March 2, 2009-Wallace Stegner-historian, novelist, essayist, conservationist and educator-is widely known as the “Dean of Western Writers.” On March 6-7, a distinguished group of elected officials, authors, historians, artists and others will gather to explore Stegner’s wide-ranging influence for the centennial of his birth. The symposium will be held at the University Park Marriott, 480 Wakara Way, Salt Lake City, Utah. Pre-registration is required. For more information call 801-585-3440, or visit www.law.utah.edu/stegner.

The Stegner Center’s 14th annual symposium, “Wallace Stegner: His Life and Legacy,” was organized by the Wallace Stegner Center at the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law. The two-day event will explore Stegner’s life and his ongoing influence on subsequent generations of writers, historians and conservationists. Topics include “Stegner, the man,” which will review the biographical details of his life, including his affinity for Salt Lake City, which he claimed as his hometown; “Stegner as historian and conservationist,” reflecting his vision of the historical west and his environmental ethics; and “Stegner the writer,” considering his influence on subsequent generations of authors.

Robert Keiter, director of the Wallace Stegner Center and Distinguished Professor of Law at the S.J. Quinney College of Law, says Wallace Stegner is a part of history to be cherished. “Wallace Stegner’s imprint on landscape and literature of the American West is enormous, and we’re pleased to celebrate his legacy at this year’s Stegner Center Symposium,” said Keiter.

Keynote speakers include former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt and award-winning author Wendell Berry. Berry, who was a Stegner Fellow at Stanford University in 1958-59, is the author of more than 40 books of fiction, nonfiction and poetry. He will conclude the symposium with a reading of his work in honor of Wallace Stegner and in commemoration of the centennial of Stegner’s birth.

Principal funding for the symposium was provided by the R. Harold Burton Foundation, Chevron and the Cultural Vision Fund.