Author Samuel Western to Lead Second Discussions at UW April 5

Wyoming writer and instructor Samuel Western will lead the second of two interactive evening presentations Thursday, April 5, to explore how Wyoming can build a dynamic future that honors its past.

The presentation will take place at the Berry Biodiversity Conservation Center auditorium on the University of Wyoming campus at 7 p.m., followed by a reception. The event is free and open to the public.

At the first presentation of the series March 1, some 60 members of the Laramie community met to discuss the narratives that underwrite Wyoming’s identity. Western, along with invited panelists and the audience, wrestled with narratives about ideas of freedom, the federal presence, women’s participation in economic and civic life, rejection of cities and the concept of local control, including who pays for what. The audience and panelists suggested new narratives such as embracing energy diversification, the power of rugged interdependence, and the need to operate and negotiate in the radical center, regardless of political orientation.

“Yet, how do we translate these budding ideas into narratives of cultural and political importance?” Western asks. “How do we get them to be part of our everyday lives?”

During the upcoming second presentation of the series, former Wyoming Supreme Court Justice Marilyn Kite will join Western and four panelists -- Laramie Mayor Andi Summerville, Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust Executive Director Bob Budd and UW law students Casey Terrell and Allison Connell -- to continue the dialogue and explore these issues with the audience.

UW’s Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources sponsors the discussions. For more information, visit www.uwyo.edu/haub/events, or contact Amanda Korpitz at akorpitz@uwyo.edu or (307) 766-6979.