festival will be held Oct. 5-12, 2025, at locations throughout downtown and beyond. It will showcase a dynamic mix of original events and collaborative programs with partner organizations, all celebrating the power of the written word and the exchange of ideas.
Dates and event listings for the 2025 festival will be posted when they are available.

Wasatch Festival of Books at Library Square
2025-10-11 08:00 - 2025-10-12 17:00 (America/Denver) | Salt Lake City Public Library, 210 East 400 South, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84111
The Wasatch Festival of Books at Library Square will take place on Friday, October 11 and Saturday, October 12. All events are at the Salt Lake City Public Library’s Main Library in downtown Salt Lake City.
Bringing together a variety of acclaimed authors, readings, and interactive public events, this two-day event is a community celebration of the power of reading—for all ages, and in all its forms. (And yes, for people who love genre stories, graphic novels, and audiobooks, this is your festival too!) All events are free and open to the public.

Great Basin Anthropological Association (GBAA)
2025-10-15 - 2025-10-18 | Whitney Peak Hotel, NV, 255 N Virginia St, Reno, NV, 89501, United States
The GBAA promotes the study of the peoples and cultures of the Great Basin of the western United States and its relationship to adjacent regions.
Join Us in RENO, NEVADA for the 39th Biennial GBAC – OCTOBER 15-18, 2025

Western History Association (WHA)
2025-10-15 - 2025-10-18 | Convention Center, Albuquerque, NM, United States
The Western History Association’s annual conference is a four-day event scheduled in October. It features over 120 sessions, roundtables, workshops, and professional panels on all aspects of the North American West. Participants enjoy meals, receptions, awards ceremonies, and tours to nearby historic sites and cultural centers.

Steve Kemp - Malaprops Bookstore
2025-11-05 17:30 - 19:30 (America/Denver) | Malaprops Bookstore, 55 Haywood St, Asheville, NC, 28801, United States
Malaprops Bookstore, Asheville, North Carolina with Nancy East!

Join us in store or live online when Steve Kemp presents his new book An Exaltation of Parks: John D. Rockefeller Jr.’s Crusade to Save America’s Wonderlands, in conversation with Nancy East.
This is a free hybrid event with the option to attend in-store or online.
• Click HERE to register for the IN-STORE event.
• Click HERE to register for the VIRTUAL event.

Robin Patten - The Mountain: Journeys in High Places - Country Bookshelf, Bozeman, MT
2025-11-06 17:00 - 18:30 (America/Denver) | Country Bookshelf, 28 West Main Street, Bozeman, MT, 59715, United States
Country Bookshelf will be welcoming Robin Patten to discuss her new book, The Mountain: Journeys in High Places.

Robin will take audience questions following the program.

Tickets are not required for this event, but RSVPs are appreciated. Please visit the event page for more information.

Steve Kemp - An Exaltation of Parks: John D Rockefeller's Crusade to Save America's Wonderlands
2025-11-11 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Denver) | Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, 2931 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN, 37919, United States
Steve Kemp will give an overview of his recent book “An Exaltation of Parks: John D. Rockefeller’s Crusade to Save America’s Wonderlands.”
Over a third of the book is about the creation of the Smokies, but also includes JDR Jr.’s philanthropy for Yosemite, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, the Blue Ridge Parkway and over a dozen other national parks. The purpose of the book is to encourage partnerships that help parks.
As we approach the Smokies centennial, it’s important to remember the wildly successful collaboration that created GSMNP.

Author Steve Kemp has spent most of his adult life working in national parks, from cook at a park concession in the Grand Tetons to a seasonal ranger in Yellowstone and Denali to publications director for nonprofit park education partner Great Smoky Mountains Association (now Smokies Life). A graduate of the University of Montana’s writing program, Kemp has written for magazines including National Parks, Outside, Outdoor Life, and Smokies Life Journal, and is the author of Trees of the Smokies,Great Smoky Mountains Simply Beautiful, The Blue Ridge Parkway: In Celebration of the American Landscape (forthcoming) and the children’s book, We’re Going to the Mountains.

Watershed Symposium
2025-11-19 09:30 - 2025-11-20 16:30 (America/Denver) | Utah Cultural Celebration Center, 1355 West 3100 South, Salt Lake City, UT, 84119, United States
Free and open to all, the Salt Lake County Watershed Symposium encourages a comprehensive review of the current state of our watershed while creating learning and networking opportunities for a broad array of stakeholders. Sessions cover water quality and watershed issues with local, regional, and national relevance.
Hosted annually by Salt Lake County’s Watershed Planning & Restoration Program.

Middle East Studies Association (MESA)
2025-11-22 - 2025-11-25 | Westin Downtown Washington, DC, Washington, DC, United States
The MESA is a non-profit association that fosters the study of the Middle East, promotes high standards of scholarship and teaching, and encourages public understanding of the region and its peoples through programs, publications and services that enhance education, further intellectual exchange, recognize professional distinction, and defend academic freedom in accordance with its status as a 501(c)(3) scientific, educational, literary, and charitable organization.

Steve Kemp - Wilderness Wildlife Week
2026-01-05 - 2026-01-08 | LeConte Center at Pigeon Forge, 2986 Teaster Ln, Pigeon Forge, TN, 37863, United States

Evening with the Author Kerry William Bate, author of The Life and Times of John Steele: Mormon Kingdom Builder
2026-02-19 17:30 - 19:30 (America/Denver) | Benchmark Books, 3269 S Main St, Ste 250, South Salt Lake, Utah, 84115
We are pleased to announce that Kerry Bate will be here to speak about The Life and Times of John Steele Mormon Kingdom Builder (published by The University of Utah Press) on Thursday, February 19. He will be here from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., will speak at 6:00, and answer questions and sign books before and after that time.
Among the founders of Salt Lake City, Parowan, and Las Vegas, and an explorer of Zion National Park and the Grand Canyon, John Steele’s legacy is etched across the American West. The Life and Times of John Steele follows the remarkable journey of this Irish-born convert to Mormonism from his birth into scarcity through his final days in Kanarraville, Utah.
A fervent believer in utopian ideals, Steele sought to build an egalitarian Kingdom of Christ in the last days, becoming a key figure in early Utah history. His multifaceted roles—missionary, city founder, militia major, justice of the peace, and self-taught doctor using folk medicine, charms, and the occult—make his story unique. This meticulously researched biography offers new insights into pivotal events such as the Mountain Meadows Massacre and the communal economics of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, drawing from Steele’s extensive personal diaries and papers to bring his complex, colorful life and times to light.
The Life and Times of John Steele Mormon Kingdom Builder. Paperback. $29.95.https://www.benchmarkbooks.com/…/the-life-and-times-of…

Agha Shahid Ali Prize in Poetry Reading
2026-02-19 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Denver) | Finch Lane Art Gallery, 54 Finch Lane, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84112
Ange Mlinko author of Foxglovewise and Dan Murphy, author of Estate Sale will read from their works at the Finch Lane Art Gallery

Public Lands Alliance Trade Show, Daytona Beach, FL
2026-02-22 09:00 - 2026-02-26 17:00 (America/New_York) | Ocean Center Daytona Beach, 101 N. Atlantic Ave, Daytona Beach, FL, 32118, United States
The Public Lands Alliance Convention and Trade Show brings together nonprofits, land management agencies and companies to learn, network and engage on public lands issues. The 2026 Convention and Trade Show will take place Sunday, February 22 – Thursday, February 26, 2026 at the Ocean Center Convention Center and Hilton Dayton Beach Oceanfront Resort.

Steve Kemp - Gatlinburg Public Library, TN
2026-03-10 | Anna Porter Public Library, 159 Mills Park Rd., Gatlinburg, TN, 37738, United States
Please check back for more information.

Will Moore - Arizona Histories, American Stories
2026-04-22 12:00 - 13:30 (America/Phoenix) | Online
Join the Arizona Historical Society and Will Moore for an installment of Arizona Histories, American Stories series celebrating Arizona’s role in 250 years of American history.
The Southwest is home to some of the earliest and most interesting of the National Park Service national monuments. These sites–preserved for their scientific and historic value–include cliff dwellings, Spanish missions, petroglyphs, giant cactus, and natural bridges. Beginning early in the last century, one man–Frank Pinkley–was superintendent for the entire system of thirty Southwestern national monuments.
Please register ahead of time as this event will be held over Zoom.
Since his retirement from the Arizona Education Association several years ago, Will Moore has served as a winter volunteer at Tonto National Monument. His volunteer experience has led to research into national park history, resulting in articles in the Journal of Arizona History, and presentations at Tempe’s Arizona Heritage Center, the Bullion Plaza Museum, and the Arizona History Convention. His recent book, Southwestern National Monuments: Frank Pinkley and the Rise of the National Park System, was published by the University of Utah Press in August 2025. Moore and his wife Jonelle have lived in Mesa for over thirty years.

Steve Kemp – Fact & Fiction Bookstore, Missoula, MT
2026-04-23 | Fact & Fiction Bookstore, 220 N Higgins Ave, Missoula, MT, 59802, United States

Steve Kemp - Bright Side Bookshop, Flagstaff, AZ
2026-04-26 18:00 - 19:30 (America/Denver) | Bright Side Bookshop, 18 N. San Francisco Street, Flagstaff, AZ, 86001, United States
Join us in conversation with author Steve Kemp, celebrating his book An Exaltation of Parks. The event will begin at 6:00 PM. Books will be available for purchase. This is a free event.
About The Book
Uncovering the partnership that saved America’s natural treasures
America’s national parks are facing unprecedented challenges. With visitation pressures mounting and the National Park Service struggling to keep up, author and former park ranger Steve Kemp looks toward one exceptionally effective historical example of conservation philanthropy and park building–the collaboration between John D. Rockefeller Jr. and NPS legends Stephen Mather, Horace Albright, and Arno Cammerer.
An Exaltation of Parks reveals the inspiring story of this collaboration, showing how the partnership transformed some of America’s most cherished national parks, including Acadia, Grand Teton, Great Smoky Mountains, Yellowstone, and Yosemite. It recounts Rockefeller’s lifelong dedication to conservation, digging into his own pockets and toiling as a volunteer to achieve his goals for converting private land into public use. Bringing to life the history and significance of America’s most magnificent landscapes, this volume is both a tribute to past conservation victories and a call to action for the future, emphasizing the need for continued vigilance to preserve these national treasures for generations to come.
About The Author:
Author Steve Kemp has spent most of his adult life working in national parks, from cook at a park concession in the Grand Tetons to a seasonal ranger in Yellowstone and Denali to publications director for nonprofit park education partner Great Smoky Mountains Association (now SmokiesLife). A graduate of the University of Montana’s writing program, Kemp has written for magazines including National Parks, Outside, Outdoor Life, and Smokies Life Journal, and is the author of Trees of the Smokies, Great Smoky Mountains Simply Beautiful, The Blue Ridge Parkway: In Celebration of the American Landscape (forthcoming) and the children’s book, We’re Going to the Mountains.

Society for American Archaeology 91st Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA
2026-04-29 - 2026-05-03 | Hilton San Francisco Union Square, 333 O'Farrell Street, San Francisco, CA, 94102, United States
The 91st Annual Meeting will be composed of general sessions, symposium, forums, debates, lightning rounds, posters, and workshops. The SAA Annual Meeting is the largest gathering of archaeologists of the Americas.
The meeting has a wide audience that ranges from anyone who has interest in archaeology to experts in the field. Attendees come from all over the United States and from over 45 countries.

Author Event: Jody Olsen
2026-06-02 13:00 - 14:00 (America/Denver) | Tall Tales Book Shop, 2105 Lavista Rd, Atlanta, GA, 30329
Author Jody Olsen will be visiting with her book A Million Miles: My Peace Corps Journey

Mormon History Association 2026 Annual Conference, Las Vegas, NV
2026-06-04 - 2026-06-07 | Tuscany Suites and Casino, 255 E Flamingo Road, Las Vegas, NV, 89169, United States
The Mormon History Association’s 2026 annual conference, “Mirages and Specters,” invites participants to Las Vegas, Nevada, June 4–7, to explore the shifting boundaries between permanence and transience in the Mormon past.

Evening with the Author - Thomas Murphy - Unsettling Scripture
2026-06-09 17:30 - 19:30 (America/Denver) | Benchmark Books, 3269 S Main St, Ste 250, South Salt Lake, Utah, 84115
We are pleased to announce that Thomas Murphy will be here to speak about Unsettling Scripture: Iroquois and the Book of Mormon (published by the University of Utah Press) on Tuesday, June 9. He will be here from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., will speak at 6:00, and answer questions and sign books before and after that time.

A groundbreaking exploration of the unexpected intersections between Haudenosaunee oral tradition and Latter-day Saint scripture.

In Unsettling Scripture: Iroquois and the Book of Mormon, anthropologist Thomas W Murphy delves into the visions of Seneca prophet Handsome Lake, the epic narratives of the Iroquois Confederacy, and the origin story of the Book of Mormon, revealing surprising parallels between Indigenous and Mormon traditions.

Through ethnohistorical research and decolonizing methodologies, Murphy reexamines how both communities understand their origins, faith, and prophecy. From Handsome Lake’s revelations to Joseph Smith’s seer stone, from ancient sibling rivalries to the Great Peace, this book unsettles traditional narratives while opening new conversations on scripture, identity, and cultural exchange. Drawing from living Indigenous voices, Unsettling Scripture challenges readers to rethink sacred texts and the histories they tell.

Steve Kemp - Pints for a Purpose, Bar Harbor, ME
2026-07-31 | Terramor Outdoor Resort, 1453 ME-102, Bar Harbor, ME, 04609, United States

Lonesome Landscapes: BLM Natural Conservation Lands in New Mexico
2026-12-15 17:30 - 19:00 (America/Denver) | Santa Fe Public LIbrary, 145 Washington Ave, Santa Fe, NM, 87501, United States
Event Details

Award-winning author and editor Andrew Gulliford will discuss his recent book Lonesome Landscapes: Stories from National Conservation Lands (University of Utah Press, 2026) and look at conservation case studies with a specific emphasis on New Mexico.
This is the first book on the Bureau of Land Management’s system of National Conservation Lands, now 26 years old, which covers 37 million acres of Congressionally designated national monuments, national conservation areas, wild & scenic rivers, historic trails, and wilderness areas.
The Fort Lewis College professor will compare the BLM’s NCL system to the National Park Service. He will offer examples with photos from Rio Grande del Norte National Monument, Fort Stanton Cave and the Snowy River, Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument, the Chama River, the Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness Areas, and Prehistoric Trackways National Monument.
A Q&A and book sale follows.
