(Sundance, UT) September, 2007.. The Sundance Resort in partnership with the Spotted Frog Bookstore presents, Alan Weisman, author of the New York Times Bestseller, The World Without Us. Weisman, an award winning journalist whose reports have appeared in Harper’s, The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic Monthly, discover and NPR, among others is also a former contributing editor to The Los Angeles Times Magazine. He is a senior radio producer for Homelands Productions and Laureate Associate Professor of Journalism at the University of Arizona.
His book, The World Without Us, poses the question: What would happen to the earth if humans vanished? This simple question replaces the heated debate about the environment today with a powerful, yet non threatening experiment that illustrates human impact on the world.
“I’ve found that theoretically wiping humans off the face of the earth intrigues rather than frightens people,” observes Weisman. “Comforted in the knowledge that we’re all still around to read it, my hope is that this book’s unusual premise might inspire readers to imagine how to grant nature more space to flourish with the price being our demise.”
Drawing on the expertise of engineers, atmospheric scientists, art conservators, zoologists, oil refiners, marine biologists, astrophysicists, religious leaders from rabbis to the Dalai Lama, and paleontologists – who describe a pre-human world inhabited by megafauna like giant sloths that stood taller than mammoths – Weisman illustrates what the planet might be like today, if not for us.
Expanding on a Discover Magazine piece selected for The Best American Science Writing 2006, Weisman’s The World Without Us reveals startling results based on extensive research that reveals how just in New York City alone “within two days, without pumping, New York’s subway would impassably flood. Within 20 years, water soaked steel columns that support the street above the East Side’s 4-5-6 trains would corrode and buckle. As Lexington Avenue caves in, it becomes a river. In the first few years with no heat, pipes burst all over town, the freeze-thaw cycle moves indoors, and things start to seriously deteriorate... Gradually the asphalt jungle will give way to a real one.”
Weisman’s thoughtful book illuminates the challenge before us all without relying on fear or guilt to spur us into action, but instead a simple love for our planet and our home, making saving the environment something that is at once personal and intimate.
Sundance Resort and The Spotted Frog Bookstore, owner Karen Dallett, are in their fourth year of collaboration and continue to present strategic voices in literature to Utah. "I deeply understand the significance of presenting topics of current times that affect our daily lives and the future of our nation. In history these will be noted as exciting times for all of us and our partnership could not be more meaningful to the residents of Utah", says Dallett.
Single tickets will be priced at $95 per person. Advance reservations are required. Tickets include the author’s lecture and discussion, a lavish brunch in the award winning Tree Room, and an autographed copy of the author’s latest book. Alcohol is not included. Events begin at noon. Tickets are available by calling the Sundance Activities Desk at 801-223-4567.
Nestled at the base of 12,000-foot Mt. Timpanogos, the Sundance Resort is a 5,000-acre destination resort, committed to maintaining the balance of art, nature and recreation. Sundance offers diverse mountain recreation experiences and encourages the cultivation of art and self-expression, as well as the preservation of the land. Created by Robert Redford, Sundance is a haven for discovery and inspiration, featuring 100 well-appointed cottages and homes consistent with the Sundance brand. Sundance Resort was named a Top 10 Resort by Conde Nast Traveler’s 2005 Readers Poll. The Sundance family of companies includes the Sundance Resort, Sundance Institute, Sundance Channel and Sundance Catalog. For more information on Sundance, call 801-225-4107 or visit our website, www.sundanceresort.com