/ Modified feb 14, 2024 10:37 p.m.

Bestselling authors unite to oppose book banning through an intriguing collaboration.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Water in Utah is draining Laker Powell; How Ehrenberg, Arizona got its name; and seeing color for the first time.

Doug Preston and Diana Gabaldon HERO Doug Preston and Diana Gabaldon talk about the novel, "Fourteen Days" at the Poisoned Pen Bookstore in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Monday, Feb. 5. The collaborative work includes 36 literary voices and made its official debut on Tuesday, Feb. 6.
Katya Mendoza, AZPM News

Arizona Spotlight

February 8, 2024

NPR
(Download MP3)

Featured on the February 8th, 2024 edition of ARIZONA SPOTLIGHT with host Mark McLemore:

Washington County, Utah - home to the city of St. George - has become one of the fastest-growing areas in the nation. But, that growth is on a collision course with our planet’s limited supply of water. Next, David Condos of public radio station KUER in Salt Lake City reports, the area’s leaders have a plan involving Lake Powell on the Arizona-Utah border to get. This story is part of ongoing coverage of the Colorado River, distributed by KUNC Colorado, supported by the Walton Family Foundation.

Colorado River Utah The Colorado River flows near Hite, Utah on July 4, 2022.
Alex Hager, KUNC

Earlier this week, Fourteen Days, an unusual novel set during the pandemic, makes its debut. Co-edited by Doug Preston and famed author Margaret Atwood, the work is a collaborative effort from members of the Authors Guild that intertwines over 30 literary voices including best-selling writers Diana Gabaldon, Celeste Ng, Maria Hinojosa, John Grisham, R.L. Stine and others. AZPM's Katya Mendoza spoke to Doug Preston and Diana Gabaldon at a gathering of bibliophiles at the Poisoned Pen Bookstore in Scottsdale.

Poisoned Pen Bookstore A fan of Diana Gabaldon's "Outlander" series looks at the collection of fantasy, at the Poisoned Pen Bookstore in Scottsdale on Monday, Feb. 5. About 80 people attended the author Q&A event to talk about "Fourteen Days," a novel co-edited by Doug Preston and Margaret Atwood.
Katya Mendoza, AZPM News

Fourteen Days cover VIEW LARGER The cover of the collaborative novel "Fourteen Days" released in February, 2024.
  • Back in 1869, how did a small Arizona town come to be named in honor of a Prussian immigrant? The Arizona Daily Star's “Street Smarts” columnist David Leighton returns to share some obscure Southwestern history.
honolulu map ehrenberg Map of Honolulu, drawn by Herman Ehrenberg in 1845.
David Leighton spot David Leighton in the AZPM Studio.
Leah Britton / AZPM
  • And, learn about the genetic condition known as color blindness, and join five individuals in Tucson as they use newly-designed corrective glasses to see the colors they have never seen before.

Arizona Spotlight
Arizona Spotlight airs every Thursday at 8:30 am and 6:00 pm and every Saturday at 3:00 pm on NPR 89.1 FM / 1550 AM. You can subscribe to our podcast on Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, or the NPR App. See more from Arizona Spotlight.
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