Campus Events

11/13 Local Rare Bookstore Proprietor to Speak at Westminster

Musings by Ken Sanders on Late Friend and Author Edward Abbey 

As part of Westminster’s annual theme, Common Ground, the college will host a discussion by Ken Sanders on Edward Abbey, Earth First! The Monkey Wrench Gang and Me on Nov. 13, 2007 at 7:00 p.m. in the Vieve Gore Concert Hall in the Emma Eccles Jones Conservatory.

After almost two decades of silence, Ken Sanders is speaking out on his late friend and author, Edward Abbey. Abbey was the author of Desert Solitaire, a required text for all incoming freshmen at Westminster. Sanders is the publisher of the R. Crumb illustrated edition of The Monkey Wrench Gang and line of t-shirts, and for ten years published the Edward Abbey Wilderness Calendar. He is currently the proprietor of Ken Sanders Rare Books and Dream Garden Press in downtown Salt Lake City.

Sanders met Abbey in his old Cosmic Aeroplane bookstore after The Monkey Wrench Gang was originally published in 1975, and knew the author until his untimely death in 1989. Sanders was a friend, confidant, publisher, fellow wilderness activist, drinking and river running companion to the late author.

Sanders remarks, observations and recollections about Edward Abbey will be interspersed with selected readings from Abbey's literary canon along with rare video and audio footage of Abbey and his circle of friends; including The Cracking of Glen Canyon Dam.

The focus of Westminster's annual “Common Ground” theme is the desert for the 2007-08 academic year. In addition to reading Abbey’s Desert Solitaire, the college community will participate in activities in and out of the classroom using the desert as a lens through which to understand learning, life, and the local environment.

For more information on the discussion, contact Gary Daynes at 801-832-2812.

WHO: Ken Sanders

WHAT: Musings on Edward Abbey, Earth First! The Monkey Wrench Gang and Me

WHERE: Westminster College
Vieve Gore Concert Hall, Emma Eccles Jones Conservatory
1840 South 1300 East
Salt Lake City, UT

WHEN: November 13, 2007
7:00 p.m.


Westminster is a nationally recognized, comprehensive liberal arts college distinguished by its unique approach to learning. With a broad array of graduate and undergraduate programs, Westminster prepares students for success with its emphasis on active learning, real world experiences and its vibrant campus community. These are further enriched by the opportunities presented by Westminster’s unique location, adjacent to the Rocky Mountains and to the dynamic city of Salt Lake. For more information visit www.westminstercollege.edu.